Written by Omead Musa, Consultant & Director
Published 27 September 2026 · Timeline taken from SydneyCollect's event log for this matter
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A Sydney interior fit-out company
Interior fit-outs · Sydney, NSW · Owed money by a construction company
Anonymous at the client's request
At a glance: a $3,125 unpaid invoice. Letter of demand sent on 2 September. The debtor opened it within a minute. Automatic reminder on day 7. Paid in full on day 9.

Who was owed the money?

Our client is an interior fit-out company in Sydney. It had done work for a construction company and was owed $3,125 on an unpaid invoice.

It asked us not to use its name, so we've left out its name and the name of the company that owed it money. Everything else on this page, including the amount, dates and times, is exactly as it happened.

How did the letter get them paid, step by step?

From letter to payment 2 to 11 September
Day 0, 2 September
Letter of demand emailed to the debtor at 5:55pm, with the unpaid invoice attached.
$29
Within a minute
The debtor received the letter and opened it. Our tracking link records every open.
Tracked
Day 7, 9 September
Still unpaid, so an automatic reminder went to the debtor at 6:00pm.
Automatic
Day 9, 11 September
Our client confirmed they'd been paid. The last follow-up was cancelled.
$3,125 paid
Letter to payment 9 days
  1. 2 September, 5:55pm. The letter goes out. Our client filled in the form and attached a phone screenshot of the unpaid invoice. The letter of demand was emailed to the debtor straight away, and our client got a copy.
  2. 30 seconds later. The debtor opens it. The debtor received the letter and opened it within a minute. Our tracking link records every open, and it logged four in the first three minutes.
  3. 2 to 9 September. Our client keeps an eye on it. Our client could check the letter's status at any time on their own tracking page, and did on 8 and 9 September.
  4. 9 September, 6:00pm. The day 7 reminder. With no payment yet, an automatic reminder went to the debtor. Our client got a check-in email at the same time.
  5. 11 September, 5:19pm. Paid in full. Our client confirmed they'd been paid the full $3,125, using the signed link in their email. The day 14 follow-up was cancelled straight away, so the debtor heard nothing more from us.

No phone calls, no lawyer and no court. One letter and one reminder.

What does the event log show?

Every step of a SydneyCollect letter is logged with a timestamp. These are the event log entries for this matter, taken straight from our system. We've blacked out the names and email addresses of our client and the debtor.

SydneyCollect event log, entries 1 to 13: letter sent, copy to client, letter created, four debtor opens, client status checks, and the day 7 reminders. Names and emails blacked out. SydneyCollect event log, entries 13 to 18: the client marks the debt paid on 11 September and the remaining follow-up is cancelled. Names blacked out.

Source: SydneyCollect event log for this matter, 2 to 11 September 2026. Names and email addresses removed. Times on this page are Sydney time.

What would this have cost through a law firm?

A law firm's first step on an unpaid invoice is usually the same letter of demand. Some firms charge $500 or more just to prepare it.

Letter of demand from a law firm Per letter
Book a lawyer
Explain the debt and send over your invoices.
Your time
The firm drafts and sends it
Often about a week to turn around.
$500 or more
Cost per letter $500+
Letter of demand from SydneyCollect Per letter
Fill in the form
Who owes you, how much, and your invoice. Takes less than 2 minutes.
2 minutes
We send it the same day
Lawyer-approved wording, on SydneyCollect letterhead, tracked and followed up.
$29
Cost per letter $29

That makes SydneyCollect the cheapest option there is for having a letter of demand sent for you. See how we compare on price with other letter of demand services in Australia.

Owed money on an unpaid invoice? Send the same letter our client sent. It takes less than 2 minutes. Send a letter for $29

Frequently asked questions

It varies. In this case the debtor paid in full 9 days after the letter was sent, two days after our automatic day 7 reminder. Some debtors pay within days, some need a reminder, and some don't pay until a lawyer gets involved.
Every letter we send includes a tracking link. We record each time it's opened, with the date and time. In this case the debtor opened it within a minute of it being sent.
Our client asked us not to use its name. We've removed its name and the debtor's name from this page and the screenshots. The amount, dates and times are unchanged.
We send an automatic reminder at day 7. If the debt is still unpaid after 14 days, we pass it to a partner law firm.
No. We send letters to debtors in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT. We aren't licensed to collect debts in WA, SA, Tasmania or the NT. If your debtor is there, you can still use our free template and send the letter yourself.

Sources

  • 01SydneyCollect event log for this matter, 2 to 11 September 2026, client and debtor names removed
  • 02How SydneyCollect's letter and follow-ups work: sydneycollect.com/journey
  • 03SydneyCollect price comparison, best letter of demand services in Australia: sydneycollect.com
  • 04SydneyCollect $29 letter of demand: sydneycollect.com/send