Achieving success in small claims court

A Small Claims Court success for our client who performed plumbing works for a large chain restaurant, which subsequently refused to pay on the grounds that the documents were not in order and the Purchase Order had not been complied with.

We filed a claim against them in the Small Claims Court, adding interest, late fees and debt recovery fees to the debt.

The very next day the debtor made an offer to settle at 50% of the claim value (about 75% of invoice value), which was immediately accepted by our client to avoid further legal costs.

Cost to client: outlay of £215 (court fee + solicitors fee).

Both of these costs were recovered plus a £1,500 settlement.

Total won for client: £1,715 

We provided advice throughout the small claims proceedings, as to the best course of action and as to whether payment was likely to be achieved in a cost effective manner. The decision to proceed was our clients own.