How to collect overdue payments without losing the customer
Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia
Collecting without losing customers means treating lateness as an oversight until proven otherwise. The first message does not accuse: it says payment has not been identified and provides a link to resolve it. The second asks whether something happened and offers a way forward. The third sets a deadline and a consequence. At each step, customers have an easy way to pay and a dignified way to say they cannot right now.
Customers received their 13th-month salary, and December is when money is available. Whatever you do not collect by December 31 will compete in January with IPVA vehicle tax, IPTU property tax, and school enrollment, and lose.
Why must the first message avoid accusations?
Because most late payments involve forgetfulness, a changed card, or a boleto lost in email. If you open with “you owe us,” people who forgot feel offended, and people without money withdraw. In both cases, you ask but do not collect.
A neutral message gives customers a chance to resolve it without explaining themselves. Compare:
Wrong: “Hi, you still haven’t paid November’s installment. I need you to settle it.”
Right: “Hi, Marina. We have not identified payment of the R$ 180 installment due November 10. The boleto may not have arrived. Here is the Pix copy-and-paste code to make it easier: [code]. If you need anything, message me here.”
The second version includes a name, amount, date, a possible reason that does not blame her, and a way to pay in one minute. A collection message without a payment method is only half a collection attempt.
What order should messages follow, and what does each say?
A sequence of four spaced contacts resolves most small-customer cases. Afterward, the case moves to negotiation or a decision to write it off.
| When | Channel | What it says | What it offers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Due date + 2 days | We have not identified payment; here is the link | Pix or an updated boleto | |
| Due date + 7 days | Did something happen? We can adjust | A new date or two installments | |
| Due date + 15 days | Phone call | A direct conversation; listen before proposing | Settlement with interest waived or reduced |
| Due date + 30 days | WhatsApp or letter | Final deadline and a real consequence | Last proposal before suspension or credit reporting |
The tone does not escalate between the first and third messages; the content changes. The consequence appears only in the fourth, and only if you will follow through. Threatening credit reporting without doing it teaches customers to ignore the next message.
The complete sequence, including automation, is in What is a collection sequence for?. If customers say they cannot pay everything, Negotiating a small customer’s debt: what to accept shows how far to compromise.
What does the law allow and prohibit?
Brazil’s Consumer Protection Code (article 42) says consumers in default cannot be subjected to ridicule, embarrassment, or threats. In practice, for a small business:
Allowed: WhatsApp messages during business hours, phone calls, letters, settlement offers, interest and penalties provided in the contract or boleto, and credit reporting after advance written notice.
Prohibited: collecting in groups, messaging relatives or the customer’s workplace, publishing debts on social media, calling overnight or repeatedly on the same day, threatening actions you will not take, charging more than is owed. If customers pay an improperly charged amount, the CDC (article 42) provides for refunding twice the excess paid, except in cases of justifiable error.
Keep a record of every contact. If the case becomes a dispute, dated neutral messages prove you collected appropriately.
What to do now
List everything due in the last three months that has not arrived. Send the first neutral message with Pix details to each customer today. Schedule the second contact five days from now. If the list is long and you do not know where to start, describe your business; the assessment is on us: avilaops.com/jornada or contact us on WhatsApp: wa.me/5517997811471.
Frequently asked questions
Can I charge late-payment interest and penalties?
A penalty is allowed only if provided in the contract, boleto, or invoice, and consumer installment sales have a 2% ceiling (CDC, article 52). Default interest is owed even without an express provision, at the Civil Code’s statutory rate. On a boleto, penalties and interest are printed and applied by the bank.
Is collecting through WhatsApp allowed?
Yes, at reasonable hours, directly with the customer, and without embarrassment. For small customers, WhatsApp usually gets the most responses because it is private and fast.
When should I stop trying to collect?
When collection costs exceed the debt, or customers disappear after the fourth message. Record it as a loss, learn what went wrong with the sale, and adjust the next one. Spending months collecting a R$ 90 debt does not pay for the time.
Turn what you learned into your next step.
Tell us about your company and what you want to improve. We can explore the right tools, integrations or custom project together.