In these uncertain times, we would like to keep you informed of our activities regarding the latest developments of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Here you can find information about how we are handling your cases during the outbreak. We hope to be of service to you as much as possible.
Depending on the countries, regions, and industries of your debtors, there might be delays in collecting the debts. The delays may have different reasons:
Please refer to our overview of the status of global courts if you have legal cases.
Check the status of global courts
Depending on the countries, regions, and industries of your debtors, there might be a negative impact on debt collections. We cannot make a general statement about the impact. There are different factors accounting for the chances of collections, such as the countries, regions, and industries of your debtors.
We are there to support you. In countries that go into lockdown, our employees work from home. This might cause a slight delay in our response time; however, we are fully operational and remain at your service.
This depends on the status of the courts in the country where your case would be tried, and on whether the prescription terms and contractual jurisdiction clauses are still in force.
If the courts are closed or have limited capacity, this will cause delays in initiating legal proceedings and a future backlog in the enforcement phase.
Besides, please be aware that bailiffs in many locations are not allowed to make onsite visits to debtors now. This is why, especially at this time, our amicable approach is important.
No, we are not conducting onsite visits in countries affected by COVID-19. This would be in violation of the local guidelines and unsafe for our employees.
Yes, you can still place debt collections cases with us. We are fully operational in all countries, so we will be able to work on your cases.
Depending on the countries, regions, and industries of your debtors, there might be delays in collecting the debts. The delays may have different reasons:
Please refer to our overview of the status of global courts if you have legal cases.
We have a social responsibility to take the economy into account and do not want to aid the downturn of businesses. This works both ways: towards your debtor and also towards you. This means we approach your debtors with careful consideration of the current situation, but our main priority is still to collect your outstanding accounts receivable. We are adjusting our collections strategy in the most affected countries as well.
For the exact status of your case, we advise you to check it in Collect@Net, Agora, or Atrium. You can also contact your case manager. In general, we state that:
Our goal is always to maximise the collected amount. If we conclude that we can achieve this best via a payment plan, we will choose this course of action. This is considered on a case per case basis.
Our collections strategy will need to adjust to reality. It may result in extending the amicable phase and getting, if possible, additional guarantees. We will start taking legal action for collections when it is possible again. This also means that, in many cases, we will need to wait.
Yes, agents can be used. The scope of actions the agents can provide may change, depending on the local situation and legal regulations.
We are taking necessary measures to continue to service our customers while protecting the health and safety of our staff and other stakeholders.
Most of our employees are working remotely. They are available via telephone, email, WebEx or other online conferencing services. This may cause delays in response times. We want to thank you for your patience throughout these trying times.
To reduce the potential spread of the virus, we have temporarily halted all business travel within our company. We have also advised our employees to not travel to countries affected by COVID-19.
Our offices are currently closed to visitors. Some offices remain open to maintain staffing for critical services. If you would like to contact our local offices by telephone or email, please find the relevant contact information of our local offices here.
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