Debt recovery that protects the margin
Trade accounts gone quiet, short payments, unagreed rebate deductions and disputed deliveries. On wholesale margins, what you write off takes a lot of turnover to earn back.
At a glance
- 10% UK · 15% overseas, no collection, no commission
- Work starts within 24 hours
- FCA authorised · CSA member since 1995
- Collected in 154 countries last year
Margin is lost to deductions nobody challenged.
On a 4% net margin, £1,000 written off needs £25,000 of new sales to replace. Recovering is cheaper than selling your way out. (Illustrative arithmetic.)
Shortages, damages and settlement discounts taken without agreement compound quietly across a ledger.
The proposed cap on the payment terms large businesses can impose on smaller suppliers, ending 90 and 120-day terms pushed down the supply chain.
We understand why invoices are short
We speak the language
Proof of delivery, credit notes, consignment stock, retro rebates, settlement discount taken late — familiar ground, not something we have to research.
Legal support from day one
STA Legal, our sister firm of solicitors, can escalate the moment a case needs it, without a panel firm reading the file cold.
Fast, because stock doesn't wait
Average recovery in 3–4 weeks. Cash tied up in an aged debtor is cash not buying the next container.
We protect the account
Trade buyers are repeat buyers. Most of our wholesale cases end with the debt paid and the customer still ordering, and we collected in 154 countries last year.
Five steps, the same on every wholesale case.
You always know where the file sits and what happens next.
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1
Send the invoice and paperwork
The invoice, with the PO, proof of delivery and your terms of trade.
More detail
Invoice, purchase order, proof of delivery, your terms of trade, and for short payments the remittance advice showing what was deducted.
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2
Assess the debtor and deduction
A solvency check, and an honest read on whether the deduction is a genuine claim.
More detail
A solvency and conduct check on the buyer, plus an honest read on whether a deduction is a genuine credit claim or a habit that's gone unchallenged.
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3
Professional, informed contact
We contact the debtor as your representative, on the contract terms.
More detail
We contact the debtor as your representative, using the contract terms rather than pressure — the relationship stays intact.
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4
30-day review checkpoint
Most claims resolve hereStill open at 30 days? We review it with you.
More detail
If the debt is still open at 30 days we review it with you, with legal escalation available through STA Legal — your decision, not ours.
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✓
Weekly BACS remittance
Funds remitted weekly, every movement visible in Your Debts Online.
Questions wholesale clients ask us
What does "No Collection, No Commission" mean?
If we don't recover anything, you pay nothing. No placement fees, no upfront costs, no hourly billing: our commission is a percentage of what we bring in, so our incentive matches yours from day one. If you decide to take a case to court, STA Legal agrees its costs with you in writing before anything is issued.
How quickly can you start?
Usually the same working day. Placing a debt through Your Debts Online takes a few minutes, and first contact with the debtor goes out within 24 hours of the file being validated. Speed matters: recovery odds drop sharply after 90 days.
What happens if the debtor still won't pay?
We review the file with you at 30 days and set out the options. If you decide to escalate, the case goes to our solicitors at STA Legal with its full history. They issue proceedings, obtain judgment and enforce it, with costs agreed with you before anything is issued. Escalation is always your decision, never an automatic step.
Will chasing this cost me the account?
It shouldn't. We contact customers as your representative, professionally and on your trading terms. Most cases settle without a cross word, and the account stays open.
The customer keeps short-paying and calling it a query. Is that recoverable?
Usually, yes. A deduction with no agreed credit note behind it is an unpaid invoice. We reconcile what was actually agreed against what was taken, and recover the difference.
Can I place a whole ledger rather than one debt at a time?
Yes. Bulk placement is straightforward and often more economic than placing accounts one by one, and larger portfolios can qualify for lower commission once we've reviewed the paperwork.
Tell us what you're owed.
We'll recover it.
Get a free quote and talk to our team — no upfront cost, no obligation.
No Collection, No Commission. If we don't recover, you don't pay.