Small business owners: what actually causes your customers to pay invoices late?
Hi everyone! I’m a student researching payment challenges for a product project, and I’d love to hear from people who sell goods or services to other businesses—or handle invoicing and collections.
Could you share a recent time a business customer paid late or paid less than expected?
A few things I’m curious about:
- What kind of business do you run?
- What reason did the customer give for the delay or reduced payment?
- What did you have to do to resolve it, and how long did that take?
- What finally got you paid—or is it still unresolved?
A short story is plenty. No company names, exact amounts or sensitive details needed.
I’m trying to understand what happens in practice before deciding what to build. Happy to hear from accountants and finance teams too. Thanks!