You send a correct invoice. A few days later you get an email back: “I don’t agree with this.” No payment, and now a problem on top.<\/p>\n
It’s more than an inconvenience. It feels like a block on money you’ve already earned. But a dispute isn’t a verdict. It’s a starting point. What you do in the first few days decides whether this becomes a quick formality or a drawn-out file that drags on for months.<\/p>\n
An invoice dispute means your customer tells you, in writing or verbally, that they disagree with (part of) the invoice: the amount, the service delivered, or the terms. Once that happens, the invoice is no longer “undisputed”. Its status changes, and that affects how you’re allowed to collect it.<\/p>\n
More than 40% of Belgian businesses deal with late payments. Some of that hides behind a dispute. Sometimes justified, often just a stalling tactic.<\/p>\n
In practice, people use these terms loosely. Legally, a formal, timely, written objection is the stricter standard, usually within a period set out in your terms and conditions. A dispute is broader: any form of disagreement, even a phone call or a stray email.<\/p>\n
That distinction isn’t theoretical. A late or unmotivated objection often doesn’t count as valid. Your invoice then remains undisputed after all.<\/p>\n
A justified dispute gets resolved with a credit note or an adjustment. Quickly and without friction, because that builds trust for the next invoice.<\/p>\n
A partly justified dispute needs a middle ground: adjust the amount where needed, and reconfirm the rest in writing.<\/p>\n
An unjustified dispute is where it gets sharp. This is where the Sergeant method applies: clear, consistent, no detours. “Sorry, I never got your email” is the excuse you’ll hear most. It doesn’t hold up if you’re using registered mail or a read receipt.<\/p>\n
Some customers don’t dispute because they have a point, but because it buys time. Warning signs: the dispute only comes after a reminder, it’s vague instead of specific, or the argument keeps shifting.<\/p>\n
In that case, bringing in an external partner is already a signal on its own. Debtors give priority to the creditor who stays consistent. Mentioning an external party makes it immediately clear that stalling is no longer an option.<\/p>\n
Once a dispute costs you more of your own time than the amount is worth, it’s no longer a side task. Bizzon takes over the follow-up: from the first response to escalation as leverage. So you don’t have to put your customer relationship on the line yourself.<\/p>\n
Target result: payment within 17 days of the invoice date, even if a dispute comes up along the way.<\/p>\n
Do I always need to get a dispute in writing?<\/strong> Can my customer just dispute an invoice to avoid paying?<\/strong> What’s the difference between a disputed and an undisputed invoice?<\/strong> You send a correct invoice. A few days later you get an email back: “I don’t agree with this.” No […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":128770,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[188],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-debt-collection"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizzon.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizzon.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizzon.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizzon.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizzon.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128760"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bizzon.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128761,"href":"https:\/\/bizzon.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128760\/revisions\/128761"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizzon.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizzon.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizzon.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizzon.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nNot required, but recommended. A written dispute gives you a paper trail and forces your customer into concrete arguments.<\/p>\n
\nYes, it happens. A dispute doesn’t automatically suspend payment if it isn’t timely or well-motivated. Hence the importance of a quick, correct response.<\/p>\n
\nAn undisputed invoice can be collected faster and with less discussion. Once a customer disputes it, the process changes, and an external partner is often faster than negotiating it yourself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"