I paid the sum directly to your client or a third party (e.g. my energy supplier). Do I still have to bear the collection costs?

The decisive factor is whether the claim had already been paid at the time the collection was handed over to us. This will not be the case as a rule, otherwise we would not have received the claim for collection.

Therefore, the collection costs must also be paid by you.

Furthermore, we receive detailed information from the client very promptly if payments that relate to the claims given to us for collection have been received. We process this information and usually send you an updated statement of receivables. 
However, if you believe that you have paid in time before collection, please provide us with proof of payment (e.g. an account statement).

In some cases, it may also be the case that you have made a payment but this could not be assigned to the claim by our client. In this case, we recommend a short call to our client or us. The bank transfer data can then be compared over the phone. The cause is often a numerical error in the intended use or similar, meaning the case can be clarified quickly.