‘My company is a recruitment agency specialising in the construction / technical sectors. It’s rare that clients refuse to pay us so I did not have much experience of using debt collection agencies or law firms. A construction / developer company owed us several thousand pounds for contractor fees but also c. £15k in temp to perm fees. We decided to use a local debt collection agency first and tested them out initially on the unpaid contractor fees, but it quickly became apparent seeing both their approach to dealing with the matter and lack of communication with me, that achieving the best results were unlikely. They did eventually collect the contractor debt but in an aggressive and unprofessional manner that could be damaging to my reputation. During that process it also became obvious that they did not have the sophistication or knowledge of the recruitment sector necessary to understand or collect the more technical temp to perm debt. This left me wondering as to whether using them was the right move, I decided to look for better options and to see if there was a specialist dealing with recruitment debt and I very quickly ended up speaking with Sterling. Sterling were a breath of fresh air… achieved a quick result, keeping me updated throughout and engaging with the debtor in a professional manner to retain my reputation. It’s evident that their knowledge in my sector of business has been absolutely invaluable in aiding them to achieve much faster results and with far better conduct than the previous company. I am currently considering use of their solicitor’s service to ensure any potential loopholes are dealt with in our processes too. Sterling Debt Recovery are leaps and bounds ahead of their competition and I will certainly recommend them to any recruiters, or any business as a matter of fact, who require an unpaid invoice to be collected.’

DIRECTOR, TEMP RECRUITMENT FIRM, BRADFORD

The Covid-19 pandemic has been tough on all of us, but even more so, when faced with unresponsive customers who aren’t paying their bills. As a small, relatively new business, every penny counts and we had a debtor who had ignored our countless attempts to collect money for in excess of three months.

We were lucky to have terms of business in place with them, and an email trail of our failed attempts to chase the money. We weren’t prepared to write the money off, so I started researching what we could do next and came across Sterling. From making the initial enquiry, to confirming they could act on our behalf to retrieve the money, the process couldn’t have been simpler or quicker. Within a few short weeks the debt had been collected, and Sterling repaid the money to ourselves within a month.

Although it’s the last thing you hope you will need to do to a client, if you do have to go down the path of debt recovery, I couldn’t recommend Sterling highly enough, and although I hope we don’t have any debtors in the future, should we find ourselves in that position, they will be the only company we contact.

textDIRECTOR, RECRUITMENT FIRM, SOMERSET

Sterling did a fantastic job for us in recovering debt we had planned on writing off. The process was incredibly straight forward and Sterling delivered a very professional service throughout. Sterling were recommended to me by a trusted contact and I’d pass on the recommendation to anybody looking for a debt recovery agency

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, AWARD WINNING SEO / DIGITAL MARKETING CO.

We had been trying to get payment from a client for quite some time without any luck. They ignored all emails and phone calls so I was left with no option but to seek help from a reliable debt agency. After reviewing other competitors I chose Sterling largely based on the fact they have experience recovering money within our business sector. After providing them with the relevant info needed they started working my case immediately and I was very surprised at how quickly they were able to recover the debt. The whole process was hassle free and very smooth, and the best part is it didn’t cost me a penny as Sterling’s fee was recovered from the other side too! I cannot recommend them highly enough, I will certainly be using them again if and when the time arises.

RECRUITMENT CONSULTANCY, IT, FINANCE&ACCOUNTING, UK, DIRECTOR

“Sterling did a fantastic job collecting historic debts, some dating back over a year and in some cases, even collecting interest on the debt so therefore receiving more than we had expected. I would definitely recommend using Sterling as it has saved us a lot of unnecessary legal proceedings.”

textPROFESSIONAL SERVICES BUSINESS, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

‘We partnered with Sterling regarding a recruitment placement fee due to us from an overseas client based in the U.S. Sterling took an understanding and comprehensive approach to this situation. Following their analysis they informed us they had identified assets in the UK (a subsidiary) and had proposed legal proceedings in the English courts which would then be followed with enforcement against the UK assets. The placement was unfortunately disputed although our strict protocol had been followed, however following negotiations and the debt recovery effort led by Sterling, an offer was made to pay 75% of the debt, which we accepted as we wished to be fair and just. This was a significant fee for us and as a boutique and well respected business in the sector this fast result ensured immediate payment which in turn ensured our cash flow. We avoided delays, uncertainty and any upfront legal costs. We would certainly work with them again if this rare and unfortunate situation should arise into the future.’

INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT SPECIALISTS – NICHE SECTOR, DIRECTOR OF SALES

“In a business where we issue a large amount of mixed low and high value invoices to business customers, we have found a huge benefit both in time saving and increasing our cash flow, through using Sterling. We pass a file of late paying customers to Sterling, they collect the invoices, they increase the amount we get paid by the customer because of being late, and make the customer pay the debt recovery fee… brilliant.”

DIRECTOR, MANAGED PRINT SERVICES COMPANY, UK

“Sterling delivered payment as promised from a broken relationship with a client of my business who delayed payment and in the end tried backing out of our agreement and just refused to pay. I had spent far too much time and effort chasing and hearing promise after promise whilst the relation was deteriorating more and more. Sterling took the stress and burden of chasing for this payment away from me and resolved the dispute extremely fast. Any similar situations I’ll face in the future I will simply be passing to them to act on my behalf straight away.”

ADVANCED ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER, DIRECTOR

“We have used Sterling Debt Recovery’s services only a few times over the last year and have found them to be courteous and professional in their way of dealing with collecting debt. We would certainly recommend them to any business that needs support to collect payment from old outstanding debtors. Also, you don’t have to pay an up-front fee, but only when the debt is collected and is based on a percentage of that debt which means that any business can afford to use their services.”

ACCOUNTING, BUSINESS ADVISORY AND TAX CONSULTING FIRM, LONDON, MANAGER

“We have used Sterling Debt Recovery’s services only a few times over the last year and have found them to be courteous and professional in their way of dealing with collecting debt. We would certainly recommend them to any business that needs support to collect payment from old outstanding debtors. Also, you don’t have to pay an up-front fee, but only when the debt is collected and is based on a percentage of that debt which means that any business can afford to use their services.”

textNATIONWIDE PROVIDER OF INTERPRETERS AND TRANSLATORS, OWNER/DIRECTOR:

At the end of last year, we experienced trouble with a client who stopped paying their bills and at the same started ignoring our emails and phone calls.  We eventually appointed Sterling Debt Recovery and were amazed at the speed with which they managed to recover funds which we had all but given up as lost.  The debt was paid in full with late payment fees and interest on top, which more than paid for the fees from Sterling.   They provided an incredibly efficient and effective service and were a pleasure to deal with:  friendly and responsive.  In addition they have provided valuable advice for the future wording of contracts to maximise the amount of fees and interest that can be charged in the event of late payment.  We would definitely use them again.

Finance Director, Software Company
“We have worked with Sterling debt recovery on several occasions & from the start they have been clear open & honest with what they can do for us.

Their fee structure is very clear & on the few occasions we have had to take action against clients for breaching our terms Sterling debt recovery has done an excellent job of communicating & resolving issues with these clients on our behalf.

Sterling debt recovery are now our first port of call regarding any outstanding debt issues.

I do not hesitate to recommend their services to other businesses.”

DIRECTOR, RECRUITMENT BUSINESS

One of our long term clients had built up a debt of £3300 and despite making repeated promises to pay no money was forthcoming. We tried sending a solicitor’s letter but this had no effect and we did not want to risk throwing good money after bad for legal action. For me it was business principal which made it important to collect these invoices. I had received an introduction from Sterling so I contacted them to find out what was on offer from debt collection agents. Sterling didn’t suggest jumping straight in with legal action, they just collected any relevant background info from me regards the debt and offered to work on a commission only basis with no payment up front. This was the result: 2 weeks later Sterling informed me they had negotiated to recover more than £4000 from the debtor, this being the total invoice value plus late charges. This meant that after deducting Sterling’s fee I would still recover more than the outstanding invoice value. I’m delighted with the service and if I have a bad debtor in future I’ll contact Sterling first.

textRECRUITMENT SPECIALISTS IT & ENGINEERING, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SURREY

Coming up to retirement I had arranged to sell my automotive wholesale/retail parts business to another company which would leave me to collect all outstanding amounts from my customers when the sale went through. All was well as most customers paid their invoices promptly but a couple were reluctant. I pursued these customers myself for some considerable time with no success just a string of excuses or just being ignored. One client was based in Europe which made for an added complication. I decided eventually that I needed help and contacted Sterling. They assessed the situation and felt they had a good chance of recovering the debt so I left the business with them. I have been most impressed all along the recovery road. I have been kept informed of progress at all times by their friendly agent and now not only have I received all the outstanding amount but Sterling have also collected the cost of their service which means I am not out of pocket at all. A very impressive feat! I would definitely recommend Sterling to any business struggling with debt recovery.

RECRUITMENT DEBTBUSINESS OWNER, WEST MIDLANDS

We were impressed with the efficiency and professionalism of the team at Sterling Outsourcing and we would have no hesitation in recommending them. They were responsive and effective, and always kept us immediately informed of new developments in the debt recovery process. Furthermore, they ended up recovering more of the debt than we had initially expected, as the debtor had proven to be stubborn and hostile. Despite these challenges, Sterling Outsourcing kept up the pressure on the debtor and managed to negotiate a very satisfying settlement.

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF A CORPORATE INTELLIGENCE COMPANY

As a professional recruitment company, choosing Sterling Debt Recovery to deal with our debtors has proven to be very successful. We don’t have many bad debtors but the couple we’ve passed to Sterling have both paid. One of the debts also required a court claim which the solicitor dealing with Sterling dealt with impeccably, in addition all our costs were recovered. Their knowledge of the recruitment sector goes a long way to bringing fast undisputed results. They even suggested tailored improvements in our own Terms, reducing exposure to similar problems from debtors in the future. I am confident and satisfied to be working with them.

professionalsSPECIALIST RECRUITMENT SOLUTIONS COMPANY, ENGINEERING AND HEALTH CARE SECTOR, CEO

We run a boutique research recruitment business. After 16 years of trading we had never had a case of bad debt and so when this situation arose, we were unsure about what do to and which company we felt comfortable with to support us.

After speaking with a few firms, Sterling really stood out from the rest as they specialise in our industry and so could immediately demonstrate the various common scenarios that they are used to dealing with in terms of recruitment debt. Furthermore the process was clearly explained, smooth and non stressful. The day we handed over the debt we could literally forget about it and relax without having to deal with stressful calls and emails. Within under 3 weeks our debt was paid in full and I would have no hesitation in recommending them to any business. We have also since passed them another debt from the same client.

textMANAGING DIRECTOR OF RECRUITMENT RESEARCH FIRM

We reached out to Sterling Debt Recovery to work with us on the very occasional time that we have a late payer. They know our industry, they are great for debt recovery novices explaining the steps to us and they recovered our debt within a few days. The whole process has been very straightforward, and encouraging. It is like having a safety blanket knowing that we have a reliable service should this happen again. Thanks Anthony, Neil and the team. Good job done all round!

textHANNAH MACDONALD, MANAGING DIRECTOR, HIGHER SUCCESS LTD

We’re a niche recruitment company based in the North West focusing on the Water Treatment market in the UK. We first started using Sterling in 2020 to recover a small number of debts – all of which have been successful. Having previously used A-another debt collectors, I was a bit sceptical as that experienced was very much a mixed bag, and I felt as if I had to do a lot of the legwork which felt counter-productive.  Sterling are a completely different entity, thoroughly professional in their approach, our experience with them has been superb to date.  I would like to single out our contact, Neil, who has been a big help and valued advisor throughout the covid downturn.  Neil has helped us in recovering a number of debts – one of which was nearly three years old! He has always been personable and honest throughout all of our dealings, which I really appreciate!  I would not hesitate to recommend Sterling as your debt collection partner, and I am reassured to know they are there for future reference as an integral part of helping to grow our business.

textNICHE RECRUITMENT FIRM, DIRECTOR, UK

When I first got in touch with Sterling I was somewhat sceptical as to whether they’d be able to recover our debt, we had been chasing for many months and with little progress. We had considered the legal route, but with the costs being prohibitive. We had a briefing call with Sterling and then provided due paperwork. To my surprise around one week later, Sterling contacted us to advise that they’d recovered the funds. I’d recommend them highly.

textDIGITAL CONSULTANCY, PARTNER, UK

“Sterling have done a great job in recovering money for my company, as a new client I was surprised at how efficient and knowledgeable Neil is and how quickly he managed to get what I was owed.

I would definitely recommend Sterling to any one needing help ”

TRANSPORT PROFESSIONAL, UK, OWNER

“Although we use credit insurance, not all of our debts are covered, in particular we have difficulty with back-door cases. We have used other debt collection agencies in the past but they were not able to resolve disputes and in most cases simply tried to pass our case on to a solicitor to lodge a claim. Sterling have been different. As Sterling’s debt collectors and their solicitor have considerable expertise in the Recruitment sector they have been able to negotiate successfully with our debtors, resolving disputes and explaining their liability to them. In all but a few cases Sterling have been able to collect the debt without taking legal action, and sometimes they are able to collect late fees to cover their charge to us. Where legal action has been necessary Sterling have used the solicitor based in their office. This has made the process easier for us and his rates are extremely good. I’m always confident that he is doing his best to get us the best result in each case.”

RECRUITMENT RESOURCING COMPANY, UK, CLIENT SERVICES DIRECTOR

In the past we have tended to go directly to a law firm when faced with a bad debt and often this ended up costing us more than we recovered. Sterling focus on getting the best financial outcome for us whereas a law firm just focusses on winning the case. Sterling involve their solicitor early in the process to negotiate with the debtor. This means they can usually collect the debt without going to court and if legal action is needed they have a better understanding of what is involved and which route to take. I regularly recommend Sterling to my clients if they have trouble with bad debtors.

ACCOUNTANCY FIRM, LONDON, £12M T/O

We used Sterling debt recovery to recover a 9 month old debt where a multi site, large client of our business was refusing to pay a fee for work completed. Sterling took over the debt and within two weeks had secured an agreement in principle from the client for the full settlement of the debt. Money was received in our bank account in under one month. Importantly, they managed to achieve this without damaging the forward business relationship.’

professionalsRECRUITMENT AND RESOURCING COMPANY, HEALTH CARE SECTOR, MANAGING DIRECTOR

We were having serious issues with a customer in relation to non payment of invoices. This was a new experience for us as fortunately our clients are normally excellent payers. We enlisted the assistance of Sterling Debt Recovery to recover the debt and we have been more than happy with their service and professionalism, the debt has now been paid in full and we will use their services again 100% if we encounter any more issues

SPECIALISED CONTRACT RECRUITMENT AGENCY, WALES

It’s not often we suffer bad debtors but we have had a number of cases where our client has gone missing or has refused to pay their bill. Sterling Debt Recovery are always able to track down the debtor and usually collect without having to go legal. As a credit manager it’s good to have a debt collection partner I can trust.

professionalsACCOUNTANCY FIRM, LONDON, £20M T/O

Within the first month of service Sterling had recovered debts which we had assumed would have to be written off. Their professionalism and dedication means that we can concentrate on growing the business knowing that Sterling will ensure our invoices are paid promptly.

PRINTING FIRM, WATFORD, £2M T/O

Sterling have been able to collect from customers who we never thought would pay. They understand our business and our contractual terms so they can deal with our debtors in a professional and knowledgeable way.

RECRUITMENT SECTOR CLIENT, LONDON, £12M T/O

We enlisted the services of Sterling Debt Recovery after acquiring some debts from a few of our customers. Our attempts to recover these particular balances yielded no results and having researched debt recovery services online Sterling’s website was the most approachable, clearly presented one. After a quick phone consultation with their very helpful staff I assigned several cases over to them. Within less than a week one case was sorted and paid and more have continued to be since. We look forward to having a long business relationship with Sterling and feel we can rely on them getting fair, considered results.

textEVENT ORGANISER, LONDON

They were recommended to me by a business colleague and we have had on occasion reason to use their services to collect a payment from a client of ours who did not want to pay his invoice for services we provided. We were considering writing the debt off when we decided to ask for help to recover the debt. They acted promptly and with minimum input needed from our company and we avoided any unnecessary legal costs and the debt was collected quickly and efficiently. After proving themselves with this client we won’t hesitate using them to collect monies owed to us as soon as they arise without waiting until the debt is almost ready to write off and spending hours running after payments ourselves…

DRAINAGE AND WASTE SECTOR, UK, DIRECTOR

We have been using Sterling Debt Recovery for a number of years.  We see them as part of our business, an extension of our credit control procedure.  They have always acted to the highest professional standard – providing complete transparency at every step to ensure our commercial interests are protected.  Most importantly they always get results!  Delivering outstanding value.  They have played a big role in the continued growth of the company.  Highly valued and recommended partner.

FOUNDER & DIRECTOR - RESERVATIONS MANAGEMENT COMPANY

We engaged Sterling Debt Recovery in 2017 to assist us with the workload of trying to recover sizeable sums from bad debt clients. Two years later, Sterling have become invaluable to our business’ ongoing recovery of debts through negotiations with our clients and by instigating/managing legal action to recover sums. We have been especially pleased with Graham who has now managed hundreds of our debts and has been a great source of guidance on the legal procedures for debt collection. We highly recommend Sterling to any businesses looking for a debt recovery partner.

CORPORATE SERVICE PROVIDER, COMPLIANCE OFFICER

“Sterling helped our Start-up agency with its case of bad debt. The client knew all of the tricks of the trade in terms of debt avoidance and personally I was going to write the debt off and move on. The perseverance of Sterling Debt Recovery must be commended- they chased the debt as if they were shareholders in my own business and gave me the confidence to leave everything with them as they kept me updated throughout the whole process.

Sterling collected the full amount plus late payment fee’s so we were in profit after they had deducted their fees.”

START-UP RECRUITMENT BUSINESS, DIRECTOR

“I have engaged the services of Sterling Debt Recovery on several occasions to help us to recover fees owed to us that we were unable to recover ourselves.  Everyone that I dealt with at Sterling offered efficient, professional and knowledgeable service to help us to achieve our outcomes.  I have recommended the services of the Sterling group to others, and they have received the same levels of efficient and professional attention that we did.”

SPECIALIST I.T. RECRUITMENT COMPANY, DIRECTOR

‘For a consultancy of our size any payment default is significant, especially when the default is from a company that, unknown to us at the time of commencing work, has a history of CVA’s and closures.

After months of our trying to get a response with total ‘silence’ from our debtors the challenge was to go the legal route with accompanying expense with little prospect of payment or the Sterling route. I am so glad we chose the latter.

Sterling were incredibly professional and accomplished, we had part of the outstanding debt paid quite quickly and despite the debtor going ‘silent’ once again the shear persistence and knowledge of Sterling about debtor’s ‘avoidance’ techniques and how to put pressure on them led to the debt, including any fees and interest being paid in full. I am convinced without Sterling this would not have happened.

I have no hesitation of recommending Sterling to any company large or small to support any debt recovery process.’

RECRUITMENT DEBTMANAGING DIRECTOR, SMALL SPECIALIST CONSULTANCY

‘Please extend my gratitude to Neil for his “sterling” efforts in chasing my debtor and in communicating with and advising me throughout the process.  I was very impressed with his work. While I hope not to need your services again, I would have no hesitation in using Sterling Debt Recovery and/or recommending the firm to others in the future.’

debt paidDIRECTOR, EXECUTIVE SEARCH COMPANY, INTERNATIONAL

We were struggling to obtain payment from a large international client. We used Sterling Debt Recovery to assist with this issue. Sterling responded swiftly and professionally when dealing with our client and recovered our debt in a very short time. We are very pleased with the service they provided and their high level of professionalism. I would not hesitate to use them in the future should such a situation arise again.

DIRECTOR, HEALTHCARE MEDIA PRODUCTION COMPANY, UK

Sterling have done a Great job in recovering money for our company.
Easy to communicate with and very efficient. Neil is a great help and a pleasure to do business with.
We have struggled on a few occasions to recover money from customers however Sterling have recovered this in a short space of time! I would definitely recommend them as a partner.

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR - LEADING UK MANAGED IT SERVICE PROVIDER

A very smooth and easy to use debt collection service. I spoke to Graeme who asked me a couple of questions. He kept me updated when he started discussions with the debtor and the next thing I know I was informed that we have been paid.

WASTE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, BRIGHTON, £1M T/O

We sent Sterling a debt that was 6 months old. We had given up hope of it ever being paid as we had chased the debtor repeatedly and received no response. I was pleasantly surprised that not only did Sterling get my debt paid quickly, they also managed to get the debtor to pay late payment charges so that I received more than my outstanding invoice value after payment of Sterling’s fees. I would certainly recommend Sterling and will be using them in future if I am unfortunate enough to suffer from another bad debtor.

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE COMPANY, LONDON

‘I have used Sterling on more than one occasion and I have found the service to be both quick and effective. The debts I placed were recovered in full in addition to our costs. On that basis I would recommend Sterling to anyone seeking a swift collection of an outstanding debt.’

UK, PURCHASING AND SUPPLY RECRUITMENT CONSULTANCY

Sterling‘s debt collection service has been a great help to us over the years. If the customer is not insolvent then Sterling will collect, and when they can’t get payment they call me to advise me whether or not legal action with their solicitor is likely to be worthwhile. This means that I dont have to worry about throwing good money after bad.

textFASHION WHOLESALER, WELLS, £2M T/O

We have been using Sterling Debt Recovery now for almost two years. They have proved far more effective than other Debt Collection Agencies we have used in the past. They seem to be able to collect debts that we ourselves would normally have difficulties with or we would write off. Have had only one write off since we have been with them. They also advise when we need to escalate the debt, which is rare, to another level. This usually proves very effective both in terms of time and costs.

We would highly recommend them

ACCOUNTS MANAGER/CREDIT CONTROLLER, WASTE COLLECTION COMPANY, LONDON

“We rarely suffer from bad debt, but when this does happen it’s good to have a trusted partner who we can rely on to get the best result for us. When one of our clients refused to pay we decided to give Sterling Debt Recovery a try. They were offering to collect on a commission only basis, which appealed to us as we were wary of throwing good money after bad. Within a few weeks of contacting Sterling they had collected our full debt and transferred the funds to us a few days later. Not only that, Sterling also managed to collect late payment charges from the debtor, so that even after they had deducted their fees we received more than our initial invoice value.”

RECRUITMENT DEBTIT SERVICES, TELFORD, £7M T/O

We have worked with Debt Collection companies before and we found that they would do little more than send letters then ask us to pay them for legal action. Sterling Debt Recovery has been different. They collect debt by negotiating with our debtors and have given us guidance on whether or not to begin the litigation process. We were impressed by their service and honest approach.

ACCOUNTANCY FIRM, LONDON, £1M T/O

Sterling Debt Recovery are the most honest and reliable company I have ever worked with. They have exceeded my expectations repeatedly. A former business partner owed me a large amount of money, due to the debtors attitude I had given up hope of ever getting the money. Within a short time of contacting Sterling Debt Recovery their team had worked out a payment plan, which to my amazement the debtor stuck to.

Having a trained solicitor in their team made a real difference, his knowledge of bankruptcy law helped the debtor see that there were serious consequences for non payment. I am extremely happy with their service, professionalism and attitude. They will be my first point of call for all such matters in the future.

textEDITOR & DIRECTOR: MEDICAL PUBLICATION

I’d just like to say thank you once again to Sterling Debt Recovery, and Anthony in particular, for making the process of acquiring our unpaid debts as easy as possible.

As soon as we provided the evidence required Anthony began the process of establishing the fee due to us, and made contact with the company in question. Anthony kept us up-to-date throughout, and before long we were discussing when we the funds would be transferred, and how much our bottom line would be if the company tried to negotiate. In the end, Anthony was able to negotiate a very reasonable figure and we received a large chunk of our debt, when previously there had been very little hope at our end of ever seeing a penny!

Thanks for your help Anthony, and we will definitely be calling Sterling Debt Recovery again the next time we need you!

Senior Recruitment Consultant, Midlands