Week by week: what a debt collection agency does
| When | What happens | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Free consultation: we read the invoice, proof of delivery and the buyer’s messages | Send documents on WhatsApp or email |
| Day 1 | Your advocate sends the legal notice as an e-notice and by registered post (within 24 hours) | Nothing |
| Weeks 1–2 | The buyer replies; the advocate negotiates full payment or a dated plan | Approve or reject the offer |
| Weeks 2–8 | Settlement signed, backed by post-dated cheques or an e-mandate; payments start | Confirm money received |
| If ignored | MSME Samadhaan before the Kerala Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council, Section 138 or a summary suit in Kochi | Sign the filing; your advocate appears |
Times are typical, not promised; the free consultation gives a realistic estimate for your buyer.
What a debt collection agency may and may not do
A lawful agency demands payment in writing, calls the buyer’s business at reasonable times, negotiates and takes the dispute to a court or Council. It may not threaten, abuse, contact the buyer’s family, or misstate the law. Pressure tactics hand the buyer a defence and can expose you to a complaint, so FundRaksha works only through notices, negotiation and filings by advocates.
Recovering B2B dues in Kochi: what is specific here
Kochi’s seafood exporters, spice traders in Mattancherry and shipping agents around the port deal with both domestic and overseas buyers, and dues from hotels and resorts rise and fall with the season. Kerala’s Facilitation Council handles MSME claims, and the Ernakulam courts are experienced with Section 138 matters from the trading community.
Main industries: seafood processing and exports, spices trading, shipping and logistics, IT services and tourism and hospitality.
Courts: Judicial First Class Magistrate courts, Ernakulam, for Section 138; District Court, Ernakulam, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Kerala High Court for high-value matters.
MSME claims: Udyam-registered micro and small suppliers in Kochi file on MSME Samadhaan, heard by the Kerala Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council (Directorate of Industries and Commerce, Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram). The Council sits where the supplier is, so a Kochi supplier can pursue a buyer in another state from home.
What it costs
Nothing upfront and no retainer. The fee is 30% of what is actually recovered; if nothing is recovered, you pay nothing. Court fees, if a case is filed, are paid by you at actuals and told to you first. Work out your numbers with the recovery fee calculator.