The Money That Is Yours
Debt collection is neither revenge nor punishment. It is the recovery of what belongs to you—money you earned, services you rendered, goods you delivered. The balance has been disturbed. It is your right to restore it.
Why Debtors Go Silent
Daniel Kahneman, the Nobel laureate in behavioral economics, demonstrated that people feel losses twice as intensely as gains. For a debtor, every contact with a creditor is a confrontation with loss—and the brain activates an avoidance response.
This is why they don’t answer phones. Don’t open letters. Don’t reply to emails. Not because they are thieves—because every interaction with the subject of debt triggers stress, and avoiding stress is deeply human.
A collector who fails to understand this escalates pressure and deepens the wall of silence. A collector who understands looks for ways to break the avoidance spiral—through clear options, realistic proposals, a path forward the debtor can accept.
The Time Factor
Research on collection effectiveness reveals one thing clearly: time is critical.
A debt overdue by one week has a radically higher probability of recovery than one overdue by three months. Not because the debtor becomes poorer—because he psychologically distances himself from the obligation. A fresh invoice is a concrete commitment. An old invoice is an abstraction, one problem among many, “something that will work itself out.”
The rule is simple: act immediately after the payment deadline.
Three Options Instead of One
Richard Thaler, another Nobel laureate in behavioral economics, introduced the concept of “choice architecture”—the way the presentation of options influences decisions.
A debtor who hears “pay everything now or we go to court” has two possibilities: pay (which he often cannot) or ignore (which is easier). A debtor who receives three options—full payment within seven days with a ten percent discount, installments over six months, or a thirty-day extension—can choose.
Specifically:
– Option A: Full payment in 7 days — 10% discount
– Option B: Payment in 3 installments — no discount, no interest
– Option C: 30-day extension — statutory interest applies
Offer a choice. A debtor who chooses feels control. A debtor who feels control is more likely to pay.
The Escalation Sequence
Collection has its own dramaturgy. Each step gives the debtor a chance to respond—and clearly shows what will happen if he does not.
Skipping stages is a mistake. A debtor who receives a lawsuit without prior notice feels attacked—and defends himself more aggressively. A debtor who has witnessed every step knows he brought the situation upon himself.
When to Negotiate, When to Litigate
Robert Cialdini, the psychologist of social influence, described the “principle of reciprocity”—the tendency to return what we have received.
In collection practice, this means: a concession that costs you little can unlock payment. Waiving part of the interest. Spreading payments over more installments. Extending the deadline by two weeks.
But there is a limit. If the debtor:
– responds to no demands,
– makes promises and breaks them,
– transfers assets out of reach,
– disputes the debt without basis,
…it is time for court. Further negotiation only gives him time to hide assets.
What We Do
Pre-litigation collection. Demands, negotiations, installment agreements—most debts are recovered at this stage, if you act quickly.
Court proceedings. Payment orders, lawsuits, European cross-border procedures. We represent you through to obtaining an enforceable title.
Enforcement. We work with bailiffs, identify assets, monitor progress. We don’t leave judgments sitting in a drawer.
Actio Pauliana. When a debtor has transferred assets to evade collection—we reverse the operation.
Security arrangements. We help structure transactions so that collection becomes unnecessary.
Final Thought
Debt collection is not hunting the debtor. It is risk management—your risk that money you earned will never return to you.
The sooner you begin, the greater your chances. The better you understand debtor psychology, the more effectively you break through avoidance. The more precisely you act legally, the less time and money you lose.
You can wait and hope he pays. You can act and recover what is yours.
The choice is yours. We help you execute it.
Frequently asked questions
The Defendant’s Answer to the Complaint | Court case in Poland
Jak wnieść sprzeciw od nakazu zapłaty w postępowaniu upominawczym