A decision about starting cooperation with debt collection company should be informed and preceded with a solid analysis of the offers available on the market as well as needs and expectations of your own. Many factors should be taken into consideration, including experience, recommendations, specialization and scope of services.

Due to rarely having problems with debtors, some companies do not need to start a steady cooperation with debt collection company and they commission only single cases from time to time. Below, we advise what questions should be asked before referring such a single file to recovery.

1. How long will it take?

You need to remember that along with the passing time, the chances to recover money successfully decrease, therefore, amicable collection should be conducted fast and efficiently, for maximum of 60 to 90 days. If during this period debtor does not pay, the case should be referred to a judicial collection. Further payment requests, telephone contact attempts or listening to payment promises are just a waste of time. Amicable debt collection in Poland cannot be brief and should not be too long either.

2. Will you recover interests and collection costs?

According to local law, during debt collection in Poland, not only the capital amount can be collected, but also interests and accrued collection costs. Check if the company of your choice recovers these amounts as a part of amicable procedure, because enforcing them from debtor will result in a no-cost collection.

3. Is the debt collection company offering on-site visits?

Agents visiting debtors, conducting direct negotiations at their place of business, is one of the methods used in debt collection in Poland, that are most pressuring and most effectively motivating to make a payment. Moreover, it enables to collect crucial data about debtor’s assets, which is highly helpful on further stages of debt recovery.

4. Is the debt collection company able to obtain information about debtor?

Data about debtor provided by creditor is often out of date or incomplete. The same applies to information in online catalogues that are freely accessible. In order to conduct collection successfully, the agent should establish an up-to-date contact data or information about assets. Therefore, the company of your choice should have their own in-field collection department or should be hiring employees with private detective license.

5. Will you be informed what is going on with your claim?

As an ordering party, you should have a possibility of a direct contact with the agent handling your case and a permanent access to information about progress and which actions were already taken. Online platforms enabling the access to all information about a case and some additional data, are nowadays a standard.

6. Will you be informed what to do next?

If amicable debt collection in Poland proves to be ineffective, you can lay a claim in an in-court procedure. Debt collection companies having their own law office facilitate faster transfer from amicable procedure to a judicial one and thanks to the information that was obtained before, they are better prepared to this procedure than a “new”, external law office. It is worth to consider a possibility of judicial collection and refer your case to the company that provides integrated services.