Our terms

Simply 15% of what we collect (7.5% on sums collected in excess of £10,000) We have the premier debt collecting web site and success rate. No fee if we fail.

Professionals (Leslie Wise, the principal, is a barrister and Chartered Accountant) do the collecting, but the first letter to your debtor is standard and a Secretary sends it out - often within the hour. Accordingly please do not send screeds of documents to open. We have not the time. Nor do we contact you unless there is a development.

We keep it simple. What the secretaries need.:

Clearly set out in the body of the email - (not in attachments etc) - in one place only either

• A) the following details:
1. The name, address and tel number of the creditor (yourself or your company);
2. for each debt - The EXACT name of the debtor (particularly if the debtor is a limited company); together with the address ,tel number(s) (and email if known); (less commercially sophisticated people fail to realise - to their prejudice that T. Smith trading as Smiths is NOT the same as T.Smith Director of Smith’s Ltd)
3. the names of persons for us to contact at the debtor;
4. the total amount due and when was it due; and lastly
5. it helps if we can have
1. a line or two setting out how the debt arose e.g. loan; building works not paid for, etc.
2. if this is a business to business debt,
• OR B) Some people just send us a copy of the last account or letter to the debtor, on which they have added the extra details tel number and email.

Please do ‘phone if there are any queries - 0208 455 7259

Wise & Co
Leslie M Wise
Chartered Accountant
POBox 2960
London NW3 7HX


Tel 0208 455 7259
Fax 0208 458 8864

What you pay: No win - no fee

Terms & Conditions; (the small print)

1. You agree to tell us at the time you instruct us if the amount claimed is not accepted as due by the debtor. Disputes may attract a higher percentage charge. We are a busy firm. Accordingly we do not report to you until there is a development or we need help You undertake to tell us promptly if you receive any communication or part of the debt direct. That saves us unnecessary chasing.
2. Some debtors can be difficult/aggressive. We collect debts using the trade name Wilkins Hope not as L Wise & Co.
3. We are entitled to charge and you agree to pay 15% (25% on foreign collections) on moneys (or monies-worth) received from or on behalf of your debtor(s) at any time after we have been instructed. The service is completely free of charge until you get paid something. Then we charge 15%. (Or £20 if the debt is less than £133). There is a scale for debts in excess of £10,000. See also Term 4 next below.
4. On business to business debts we can also try to recover your entitlement to Statutory interest and compensation for late payment if significant. If we succeed, we go halves on this bonus recovery.
5. Where the debtor needs chasing abroad (outside UK) we reserve the right to charge and you agree to pay 25% instead of 15% as above.
6. We practice for profit. Therefore we reserve the right to charge and you agree to pay a £25 “wild goose chase” fee, where you have instructed us without reasonable chance of collection. E.g. when you have been paid before we are instructed.
7. Court action is taken only with your specific agreement and after a full explanation to you of what is involved. We generally set it up for you on line free. If you ask us to set it up for you to sue, then you will a) pay the Court Issue fee; or b) if you fail to sue, will recompense me for the time setting it up, i.e. £35. We do not charge 15% on court fees recovered. Lately collecting has become more difficult and creditors are having to sue more and more. That is fine, but sometimes the claim needs a lawyer in court. If collection passes from our hands the fee abates to 2.5% of sums collected. I can often recommend a good and economic litigation lawyer.
8. You will give us 30 days notice of termination of instructions to collect. Where a debtor is paying by instalments we shall remain entitled to commission on sums continuing to be collected. If you terminate you agree to pay a reasonable cancellation fee based on the collection fee in prospect and the likelihood of collection.
9. We accept and make payments to you by BACS. We render accounts by email and pay accounts generally at the end of the month. You agree to pay our account within ten days of presentation. In the unfortunate and unnecessary event of late payment we reserve the right to charge as prescribed by the Late Payment of Commercial Debt (Interest) Act 1998.
10. GDPR: The company aims to be compliant at all times and to promote a positive culture of data protection compliance. The processing undertaken is limited, aims to be fair, accurate, lawful and transparent. The company does not operate in any other EU member state. Our policies are available on request. In our view creditors are exempt from the non-disclosure rules and may freely pass non-sensitive information to us since it is “necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of the creditor’s legal claims” or “proper performance of the contract with the data subject”; and anyhow falls comfortably within the sphere of “legitimate interests’ (GDPR Recitals 47,69 and 113) pursued by the controller or a third party(Art 6.1 (f)) . In order to reduce risk of complaint from the occasional awkward customer, the creditor warrants that they have in place appropriate measures to comply with GDPR.
11. If satisfied you will recommend us - widely.