This is the third section of our Frequently Asked Questions section, specifically dealing with questions about Invoices and costs..

Other sections are :

SECTION 1 : FIRE ALARM SERVICING

SECTION 2 : SERVICE AGREEMENT

If you don't find what you're looking for, check one of the other subjects. If you still can't find what you're looking for, click here to send your enquiry by email. We will try our best to reply to you as soon as we can.

SECTION 3 : QUESTIONS ABOUT INVOICING AND COSTS

When do I have to pay ?

Why does the agreement renewal invoice arrive 30 days before the start of the period ?

How long do I get to pay my bills ?

What happens if I have a query with my bill ?

What do I do if I have a dispute with a bill ?

What will you do if I refuse to pay my bill ?

What payment options are there for paying bills ?

What happens if my account is put "On Stop" ?

Why has my service charge gone up this year ?

What if I am short of money and can't afford to pay right away ?

Why do I have to pay VAT on my bills ?

CODRUS had to take me to court over an unpaid bill. Is this the end of the agreement ?

Now I've got a CODRUS bill for work done, I've got a cheaper quote from someone else. Do I still have to pay the CODRUS price ?

I dispute the amount charged for some work. I agree to a certain amount, but query the rest. What should I do ?

I've received a charge for interest. Why do I have to pay this ?

When do I have to pay ?. If you have a service agreement with CODRUS you are automatically granted an account with us. This gives you 30 days interest free credit on any works you have done. Any longer than 30 days and your account will start to attract interest. If you don't have an account with us you will usually be expected to pay for goods & services at time of order or delivery.

Why does the agreement renewal invoice arrive 30 days before the start of the period ?. The agreement says that you must pay for the year's cover on commencement of the period, i.e. in full on day one. In order to help our customers with their accounts systems, we send them their renewal invoice 30 days early and give them 30 days to pay. In other words, they are helped to pay the invoice on time by ensuring the paperwork is with them early.

How long do I get to pay my bills ?. Strictly 30 days from the date of the invoice.

What happens if I have a query with my bill ?. You must contact us straight away. Do not wait until your 30 days are up because you will start attracting interest. If you have a query which is more than one question, you should WRITE to us (not call). Send your queries by email, fax or post. They will always be replied to within seven days. If you call, our staff will not necessarily have time to drop what they are doing and deal with your queries immediately, so always write.

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What happens if I have a dispute with my bill ?. You must contact us straight away. Do not wait until your 30 days are up because you will start attracting interest. If you dispute an invoice, you should always write to the office, giving specific reasons why you dispute the invoice. It will be attended to promptly and you will always receive a written reply within seven days. Use email, fax or post, but DON'T call the office if you dispute an invoice : always write : that way we can always give a full detailed look at the problem and we can address each point in depth.

What will you do if I refuse to pay my bill ?. If, after considering the situation we find that the bill is correct and there are no extenuating circumstances, you will be expected to honour the terms of the contract. Unfortunately, unless we can come to some arrangement promptly, this may result in legal action.

What payment options are there for paying bills ? We accept payments by cheque, postal order, credit card or debit card.

What happens if my account is put "On Stop" ?. Your account is put "On Stop" if you have not kept up to date with your payments. It simply means that no additional works (repairs, etc.) can be carried out for you until your account is brought up to date. It does not mean that your account is closed, nor does it mean that your agreement is cancelled. It also does not mean that the regular service visits won't take place. Simply pay your outstanding bills and your account is automatically taken off stop.

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Why has my service charge gone up this year ? Your renewal may be higher than you expect if you have incurred higher costs to us in the previous year than is reasonable. If we have had to pursue you repeatedly to pay your bills in the past, we may take this higher running cost into consideration when pricing the next year's charge. You can actually work to reduce these increases. To find out more about this, see Section 1: question : " I hear you REWARD customers for good behaviour, what is this ?"

What if I am short of money and can't afford to pay right away ?. You should contact us straight away. We are not unreasonable and are in business, just like you. We may be able to work out a mutually acceptable agreement, as long as we don't have to do this everytime we do work for you. This would only be considered if (a) you kept to the terms of the agreement and (b) the invoice is for anything other than the value of the service agreement.

Why do I have to pay VAT on my bills ?. Sorry : there is nothing we can do about this. All our goods and services are VAT chargeable. You do still have to pay VAT, even if you aren't VAT registered yourself, have a new building, or even if you are a registered charity.

CODRUS had to take me to Court in the past over an unpaid bill. Is this the end of the agreement ?. No. Unless the contract has been specifically determined by the Judge, or the correct notice of termination has been issued by either side, the agreement will still be in place. We see the Small Claims Court to be a normal part of our Credit Control system and won't necessarily cancel your agreement if we have had to take you to court for non payment of a bill. We have a number of clients who have been with us for many years, who we have had to take to court in the past.

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Now I've got a CODRUS bill for work done, I've got a cheaper quote from someone else. Do I still have to pay the CODRUS price ?. Yes you do. We don't promise to do the work for the lowest price, but we do charge a fair and reasonable prices. We expect to be paid our published rates, which is what you have already agreed to if you enter an agreement with us. Fair wage for a fair day's work, is all we ask.

I've dispute the amount charged for some work. I agree to a certain amount, but query the rest. What should I do ?. You should contact us immediately. We would rather settle a dispute than have to take you to court, but there are certain rules to negotiation. You should pay the amount you do not dispute immediately, as a sign of good intent on your part. In this situation we will ALWAYS look at the disputed amount and seek a mutually acceptable outcome. If you don't pay the amount you don't dispute we will be unable to consider any discussion of a settlement.

I've received a charge for interest. Why do I have to pay this?. If you have received an interest invoice this means you haven't kept to the agreed payment terms. Under the Law, failure to pay such an interest charge is an offence. You will only receive a charge for interest if you have failed to keep to the agreed 30 days payment terms. This right to charge interest on bad payers is now law but we only enforce this law on those who repeatedly take too long to pay their bills. If you have been charged interest, it is usually not negotiable, because you would only have incurred it through failing to keep to your side of the agreement.