When to Escalate Your Collection Efforts

Have you noticed a once-reliable customer suddenly becoming difficult to reach?

If your attempts to reconnect have failed, it may be time to escalate.

You should consider involving a debt collection attorney when:

• Communication has completely stopped
• The debtor appears to be hiding or relocating
• The balance owed is significant
• You suspect multiple creditors are involved

At this stage, timing is critical. The longer a debt goes unaddressed, the harder it may become to recover.

How Legal Support Can Help

Working with an experienced debt collection law firm provides access to tools and strategies that most businesses don’t have in-house.

Legal professionals can:

• Conduct advanced skip tracing investigations
• Initiate formal demand processes
• File and enforce judgments when necessary
• Navigate multi-state or international collections
• Ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations

Firms with extensive experience in Michigan debt collection have spent decades refining these processes and can significantly improve recovery outcomes. 

Read more in our latest article.

Take the Next Step with Michigan Collection Services

If you’re struggling to collect from an elusive customer, you don’t have to handle it alone. An experienced collection services attorney in Michigan, like the Muller Law Firm, can evaluate your situation, recommend the most effective strategy, and help you move forward with confidence. Call 248-645-2440 or submit an online contact form to get started!

Practical Ways to Re-Establish Communication

Are your calls going unanswered, emails ignored, and invoices left unpaid?

If traditional phone calls aren’t working, it’s time to broaden your approach. Today’s communication landscape offers multiple avenues to reconnect.

1. Try Alternative Contact Methods

Don’t rely solely on one channel. Instead:

• Send professional, documented emails
• Use text messaging when appropriate
• Check prior documents (credit applications, contracts, invoices) for additional contact details

Sometimes a debtor may ignore one form of communication but respond to another. 

2. Verify and Update Contact Information

Outdated contact details are more common than you might think.

Review:

• Business websites and social media profiles
• Public business records
• Prior correspondence and documentation

Even small updates—like a new phone number or email—can reopen communication.

3. Consider Direct Outreach (with Caution)

In some cases, a face-to-face visit may prompt a response. However, this approach should be handled carefully.

Potential outcomes include:

• Productive, in-person resolution
• Discovery that the business has relocated or closed
• Escalation into confrontation

Because of these risks, professional guidance is often recommended before taking this step. 

4. Use Skip Tracing Techniques

When a debtor actively avoids contact, skip tracing can help locate updated information.

This process may involve:

• Database searches
• Asset and address verification
• Identifying new business affiliations

Skip tracing is a powerful tool—but it’s most effective when handled by experienced professionals who understand legal and ethical boundaries.

Read more in our latest article.

Take the Next Step with Michigan Collection Services

If you’re struggling to collect from an elusive customer, you don’t have to handle it alone. An experienced collection services attorney in Michigan, like the Muller Law Firm, can evaluate your situation, recommend the most effective strategy, and help you move forward with confidence. Call 248-645-2440 or submit an online contact form to get started!

Dealing with Difficult Debtors: Screaming and Crying

Is your debtor making business exceptionally difficult to conduct?

Debtors come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities. If you’re lucky, your customer will be polite and apologetic. However, it’s more realistic to think that you’ll encounter unpleasant behaviors. Here are two common difficult behaviors:

Screaming

Some debtors can become enraged to the point of screaming at you over the phone. You must remain calm and remember your ultimate goal: to collect payment. Some screamers calm down if you request permission to speak. If the screamer grants you permission, state the case for payment without any sign of emotion or attempt at intimidation. Describe their account balance and make a specific request for payment.

Crying

This type of debtor wants your sympathy and makes every effort to make you feel sorry for them by using illness, divorce, a death in the family, accidents, and other life altering events to pull at your heartstrings. Don’t fall for it!

Remain calm and composed, giving a response like, “I can certainly appreciate how you feel; however, we have business at hand and must resolve this outstanding balance.” You should demonstrate that you listened to what the crier was saying, but at the same time continue demanding payment.

Learn more in our latest article.

Need Help? Enlist Expert Michigan Collection Services!

If trying to collect from you debtor has gotten out of control, it’s time to call in the pros.

The Mullers offer collection services in Michigan, meaning that if you or your debtor are in Michigan, we can help! Call (248) 645-2440 or submit a contact form here to get started. We look forward to taking collections off your plate and getting you the money you’re owed.

Dealing with Difficult Debtors: Arrogance and Selective Memory

Are you having trouble dealing with your debtor’s personality?

You should know the best way to respond to the most common unpleasant personalities in order to get the best outcome out of your collection calls. Here are two of the most frustrating personality traits:

Arrogance

Some debtors think they are a lot smarter than you. In this case, your debtor will offer all sorts of explanations for nonpayment, and may have even convinced themselves that they don’t owe you any money. To keep the call under your control, respond calmly and persistently, point by point, with the facts that refute your debtor’s allegations. Don’t let your temper escalate with each point.

Selective Memory

This debtor claims that they don’t recall making their purchase, and don’t recall making a commitment to paying the bill. Your job is to remind your debtor that commitments were made on specific dates for specific amounts of money. By producing a document for every denial, you can successfully overcome your debtor’s selective memory. This is where keeping detailed documents proves invaluable.

Learn more in our latest article.

Need Help? Enlist Expert Michigan Collection Services!

If trying to collect from you debtor has gotten out of control, it’s time to call in the pros.

The Mullers offer collection services in Michigan, meaning that if you or your debtor are in Michigan, we can help! Call (248) 645-2440 or submit a contact form here to get started. We look forward to taking collections off your plate and getting you the money you’re owed.

Why You Should Have Tighter Controls on New Customers

Are you worried about customer loyalty?

When you first extend credit, your new customer knows they’re being monitored. For that reason, in most cases they’ll pay the first few invoices on time. After that point, some customers decide that they can relax and pay less promptly because they’ve already earned your respect and are no longer under the microscope, and their payments may start slowing.

In order to collect on a debt, you need to be able to identify exactly who your debtor is – such as a partnership, a corporation, or a limited liability company. This is not always easy! This process can be long and complicated, especially if your debtor is using multiple names and/or locations.

Learn more in our latest article.

Hire a Michigan Commercial Collections Attorney Today!

To protect your creditors’ rights, contact an experienced attorney for commercial collections in Michigan at (248) 645-2440 or via contact form for an effective resolution to your collection matters. Let the experts worry about your collections, so you have more time to focus on growing your business.

Four Ways to Implement Tighter Controls on New Customers

Are you finding it challenging to get new customers to pay on-time?

To protect yourself, you may choose to adopt some of the following controls:

1. Put the customer on a short leash, such as a 15-day watch list, so you detect a slowdown in payments almost immediately.
2. Be ready to turn off the credit faucet: no credit if no payment.
3. Hold up further deliveries of your goods or services until the customer pays his late invoices.
4. Get additional assurance of payment, such as liens, guarantees, and promissory notes.

Learn more in our latest article.

Hire a Michigan Commercial Collections Attorney Today!

To protect your creditors’ rights, contact an experienced attorney for commercial collections in Michigan at (248) 645-2440 or via contact form for an effective resolution to your collection matters. Let the experts worry about your collections, so you have more time to focus on growing your business.

Monitoring a Payment Plan

Have you set up a payment plan with a debtor?

When your debtor is short of cash and can’t pay off the entire debt at once, setting up a payment plan makes a lot of sense. But after you have the payment plan in hand, how do you keep the payments coming in?

After you set up a plan where the debtor is to pay off the account in installments, you should closely monitor the account, watching for any sign that the debtor is falling behind again. After the payment plan is implemented, remind the debtor that you expect all installments to be paid on time. 

But what do you do if the debtor misses a payment? Once again, the account is delinquent, and you certainly don’t want to go back to square one. As long as you actually intend to file a lawsuit if the debt isn’t paid, this is the time to threaten litigation.

Read more in our latest article.

Need a collection company that operates in Michigan?

You’re in the right place!

Your money is our #1 priority. If your or your debtor live in Michigan, our collection company can help! Take the pressure and frustration off your plate by contacting the Mullers at (248) 645-2440 or by submitting a contact form.

Effective Reminders for Debtors on Payment Plans

How can you make sure your debtor doesn’t fall behind on a payment plan? 

After you set up a plan where the debtor is to pay off the account in installments, you should closely monitor the account, watching for any sign that the debtor is falling behind again. After the payment plan is implemented, remind the debtor that you expect all installments to be paid on time. 

Here’s how you can remind your debtor effectively:

• Send statements to the debtor in advance of each payment due date. Restate the due date, amount due, and remaining balance.
• Place reminder phone calls/emails. Remind the debtor that you expect all installments to be paid on time.

Read more in our latest article.

Need a collection company that operates in Michigan?

You’re in the right place!

Your money is our #1 priority. If your or your debtor live in Michigan, our collection company can help! Take the pressure and frustration off your plate by contacting the Mullers at (248) 645-2440 or by submitting a contact form.

Writing a Demand Letter

How do you craft a demand letter to your debtor?

It may vary depending on the situation, but here are a few pointers you can always count on:

Demand letters should be personal; that is, they should be directed to a specific person and personally signed. Whenever possible, identify a person in the debtor’s company who has the authority to pay you, and send your letter directly to that person; sending letters to the wrong people doesn’t get you anywhere. If your demand letter looks like a form letter or isn’t directed to a real person, it will be treated like a form letter (thrown in the garbage). “To whom it may concern”? If your debtor doesn’t want to pay, nobody’s concerned (except you).

Read more in our latest article.

Take Care of Debtor Communication with Michigan Debt Collection Services

When you use our Michigan-based debt collection services, you don’t have to worry about doing all the communication yourself. We take care of it for you! To get started or ask questions, call (248) 645-2440 or submit a contact form here. We look forward to hearing from you!

Intro to Communicating with Debtors

How do you remind a debtor to pay without making them angry?

Effective communication with debtors is hard work. It involves both the art of persuasion and a creative imagination. Think about it: who really wants to pay a debt? Obstinate debtors are a tough audience, yet your job is to persuade them to pay up. So how do you draw your debtor’s attention to your past-due bill and create the desired sense of urgency?

Your demand letter should convey in the clearest possible way that the bill must be paid. The initial demand letter should come across as a friendly reminder so you maintain customer goodwill, and at the same time help you get paid. Remember to make it easy for your debtor to reach you. Include the name and phone number or email address of a contact person at your company so any questions or comments can be easily raised by the debtor and quickly addressed by your company.

Read more in our latest article.

Take Care of Debtor Communication with Michigan Debt Collection Services

When you use our Michigan-based debt collection services, you don’t have to worry about doing all the communication yourself. We take care of it for you! To get started or ask questions, call (248) 645-2440 or submit a contact form here. We look forward to hearing from you!

Debtor Refusing to Pay? Consider Your Post Judgment Options

Have a judgment, but not sure what to do next?

Is your debtor still refusing to pay?

Sometimes a debtor will pretend to negotiate with you to stall for time. If you enter into an agreement that involves payment over time, what happens if your debtor doesn’t make the payments? We suggest that you enter your payment plan in the form of an order with the court and include an acceleration clause. If a payment is late, then the entire remaining balance becomes due.

Learn more here!

Make the First Step! Contact a Debt Collector in Michigan Today!

If you need the help of a debt collector in Michigan, your first step is easy! Fill out the information form on our “Contact Us” page, or give us a call at 248-645-2440, to ask questions and figure out your next steps. We offer a free consultation and strategy meeting, no fees unless you win! Don’t let the money owed to you go away – get started today! We look forward to hearing from you.

 

Considering Your Post Judgment Options

Have a judgment, but not sure what to do next?

Considering your post judgment options?

At this point, your debtor falls into one of the following three categories:

1. eager payer
2. negotiator
3. deadbeat

Learn more here!

Make the First Step! Contact a Debt Collector in Michigan Today!

If you need the help of a debt collector in Michigan, your first step is easy! Fill out the information form on our “Contact Us” page, or give us a call at 248-645-2440, to ask questions and figure out your next steps. We offer a free consultation and strategy meeting, no fees unless you win! Don’t let the money owed to you go away – get started today! We look forward to hearing from you. 

4 Advantages Gained After Judgments

 

From the time you obtain a judgment, you gain some real advantages over your debtor.

1. Judgements get placed on the debtor’s credit reports. 
2. The statute of limitations is less of an issue. 
3. The judgment accumulates interest at your state’s legal rate of interest. 
4. Your judgment is a legally enforceable court order. 

Learn more here!

Make the First Step! Contact a Debt Collector in Michigan Today!

If you need the help of a debt collector in Michigan, your first step is easy! Fill out the information form on our “Contact Us” page, or give us a call at 248-645-2440, to ask questions and figure out your next steps. We offer a free consultation and strategy meeting, no fees unless you win! Don’t let the money owed to you go away – get started today! We look forward to hearing from you.

How to Make One Final Demand!

Make no mistake: you’ve made your decision. The only thing your debtor can do to change that is pay in full.

Your final notice is only effective if the debtor believes it! Make no threat that you don’t fully intend to carry out. If you want to get paid, make all attempts strong and confident with evidence to back up your story.

If you plan to use a collection agency, you may want to name the agency in your final demand letter: “If we fail to receive payment in five days, we will be placing this account with our collection agency, [name of collection agency], for further action on the account.”

Call Experienced Attorneys for Debt Collection in Michigan Today!

If you’re a business owner, you may decide that having a debt collection law firm work on your unpaid invoices is your best choice. That’s an area we specialize in, and we’re happy to discuss your options.

Our attorneys know how to get results for our clients and they’re dedicated to getting a satisfactory outcome. Contact our debt collectors in Michigan today at (248) 645-2440 for a free no obligation consultation.

Which Actions Should You Take Next?

1. Should you write the account off as a bad debt?
2. Should you place the debt with a third-party collection agency and hope that it has better luck than you did?
3. Is it time to file a lawsuit against the debtor? 

Whichever approach you choose, your collection is entering another phase. There’s just one last thing to do: issue your final demand notice. 

Call Experienced Attorneys for Debt Collection in Michigan Today!

If you’re a business owner, you may decide that having a debt collection law firm work on your unpaid invoices is your best choice. That’s an area we specialize in, and we’re happy to discuss your options.

Our attorneys know how to get results for our clients and they’re dedicated to getting a satisfactory outcome. Contact our debt collectors in Michigan today at (248) 645-2440 for a free no obligation consultation.

How to Avoid Collection Headaches

The documents you collect through your billing system only benefit you if they’re accurate. Errors, ambiguities, and omissions create confusion and may cause collection headaches for you. Even your best customers will refuse to pay your invoices if they’re confused about the numbers that appear on the documents you send.

Find out what you need to know training your staff on billing matters here.

Debt Collectors in Michigan Fight for Your Creditors’ Rights!

If you’re a business owner, you should be spending your time conducting business rather than chasing down debts. Contact our debt collectors in Michigan today at (248) 645-2440 for a resolution to your collection matters. Let the experts worry so you have more time to focus on growing your business.

Create an Effective Billing Strategy with Proper Training

Are you training your staff to deal with billing matters properly?

Do you have an effective billing strategy in place?

Do you need help training your staff on billing matters?

What should you consider?

1. Input data accurately
2. Use the correct forms
3. Respecting confidential and sensitive data

Learn more about how to handle billing matters effectively here!

Call Experienced Debt Collectors in Michigan Today!

If you’re a business owner, you may decide that having a debt collection law firm work on your unpaid invoices is your best choice. That’s an area we specialize in, and we’re happy to discuss your options.

Our attorneys know how to get results for our clients and they’re dedicated to getting a satisfactory outcome. Contact our debt collectors in Michigan today at (248) 645-2440 for a free no obligation consultation.

How to Handle Your Debtors Who Moved Away

Trying to collect a judgment on a debtor who moved away?

Are you frustrated with debtors dodging your calls?

Are you having a hard time tracking down your debtors?

When you’re trying to collect a judgment from someone who has moved away, remember:

1. States are obligated to recognize judgments obtained in other states under the Full Faith and Credit provisions of the U.S. Constitution. Most states have foreign judgment recognition laws to facilitate enforcement of international judgments.
2. When the amount owed justifies the additional effort and expense, depending on where your debtor is located, you may be able to enforce your judgment in a foreign country.
3. You may be able to recover additional fees and court costs associated with chasing your debtor to the new location to collect your judgment. You should discuss this with your debt collector up front so you don’t end up with a huge bill for costs that are deducted from the money you recover.
4. Expect that you’ll need to hire a debt collector in the new state to enter the judgment with that state’s courts and initiate collection proceedings there.

Call Experienced Debt Collectors in Michigan Today!

If you’re a business owner, you may decide that having a debt collection law firm work on your unpaid invoices is your best choice. That’s an area we specialize in, and we’re happy to discuss your options.

Our attorneys know how to get results for our clients and they’re dedicated to getting a satisfactory outcome. Contact our debt collectors in Michigan today at (248) 645-2440 for a free no obligation consultation.

How to Serve a Lawsuit with Ease

Having trouble serving a lawsuit?

Does your debtor claim they were never sued?

Are you sick and tired of debtors making up excuses?

A good way to cover all your serving bases is to make copies of the summons, complaint, and exhibits for each defendant in the case and then serve each of your defendants in three separate ways.

1. Service by regular mail – Send a copy of the paperwork to each defendant by regular first-class mail.
2. Service by certified mail – Send another copy of the documents to each defendant by certified mail and request a return receipt. Keep the certified mail card when it comes back from the post office; this slip is crucial because it contains the defendant’s signature and proves that he or she received and signed for the certified mail.
3. Service by process server – For each defendant, you give a copy of all the forms to a process server, along with an extra copy of the summons. The process server will hand deliver a copy of your documents to the defendant and completes a proof of service on the second copy of the summons and files it with the court.

Still have more questions? Learn more here!

Call Debt Collectors in Michigan to Get Started!

If you’re a business owner, you may decide that having a debt collection law firm work on your unpaid invoices is your best choice. That’s an area we specialize in, and we’re happy to discuss your options.

Our attorneys know how to get results for our clients and they’re dedicated to getting a satisfactory outcome. Contact our attorneys for debt collection today at (248) 645-2440 for a free no obligation consultation.

Serve a Lawsuit the Easy Way!

After you get a default judgment against a defendant who never responded to your suit, the defendant often complains that he or she didn’t know they were being sued. You can overcome claims of non-service by making sure that your lawsuit is properly served.

A good way to cover all your serving bases is to make copies of the summons, complaint, and exhibits for each defendant in the case and then serve each of your defendants in three separate ways. It helps to ensure all of your bases are covered.

If you need further help serving a lawsuit to your debtor, Muller, Muller, Richmond, Harms & Myers can help you!

Call a Debt Collector in Michigan to get started Today!

If you’re a business owner, you may decide that having a debt collection law firm work on your unpaid invoices is your best choice. That’s an area we specialize in, and we’re happy to discuss your options.

Our attorneys know how to get results for our clients and they’re dedicated to getting a satisfactory outcome. Contact our debt collectors in Michigan for debt collection today at (248) 645-2440 for a free no obligation consultation.