Dealing with debtors can be a draining and distressing ordeal. If you run a business, you already know that collecting payment from certain customers can be an uphill struggle. You may even have had trouble with business partners who owe you money. The problem only gets harder to deal with when your debtors ‘pull a disappearing act’. You may believe that you only have two options in these dire circumstances: going to the courts or letting the debt go. Luckily, there is a third option and that is debtor tracing. 

Private investigation agencies such as ours are qualified to locate debtors and attempt to recover whatever sum of money is owed to you. What’s more, dispatching a private detective to deal with disappearing debtors has a number of different advantages.

First and foremost, using a debtor tracing service sends out an important message – it tells your clients and business partners that you take debt collection seriously. For small debts, it can be tempting to simply give up on collection. However, this signals to customers and business associates that they can get away with not paying you what you’re owed. If that attitude becomes endemic, it could be detrimental to your business. Debtor tracing allows you to unequivocally demonstrate your commitment to following up on debts, therefore making it much less likely anyone will attempt to cheat you in the future.

Secondly, debtor tracing is both fast and cost-effective. Going to court to reclaim your money from a debtor can be a time-consuming and pricey process. In many cases, it’s also entirely unnecessary, as most debtors will pay up willingly once they have been located, in order to avoid further repercussions. As such, simply tracing them using a private investigation service will allow you to reclaim what you're owed without risking hefty court costs.

Finally, tracing debtors through private investigation services can help maintain your relationship with customers and business partners. Immediately resorting to the use of the courts can seem a trifle overzealous, particularly for small debts. While it’s important to show that you’re serious about debt collection, you should do so in a fair and measured way, as this will improve your business’s reputation and standing. Debtor tracing through private investigation services may be perceived as a more moderate response than the use of the courts and can therefore help maintain your business’s positive image.

Debtor tracing is an effective, reasonably-priced method of collecting your debts, without necessarily having to use the court system. When you need to deal with a debtor, don’t dally: debtor tracing may be the solution for you.