To think you can’t get arsey about an unpaid invoice...

[Merryoldgoat]

... if you’ve never checked to see it’s been received?

Someone popped into my office today to ask if there was an issue with payment. My clerk is working from home so I said I’d check.

As I’m bringing up the account he said ‘it’s from Feb 20’.

I won’t bore you with the entire conversation but since he’s supplied his services for around 10 years, and his bills are always paid within 2 weeks, isn’t it reasonable to think he might’ve noticed sooner than 13 months and check we’d received it?

He said ‘I thought I’d check before sending you a rude letter’ which just irritated me.

Obv this isn’t a big deal but I’m irked.

Given the last year has been more than a little unusual I think you are being overly harsh. There are faults on both sides, somebody at your end must have know you had services you had t been invoiced for. It’s quite possible the person that normally does his credit control has been furloughed for the last 12 months, or if it’s him maybe he was too busy worrying about how he was going to survive and giving his own customers extra leeway. It’s sorted now, no need to lay blame or get angry, use it as an opportunity to tighten up your own processes, every day’s a school day

This thread is hilarious. 😃

Have you seriously never had this happen before OP? Are you new to accounts?

"Good job I popped in...." is ridiculous. He controlled whether he popped in or not. It would not have been your fault if he'd sent a rude letter.

The OP must move in very civilised circles if she thought he was arsey.

No, snotty letters aren't, but given the staff we weren't surprised we go at one. TBH I had given them far too much credit that they were doing the decent thing and not billing us for such crap education and service.

@sparklefarts

I posted what I thought was a very basic peeve that irritated me a bit today and all hell broke loose!

I’m very confused.

I bet if I’d posted

‘I provide x service to y company and they owe me £Z from Feb 2020. I thought I sent the invoice but I hadn’t. AIBU to think they should’ve asked me where my invoice was and paid me?’

I guarantee I’d have been told ‘no invoice no money’ and ‘how can they pay you if you didn’t send an invoice etc’

Are you both women, OP? I wonder if that played a part on his attitude?

Sounds like someone your end has ballsed up and you ate struggling to accept this....pay the man his money and stop nit picking

*are struggling

[quote Merryoldgoat]@sparklefarts

I posted what I thought was a very basic peeve that irritated me a bit today and all hell broke loose!

I’m very confused.

I bet if I’d posted

‘I provide x service to y company and they owe me £Z from Feb 2020. I thought I sent the invoice but I hadn’t. AIBU to think they should’ve asked me where my invoice was and paid me?’

I guarantee I’d have been told ‘no invoice no money’ and ‘how can they pay you if you didn’t send an invoice etc’[/quote]
Its the responsibility of the company who provided the services to issue the invoice / chase the money. But you equally can't complain about someone chasing the money if you've not paid. Yes you have the right to then request the invoice but you can't complain about the demand if you've used services. You can avoid the problem entirely if you keep on top of your paperwork and are aware of missing paperwork. Being proactive helps you clear your debts and avoid problems further down the line.

The point here is you asked whether it was unreasonable for someone to complain about an unpaid bill 12 months later. Its not. You might have reason to say you need the invoice first, but you should pay at the first available opportunity when its that dated. Not be an arse about it.

Its an oversight on both sides.

All parties should have good accounts procedure to be aware of their incomes and outgoings at any given point. If either party has something missed at 12 months then there's a problem with both systems. It really just shouldn't happen if everyone is using good practice!

I agree with the above. Poor internal processes all round

Also, look in it as a good thing, you can now create an internal control to prevent this happening again - therefore making you more efficient.
If you are missing this one, potentially you could be missing more?

@RedToothBrush

Its the responsibility of the company who provided the services to issue the invoice / chase the money.

Yes

But you equally can't complain about someone chasing the money if you've not paid.

She's not complaining about him chasing the money, she's complaining that he tried to avoid admitting the invoice was meant to be submitted a year ago and instead of just saying 'the invoice should have been sent in Feb 2020', he's acted like he's been chasing all this time and was about to send a nasty letter.

Yes you have the right to then request the invoice but you can't complain about the demand if you've used services.

See above.

You can avoid the problem entirely if you keep on top of your paperwork and are aware of missing paperwork.

As you acknowledge, its the responsibility of the company who provided the services to issue the invoice / chase the money.

[quote Merryoldgoat]@sparklefarts

I posted what I thought was a very basic peeve that irritated me a bit today and all hell broke loose!

I’m very confused.

I bet if I’d posted

‘I provide x service to y company and they owe me £Z from Feb 2020. I thought I sent the invoice but I hadn’t. AIBU to think they should’ve asked me where my invoice was and paid me?’

I guarantee I’d have been told ‘no invoice no money’ and ‘how can they pay you if you didn’t send an invoice etc’[/quote]
You’re right OP, most posters are just having a go at you!
The point is that the man tried to pretend it was yo fault. He probably felt guilty for missing it and taking it out on you.
Threatening to send a stroppy letter isn’t very professional though.

I've had odd things like that happen before. Had a company sending us statements with an invoice I had no record of. Tried contacting them for a copy but they didn't answer their phone or reply to my voicemail and they had no email address on the statement. Eventually after more than 6 months they emailed a statement with a copy of the invoice and then I could match it up to some work that was done and paid it.

You are a junior jobsworth.
Please grow up & respect your company's contractors.

This thread is quite mad.

This happens all the time at work - people run their own jobs and order parts needed themselves.

I’ve tried to bring in a purchase order system but it was like punching myself in the head repeatedly- painful and pointless. The most I’ve got them to do is get them to give their names as order numbers.

I have no idea what’s been ordered. When invoices come in, I check it with the person who ordered it and pay it straight away.

We never mess people around, we pay invoices within 24 hours of receiving them. Long standing suppliers know this

If a supplier got arsey with me about an invoice that overdue when they hadn’t chased it during that time, we’d change supplier.

One thing that does irk me, is when I get a pro-forma asking for a bank transfer - then then don’t include their bank details

@Merryoldgoat
I originally posted YABU and it came up 54% YABU and 46% YANBU. Since reading this thread a little more I have changed my vote to YANBU. Firstly, I arranged a Voting Credit Note to YABU equal to 1V. On the opposite side a Voting Debit Note was entered into the YANBU ledger at Mumsnet but overall the GMU* has changed only slightly and stands at 53% YABU and 47% YANBU.

That is not much of a change overall. But as I work in the accounts department of Tesco, I know that Every Little Helps.

ps Prosecco now 1 for the price of two.

*Gross Margin of Unreasonableness

@Georgyporky

You are a junior jobsworth. Please grow up & respect your company's contractors.

😘

@PantherPantherus

GMU - I’m going to find a way to use this metric and put it in the next management accounts and see if it’s noticed.

‘So great to see the GMU is up this month’

‘Merry - could you give me the historical GMU for the last three years as it’s not been given the attention it deserves’

‘Honestly guys - a GMU like this is just testament to all of your hard work’

‘What’s a GMU?’

\adds Prosecco to Tesco basket

@emptyraspberry

It was from Feb 20 so should've been in his 19/20 tax return

Not necessarily, no. The business might have accounts which run from Jan-Dec in which case it will be 20/21 for a personal tax return.

Agreed.

Op, doesn't matter if he is a sole trader or not, it's when his year end is which decides on what year it falls into for tax. Not all sole traders use 31 March or 5th April as their year ends.

Only read you posts OP.
His Accounts have just been done due to the tax and grants, he realised your invoice was outstanding, and that he never sent it.
So he is embarrassed and defensive, he is totally in the wrong.

@Whythesadface

Only read you posts OP. His Accounts have just been done due to the tax and grants, he realised your invoice was outstanding, and that he never sent it. So he is embarrassed and defensive, he is totally in the wrong.

Or he's sent it and used the wrong email address.

Had that more than few times. (and yes had the original forwarded).

This is so not worth being annoyed over!

It was an oversight. Plain and simple. Happens every day. Even happens on occasion to the most organised.

I don't get why you are annoyed with him though. Did you think that, given the year most of us have had, maybe, just maybe things that normally wouldn't fall through the cracks have? I work in accountancy, and have seen clients who are usually very well organised, struggle. And also clients who are usually messy and last minute, be super organised.

Take a deep breath and let this one go. No harm was done, and genuinely there was nothing for anyone to be upset over.