I have a bounced cheque, what can I do?

If you have the debtor(s) address you could go to their home yourself and ask for the money in cash. Knock on the door, ask on the doorstep for payment in cash and make no attempt to leave, just look the debtor in the eye. Make no attempt to enter even if invited you to. This method is very effective.

Alternatively, if you still have the debtor(s) cheque and it does not state on the top "do not represent" you can take it back to your bank and ask them to "represent" it ie put it through the banking system again, ideally early in the month when the debtor(s) pay cheque will be banked. Banks often tell you that cheques over 6 months old are no longer valid, however this is at their discretion and legally a cheque is valid for 6 years unless the debtor has put a "stop" on the cheque. So push your bank if the cheque is older than 6 months. Remember cheques backed by a cheque guarantee card cannot be "stopped". Always take the cheque guarantee number.

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