Getting my money

[willowman]

I have a small business in a small market town.
I have had to take a customer to court (online money claim) to try to get a small bill paid. A CCJ has now been awarded against the customer, but there is still no sign of the money.
The only solution left seems to be to send in the bailiffs, but I don't want the word to get around town that "Mr X sends in the bailiffs to this poor family etc".
Should I contact the debtor again and give him one last chance to pay up (his bill has already shot up due to court costs) and remind him that if I send in bailiffs he will end up losing even more money, or should I just go ahead and do whatever is necessary to get the money owed to me?

[Ethel]

This is a problem with CCJs - winning in court is one thing, enforcement is a different matter entirely.

Writing isn't going to encourage him to pay - he doesn't care about the CCJ so a letter isn't going to hold any more sway.

Why would he tell people he has had the bailiffs? That is not normally something to brag about.

However, bailiffs only work if your debtor has property and assets. If he lives with another person and has nothing in his own name, it will be a waste of money for you.

If he works, you could apply for an order to have a deduction taken from his wage before he even gets it.

[willowman]

Thanks Ethel.
Was only thinking about it from my point of view, and me getting a bad reputation in a small town. Of course he won't want to tell people he's had bailiffs in.
The debtor and family have assets, large house, car etc, just don't understand why he (or his wife) didn't pay the small bill in the first place.
If we send in bailiffs, do they collect enough money or assets to cover their bill as well as the money owed, or does the cost of bailiffs come out of my pocket?