Collection House

On Friday 21st June 2013 Collection House Ltd will be having an Open Day at our Offices to celebrate the relocation of our business and for the official opening of our new training facility located within our building. The Open Day will be special to us and to our member companies of The Edington Group as it will enable us to showcase our one-stop business support capabilities offering a wealth of experience and expertise in a wide range of disciplines supporting businesses of all shapes and sizes at every stage of business life.

To help us celebrate this important milestone and to introduce The Edington Group to the wider business community, we invite any business with an interest in survival, prosperity, development and expansion to come along and join us. Our special guest for the Day will be Dr Andrew Murrison MP, Member of Parliament for South West Wiltshire and a Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Defence. Dr Murrison will give a presentation on government plans for supporting business.

The Day opens at 12.00 noon with refreshments and Dr Murrison should be with us around 1.00pm. A buffet lunch will be served immediately after Dr Murrison's presentation.

Please let us know if you are able to attend by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Collection House proudly boasts a legal service of the highest possible standard and at a price that places us above our competitors. Our legal services are provided in conjunction with C W Harwood & Co Solicitors and together we form a formidable partnership. Collection House looks after all pre-legal commercial debt recovery and C W Harwood & Co Solicitors looks after the legal cases.

Collection House does of course have many clients that issue their own legal claims in-house. That too is perfectly fine with us. If Collection House is instructed to pursue a debt at the debt recovery stage and for any reason is unable to effect recovery of the debt then the client can elect to issue the legal claim themselves without any charge whatsoever from Collection House for the work we have done. It is often the case that during our collection activity we find sufficient information about the debtor to assist our clients in making their decision to issue a legal claim.

Therefore, even if you have your own in-house legal team or preferred solicitors, this is no barrier to using Collection House to recover your debts pre-legal. For every debt we collect this removes the need to make any decision about legal. You will be very surprised to learn at just how many debts we collect to avoid the need for legal actions.

We consider ourselves to be the best in the field of commercial debt recovery and also the most cost-effective. Why not put us to the test to see if we can save you money too by collecting your overdue accounts and avoiding the inevitable delays and costs associated with legal claims whether you issue them yourselves or use a third party. You might just be pleasantly surprised by the results we produce. 

Have you ever had to deal with the nightmare of losing a major customer to an insolvency procedure without the comfort of having a Directors Personal Guarantee? This can of course put your own business at risk of survival. It can be even more painful if the principal director of the insolvent company is a wealthy man and he simply walks away and starts up a new company! Where did it all go wrong? How could this have been avoided?

The mistake might have been your failure to request or obtain a DPG. Had you done so the wealthy director could not then turn his back on you but would need to pay you from his personal funds or face sanctions.

Consider going to a bank as a company director and requesting a loan. The bank would ask you a lot of questions then ask you to complete an application form and almost certainly a DPG. If the bank can insist on a DPG then so can you as a trade supplier.

When approached by a potential new customer it is not unreasonable to test the customer's directors resolve and confidence in his own company's ability to pay by asking for a signed DPG. Should the director decline then you have probably saved yourself from a future insolvency bad debt!

Collection House is frequently called upon to call in DPGs and frequently recovers debts in full from the former director that signed the DPG. Make sure that your company is protected by exercising good credit management practice and get in touch with us today if you need any help.

Do you see using a Debt Collection Agency as a last resort? Are you concerned that by using a Debt Collection Agency could lead to the breakdown of your trading relationship with your customer?

Collection House can offer a service that suits your needs. We can offer a full Debt Collection service or simply assist you with your Credit Management function which can save you time and costs. We understand the importance of customer service and will ensure that your brand is treated as if it was our own.

Debt Collection and Credit Management is a vital procedure within any organisation. Most companies and businesses pay late out of habit, they need to be educated that payment in due in accordance with your payment terms not when it suits them. You need to break the habit to increase your own cash flow.

The use of a Debt Collection Agency should not be seen as a last resort but as an integral part of any companies credit control function.

If you would like to implement the services of Collection House or wish to know more about our services, then you are of course welcome to give us a call or email us for a call back This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

It has become more evident that the majority of large companies are deliberately paying late or extending their agreed payment terms simply because they have the power to do so.

An inquiry has recently taken place into the effects of late payment and how the practice is killing off small companies.

Case studies have revealed that main contractors are withholding substantial sums forcing companies into administration or liquidation.

You simply cannot afford to stand by and do nothing if you want your company to survive. You need to protect yourselves from larger companies who abuse their power.

If you are experiencing difficulties in getting paid, then instructing Collection House is your solution.

Our popularity with our SME clients is growing fast so instruct us today and we can help you too.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Bob Dixon OBE as a Non-Executive Director of The Edington Group.

Robin (Bob) Dixon OBE served for 38 years in the Armed Forces, completing a wide variety of global logistics and air transport appointments. In 1987 he was appointed Chief Executive (Equiv) of Royal Air Force Stafford one of the primary support bases operated by the RAF in the UK with its 2000 military and civilian staff and a wide range of supply and engineering functions. His last appointment in the RAF was as the Director of Petroleum and Chairman of the NATO Pipeline Committee. Leaving the RAF in 1994, he became a senior consultant to a leading Logistics and Distribution company and to a major Charter Airline.

Bob is currently the UK Board Member and the Executive of the European Airshow Council (EAC), a pan-European association that promotes excellence and safety at global air displays and related events. He has been directly involved in the management and organisation of air-shows, including responsibility for Public Relations at the Royal International Air Tattoo, Fairford where he was deputy Director from 2001 - 2005. Bob brings to the group considerable senior management experience in planning, organisation, logistics, team coaching, change management and major event organisation together with expertise in business structural re-organisation and Integration. We look forward to utilising Bobs many skills to further enhance the capability and the growing reputation of the Edington Group.

On the 1^st April 2013 the most significant changes to the Civil Procedure Rules were introduced since the Rules came into force in 1999.

The changes include a new approach to enforcing compliance with the Rules, alterations to the Small Claims Track and new provisions for the recovery of costs.

A new rule governing relief from sanctions has been introduced. If a party does not meet a deadline set by the Court they may now face their claim being struck out more rigorously than before and may have difficulties having any such claim restored. The new rule says the Court must consider all the circumstances including the need for litigation to be conducted efficiently, at proportionate cost and to enforce compliance with the rules.

It is therefore more important than ever to ensure that litigation is conducted in an efficient and timely fashion as the party that adheres to these principals will likely have the advantage. Furthermore, those not represented by solicitors should be afforded no greater leeway when it comes to compliance and may even find themselves at a disadvantage.

Sir Alan Ward, in the Court of Appeal decision of Wright v Michael Wright (supplies) Ltd [2013] clarified the problems that the Court faced when dealing with unrepresented litigants

“The appeal would never have occurred if the litigants had been represented. With more and more self represented litigants, this problem is not going to go away.”

Another change was the increase in the threshold for Small Claims which is now £10,000.00 as opposed to the previous limit of £5,000.00 It remains to be seen what effect this change has but in the consultation paper published prior to the implementation of these changes lawyers and the judiciary argued that the limit of £5,000.00 should remain or only increase in line with inflation. The government were proposing increasing the limit to £15,000.00.

Although the change will increase the number of Defended claims being allocated to the small claims track with its resultant limit on recovering costs it should enable cases to be finalised more quickly and efficiently than before. There may also be an increased possibility of unreasonable costs orders being made under the principals of enforcing compliance with the rules. Another benefit will be the larger proportion of claimants that will now be able to utilise the free Small Claims Mediation scheme.

The amendments to the costs regime include the need to prepare “Costs Budgets” in larger Multi Track cases and the potential for solicitors to conduct cases on a “Damages Based Agreement”. Whether these changes enhance or erode the indemnity principle of a loser reimbursing a winner for costs in civil claims is something solicitors and clients will be watching closely.

Gareth Allen, FICM

Debt Recover Manager

C W Harwood & Co, Solicitors

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Collection House Ltd has long been the Debt Collection Agency of choice for businesses seeking cost-effective Debt Recovery and Legal Services.

Operating with an industry leading commission rate of only 5% Collection House set the standard that other DCA's find hard to follow.

New Late Payment Legislation came into force on 16 March 2013 called The Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations 2013.

This new Legislation applies to all Commercial Debts (Business to Business) arising from contracts on or after the 16 March 2013.

Collection House will adopt and embrace the new Legislation in order to amplify our claim to be the best and most cost-effective in our field of expertise.

The new Legislation extends the right to recover Late Payment Fees to include any difference between the current compensation level and the actual cost to the client.

The Legislation stipulates that the costs should be reasonable. The Debt Recovery Services of Collection House Ltd are extremely cost-effective and therefore reasonable.

All Late Payment Fees recovered by Collection House are always refunded to our clients in full.

Give your business a market advantage by becoming a client of Collection House today.

Is it possible to be cheaper than Free? It is not uncommon for Solicitors and Debt Collection Agencies to claim that they are providing a "Free Service" when in fact they are doing no such thing. In the case of Solicitors they are simply keeping the award of costs and in the case of DCAs they are simply keeping the late payment fees. A simple calculation would demonstrate that the service is not Free but is in fact very expensive!

Meanwhile, Collection House is entirely transparent. We do not claim to be Free but very cost effective. We do not keep our clients late payment fees preferring to hand them over to our clients where they belong. We charge a flat 5% commission on debt monies recovered (and of course not on any late payment fees recovered).

Let's imagine that a client instruct us to collect a debt for £200.00 and passes a similar instruction to a DCA offering a "Free Service". Both Collection House and the Free Serving DCA would add £40.00 Late Payment Compensation and say £3.00 Late Payment Interest.

Let's assume that both of us collects the debt plus the Late Payment Fees in full. Who really is the cheapest?

The Collection House client receives £243.00 and a commission invoice for 5% of £200.00 = £10.00 + VAT. The client make a profit for having instructed Collection House of £33.00.

The "Free Service" DCA client receives £200.00. The DCA keeps the £43.00 and is arguably working on a commission rate of over 21%!

So the answer must be Yes it is possible to be cheaper than Free.

Instruct Collection House to find this out for yourselves.

Research conducted by members of the ICM by Equifax shows that 50 percent of businesses have seen an increase in late payments with 58 percent chasing payments earlier than they were 12 to 18 months ago. 

Moreover, 40 percent of Equifax users polled claim that they are chasing up payments before they become due.  Mark Nuttall, Director of Equifax Commercial said:  “Whilst this doesn’t necessarily mean customers have to pay early, we’re concerned that businesses are withdrawing or aren’t offering the best credits terms to organisations that are good payers, potentially stifling trade and growth in the economy.”

The research conducted by Equifax stresses the importance of regularly monitoring the financial status of clients to ensure you are trading with them on the right credit terms from the beginning and that you employ the right resources and strategies to those companies that are likely to exceed your terms of credit.

Clients of Collection House Ltd are comforted by having a collection agency with an industry leading rate of 5% commission and the considerable resources and expertise of The Edington Group supporting them.

Collection House Ltd was formed around 12 years ago with a mission to provide Debt Recovery and Legal Service at a level not available elsewhere.

A Commission Rate of only 5% was set and this was to apply to all Debt Recovery instructions regardless of age or origin of debt.

12 years later and the success story continues. We have recently completed a high level comparison against other leading DCAs on both performance and price and have once again come out on top.

Many of our Clients are staggered by the fact that they can profit from having instructed us! By way of example; We are instructed to collect a debt for £200.00. We collect the debt plus say, £40.00 Late Payment Compensation and £2.50 Late Payment Interest. We remit £200.00 + £40.00 + £2.50 to Client and send our invoice for 5% of £200.00 = £10.00 plus VAT. A nice little profit for the Client and an enhanced reputation for Collection House Ltd.

It is certainly no surprise to us when we come out on top of industry comparisons as we have been winning all comparisons for the last 12 years!

We intend to remain at the top of the pile so is it not about time you compared us with your current agency or solicitors?

Contact us today for a profitable tomorrow.

Did you know that Collection House Ltd has been based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire for over 10 years and during that time we have been providing specialist and cost-effective Commercial Debt Recovery Services to businesses both nationally and locally at a maximum commission rate of 5% and less than this for higher value instructions.

We delight in serving local businesses and our presence in the West Country has grown at pace with our enviable reputation as a Debt Collection Agency that gets the job done in a highly efficient and professional manner.

If you have a business in the West Country and could do with using a reputable Collection Agency to recover your overdue accounts then please get in touch. You will not be disappointed.

When instructed, you can track progress of your accounts 24/7 via our secure client portal.

You are always welcome to put us to the test against your current provider and judge us yourself on performance and price. If you do this then we will be shortly welcoming you as a new client as we are supremely confident that we would come out on top of any such comparison.

Contact us today on 01380 872970 for an informal chat.