Page:Roy Ralph Hottman - Practical Collection Procedure (1923).pdf/64

50 give service and eliminate errors or poor packing. If the claim is small and appears justified, it can be allowed at once. If it is large or there are grounds for suspicion, the debtor can be told firmly and courteously that the matter will be referred to higher authority, but given to understand that if the claim is not legitimate, full pay- ment will be expected. As a matter of course, however, for practically every case collected without allowance for a dishonest claim, there are fully as many never collected until the claim is allowed. The debtor will insist by everything sacred to him that his claim is just, even in court, and the expense of forcing such settlements generally exceeds the amount in dispute. The better way is to collect what one can, after calls and letters have con- vinced one that the full amount is not forthcoming, and to refuse all credit in the future. If the debtor is making unjust claims with one house, he is making them with other creditors as well, and if his credit is stopped, it will help educate him along proper lines.

The Time and Place.

The time of the day or of the month that a personal call is made affects collections. Merchants have certain days of the week as well as certain periods of the day in which they are busier than usual. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays are generally busy days while Thursdays and Fridays are less busy, and Wednesdays are always slack days. Mornings are usually more busy than afternoons, with grocers, as they are receiving orders continuously which are being filled for the afternoon delivery. In the