Just got to be carefull on how you approach them if you dont want to burn any bridges.
I have just had a similar problem for approx £500 for a letting agent I did loads of work for. I was at a stage where I had stopped working for other letting agents and a few other clients in order to focuss on the one letting agent who I thought I had a good relationship with.
After them owing me money for this specific job which I waited three months for (my terms are two weeks with them) I eventualy sent an email over to the Managing Director. He took offence to my email demanding money probabl;y becuase I also mentioned that, I felt it would be best for me if I did not accept any further work orders from them untill I had been paid in full for the outstanding invoice.
He said I was been heavy handed and called me the next day to assure me that I would be paid (I was paid that day) but, he was very arrogant and rude on the phone.
I feel that this had left a bad feeling in the relationship and I dont feel happy working for them now due to the way he dealt with me.
The fact of the matter was that I wasnt heavy handed at all, I had made various attemps to retrieve the money owed by contacting his team in the office on numerous occasions. Understandably he personally did not know about the issue, he team did though and as employess they have responsabilty and represent his business so whether he knw or not, I was not being heavy handed it is his desicion to delegate responsabilty to his team otherwise he should have known that I was well overdue for this payment.
I think the problem was partly due to me contacting the wrong people.
My tip for anybody attending future meetings with potential clients prior to doing business with a company is to ask who deals with payments, who to contact when they are overdue and agree strict payment terms from the outset. (This is for anyone reading especialy new guys)
Dont feel pressurised into accepting 30 ir even 60 day terms
becuase
the truth is, if you are concerned then it probably means that you dont have the facilities or strong enough cash flow to cater to these requests.
If you do unwillingly accept such terms then you may find that sooner or later you will be left high and dry and in a bad condition.
Cash flow problems is the main reason for busineses failing. Many businesses survive today by hanging on to their cash for as long as possible and if its a larger business it can be worse due to them having monthly payruns so if you miss one they may make you wait untill the next pay run.
RANT OVER lol