Frequently asked questions
Questions businesses ask before placing an account
These are the questions owners and finance teams ask us most often before they send over an account. Each answer opens with the short version, and links go deeper where a full page already covers the topic.
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32 questions
Fees and costs
JSD charges a contingency fee, which is a percentage of the money we actually recover. Rates range from 10% to 50%, depending mostly on how old the account is and how large the balance is. Newer accounts and larger balances fall toward the lower end.
There is no setup fee, monthly charge, or upfront collection cost. You pay only when we recover money. The one exception is court and filing costs on accounts that go to suit, which you approve before anything is filed.
You pay JSD only when money is recovered. Standard collection work carries no setup fee or monthly charge. The one exception is court and filing costs on accounts that go to suit, which you approve before anything is filed.
Older accounts take more work to recover. A customer who has ignored an invoice for a year has usually settled on what they think they owe, and moving them off that position takes far more contact than a balance that went past due last month.
Payments made directly to you on a placed account count toward the recovery, and the contingency fee applies to them. Let us know when a payment arrives so we can update the account before the next contact.
Yes, when your contract or invoice terms make the customer responsible for collection costs. Send that agreement with the placement so we can pursue those costs along with the balance.
Which accounts we take
JSD collects business-to-business debt only, meaning a business owes your business for goods or services sold on terms. Personal loans and bills owed by individual customers need a consumer collection agency.
Call us at (302) 735-4628, or call the collector named on your letter directly. Have the account number from your letter ready.
JSD accepts single accounts and has no hard minimum balance. Accounts under $200 are generally a poor fit for contingency collection, and we'll tell you before placement when recovery costs are likely to outweigh the return.
JSD works with companies that sell to other businesses on credit terms, and we have collected for a wide range of industries since 1997.
Yes. We read the contract and the correspondence before contacting the debtor, so the first conversation is about what the agreement actually says.
JSD can work commercial judgments where the debtor is a business. Send the judgment and any record of prior enforcement attempts with the placement.
Yes. JSD handles international commercial collections, including placements from creditors outside the US.
Placing an account
The basics are the debtor's name, address, and contact information, the amount owed, and any supporting documentation you have: invoices, purchase orders, signed contracts, and a record of prior collection attempts. The more complete the documentation, the more we can do with it. Accounts placed with a full paper trail move faster and give us more options if the account escalates.
Yes. Many clients ask for a mutual NDA before sharing contracts and billing records, and we sign one whenever a client asks.
Yes. We review your documents and verify the debtor's phone numbers and addresses before first contact, so the first call reaches someone who can actually pay.
Most accounts are worked the same day they're placed. You'll receive a confirmation letter shortly after placement.
How collection works
We learn how your business bills and read your contracts before we call anyone. Debtors pay faster when the collector can quote the payment terms they agreed to, and JSD has worked commercial accounts this way since 1997.
We start by verifying the debtor business and its contact information. From there we reach out to find the person who can actually authorize payment, then work with them toward resolving the balance in a way that protects your relationship with the customer.
Collection can take anywhere from a single day to around three months, depending on the debtor's situation and how long the account sat before placement. Accounts placed within the first few months past due resolve fastest, because the debtor still treats the invoice as current business.
Every client receives a placement status report showing where each placed account stands. We also offer online access so you can see updates in real time.
No.
Yes. When a debtor can't pay in full, we can negotiate a payment arrangement and track each installment. Our collectors use their judgment on whether a plan is realistic and can set one up directly with the debtor.
Yes. Through our first-party AR service, JSD works past-due accounts under your logo as an extension of your own receivables team, before an account ever goes to collections.
Your control over the account
Any settlement below the full balance and any legal action require your approval. Some clients give us standing authority to settle within a set percentage so we can close on the call, while others approve each offer individually.
Yes, accounts can be withdrawn after placement.
Exclusivity applies to each account you place, so you can use other agencies for different debtors. Two agencies working the same debtor at once usually slows recovery for both.
JSD sends remittances on Tuesdays, usually every two weeks. Periods close at month-end, so a month ending partway through a period produces a shorter cycle. See our payment and remittance schedule for the exact dates.
Yes. Money collected on your accounts goes into a trust account, separate from JSD's operating funds.
Legal escalation
JSD works with a network of outside commercial collection attorneys. If an account needs legal action, we explain why, what it's likely to cost, and wait for your approval before anything is filed.
You cover court and filing costs on accounts that go to suit, and you approve them before anything is filed.
Yes. A demand letter on attorney letterhead often moves a debtor who has ignored every invoice reminder, and you decide afterward whether the account goes any further.
Licensing and protection
Yes. JSD is licensed and bonded, carries insurance, and is a member agency of both the International Association of Commercial Collectors (IACC) and the Commercial Law League of America (CLLA). JSD is also a women-owned business.
Have an account ready to place?
Send us the invoice and the agreement, and we'll review the account before anyone contacts your customer.