Step 01
Confirm the position
Reconcile the invoice, credit notes and payments. Check the due date, the contracting entity and whether the debtor has raised a specific dispute. Correct genuine errors first.
Recovery scenario · Commercial debt recovery
The debtor has
gone silent.
The invoice is overdue and ordinary chasing has stopped moving it. Confirm exactly what is due, ask for payment, a dated payment proposal or a specific written dispute by one clear deadline, preserve the evidence and decide now what happens when that date passes.
Silence does not prove the debt. It should not stop the process.
Check suitability →
Four practical steps
What to do before you chase again.
Do this before sending another general reminder. The aim is to establish the position, preserve the evidence and stop the matter drifting.
Step 02
Set one dated deadline
Ask for payment in full, a dated payment proposal or a specific written dispute by one clear date. Say what will happen next if that date passes.
Step 03
Preserve the evidence
Keep the agreement or order, invoice, delivery or completion evidence, statements, credit notes and relevant correspondence together in date order.
Step 04
Act when the date passes
If there is still no payment, dated proposal or specific dispute, stop restarting the chase. Decide whether the matter now needs external recovery or solicitor review.
If the debtor raises a genuine dispute, deal with the substance of it. Silence and a dispute are not the same thing.
The recovery threshold
When silence becomes a recovery matter.
One missed email is not the trigger. The shift comes when the invoice is seriously overdue, ordinary credit control has had a fair run and the debtor still has not paid, proposed a payment date or stated a specific dispute.
Overdue
The contractual due date has passed and routine reminders are no longer moving the invoice.
Evidenced
You can show the agreement or order, the invoice, delivery or completion and the relevant correspondence.
No clear answer
The debtor has provided no payment, dated payment proposal or specific dispute that can be assessed.
Ready to escalate
You are prepared to take the invoice out of routine chasing and put it into a defined recovery or legal route.
Vindox handles commercial business-to-business invoices owed by UK limited companies or LLPs. Consumer debts and matters already in formal insolvency or litigation are outside scope. If a deadline is urgent or legal action may be required, take independent legal advice.
Vindox's 21-day pressure cycle
We build the file while we pursue.
Vindox takes the matter out of routine credit control and runs a defined 21-day cycle. Every material step and response is recorded against the evidence already on file.
The cycle works towards one of four usable positions. None is assumed in advance.
Outcome 01
Payment
The debtor pays you directly. Vindox does not hold client money.
Outcome 02
Dated payment proposal
A specific amount and payment date that can be accepted, rejected or monitored.
Outcome 03
Written dispute
A specific position that identifies what is disputed and why, so it can be assessed on its facts.
Outcome 04
File for review
If unresolved, you receive an organised chronology and evidence file for solicitor review.
Defined 21-day cycle
Debtor pays you directly
No recovery, no fee
Common questions
The situation, answered plainly.
What do I do when a debtor stops responding?
Confirm exactly what is due and whether a specific dispute has been raised. Set one dated deadline for payment, a dated payment proposal or a specific written dispute. Preserve the agreement, invoice, delivery evidence and correspondence, then act when the deadline passes.
When should I stop chasing an unpaid invoice myself?
There is no fixed number of reminders. The practical threshold is when the due date has passed, ordinary credit control has had a fair run, the evidence is coherent and the debtor still gives no payment, dated payment proposal or specific dispute.
Does a debtor going silent strengthen or weaken my case?
Silence does not itself prove or strengthen the debt. It can be recorded as part of the chronology, but the contract, delivery and invoice evidence still determine the matter's strength.
What if the debtor raises a dispute after going silent?
Ask for the dispute in writing and require the debtor to identify the invoice, amount and reason, with any supporting evidence. A genuine dispute needs to be assessed on its facts. A vague reference to issues is not the same as a specific position.
Is commercial debt recovery the same as taking legal action?
No. Vindox runs pre-legal commercial recovery and does not litigate or provide legal advice. If the matter remains unresolved, you decide whether to instruct a solicitor, using the organised chronology and evidence file as a starting point.
Can I charge interest while the debtor stays silent?
Statutory interest and fixed compensation may be available where the debt and contractual terms qualify. The statutory rate is 8 percentage points above the applicable Bank of England reference rate, with fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 depending on the debt. Check the GOV.UK guidance and obtain advice on eligibility where needed; the Vindox calculator gives an estimate, not legal advice.
If the matter is serious
Put the matter
on the record.
Submit the core facts for a suitability review. We reply within one working day. A submission does not trigger contact with the debtor. If engaged, the fee is due only on sums recovered.
Check suitability →No documents are required at submission.