Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli took a hard line in Hungary by invoking a prompt payment policy that left Lotus with no tyres as the first practice session approached on the Friday.
Payments are due on a quarterly basis and, according to reports in the Telegraph and other national newspapers, Lotus owed about £350,000 for three months' worth of wheels.
Read more: Pirelli prompt payment policy leaves Lotus lagging
The payment practices of the UK's biggest companies have been under scrutiny for a while now, with voluntary efforts such as the Prompt Payment Code attracting criticism for being 'toothless' in terms of enforcement action.
Meanwhile though, nobody really wants to see a situation where it is mandatory to take late payers to court, or to enforce penalties and interest - after all, sometimes you might simply want to extend the deadline as a gesture of good faith to a valued customer.
Read more: PLC Payment Practices and the Small Business Act 2015
Late payment is a constant problem for businesses in the UK and overseas. Credit terms are ignored and following up can be difficult for some companies, especially if you are a very small or micro business.
This is not how it should be. Every business, irrespective of size, should expect their customers to honour the agreed credit terms and pay in full and on time.
Although many small and medium-sized businesses know the importance of background credit checks on new customers, a lack of familiarity with the process of actually carrying out a credit check can lead many to overlook this crucial step in their risk management.
Safe Collections have teamed up with credit check specialists Experian to make it easy and affordable for freelancers and fledgling businesses to begin credit checking new customers.
Read more: Safe Collections and Experian launch '99 for £99' credit report deal
