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RobinReturn
Start free first reminder on us
Why RobinReturn

The right tool
for the right size of debt.

A £40,000 contract dispute belongs at a high-street firm. A £180 unpaid invoice doesn’t. We sit in the middle, where everyday small-business invoices live.

The alternatives

Five paths. Five trade-offs.

I
Write it off.
What it costs
100% of the debt
When it works
When the debt is < £200 and the relationship matters more
Sometimes the right answer. But it teaches debtors that you don’t chase, which becomes the bigger problem.
II
Send it yourself.
What it costs
Hours of your time
When it works
For the first reminder, especially with long-term clients
Fine for the first reminder. By stage two, every email you write erodes the relationship a little more. Distance is what makes a formal letter work.
III
Engage a high-street solicitor.
What it costs
Letter Before Action: £10 to £720 + VAT in published price lists checked on 25 September 2026, depending on the service
When it works
Disputes > £15,000 or with contractual complexity
The right call when the debt is large or contested. The maths rarely works under £5,000.
IV
Engage a collections agency.
What it costs
15–35% of the recovered sum
When it works
When you don’t expect to work with the debtor again
Commission-based recovery is fast — but the percentage fee and the standardised tone can end relationships. The fee is the obvious cost; the lost client is often the larger one.
RR
RobinReturn.
What it costs
Start free, then from £2 per case · pay-per-action
When it works
Invoices £100 to £10,000, where the relationship matters
The middle path. Tone of a friend, structure of a formal letter, audit trail of a court process. We are deliberately wrong for some cases — see options I and III above.

Solicitor letter prices compare dated published lists for different services; they are not a typical market rate or a quote. See the sourced cost guide. Provider prices and collection-agency charges vary by firm and case.

The alternatives

Why not just call a solicitor?

You can — and for a £40,000 contract dispute, you should. RobinReturn is built for the £100 to £10,000 invoices that ordinarily slip through the cracks: too small to interest a high-street firm, too important to write off, too relationship-sensitive for a collection agency.

RobinReturn compared with a solicitor, a collection agency and Money Claim Online
ApproachCost shapeSpeedToneVisibility
High-street solicitorLetter Before Action: £10 to £720 + VAT in published price lists checked on 25 September 2026, depending on the serviceWeeks per stageFormal · adversarialclient visibility
Collection agencyTypically 15–35% of recovered sumCommission-based · fastStandardised scriptscan strain relationships
DIY · Money Claim OnlineCourt fees onlySlow without an LBAYours to draftself-service
RobinReturnStart free, then from £2 per case · pay-per-actionMany cases settle before courtFirm · relationship-safelive audit trail

Solicitor letter prices compare dated published lists for different services, not a typical market rate or a quote. See the sourced cost guide. Provider prices and collection-agency charges vary by firm and case. RobinReturn fees and the review fee are shown exclusive of VAT.

Common questions

When we’re right.
And when we’re not.

If RobinReturn isn't a fit for your case, we'd rather send you to the right tool than take a fee. These are the five questions visitors usually arrive with.

Why not just engage a high-street solicitor?

A solicitor is the right call for contested cases, disputes above £10,000, or complex contractual claims. Letter Before Action prices range from £10 to £720 + VAT in published price lists checked on 25 September 2026, depending on the service. Compare what is included and whether you need advice as well as a letter.

Why not use a collection agency?

Collection agencies take 15–35% commission on the recovered sum. They often use aggressive scripts that end the commercial relationship — fine if you never want to work with the debtor again, expensive if you do. RobinReturn's tone is graduated and the fee is fixed per action.

Why not just write it off?

Writing off teaches debtors that you don't chase, which compounds the problem on every future invoice. A pay-per-action approach lets you escalate only when the maths makes sense without committing to the cost of a full legal engagement.

When is RobinReturn the wrong choice?

When the debt is consumer (not B2B), when the principal exceeds £10,000, when the parties aren't both based in England or Wales, when the debt is more than six years past its due date, or when the debtor has raised a substantive dispute. The /check-eligibility page filters all five; a disputed or time-barred debt needs a solicitor.

How is RobinReturn different from a free template letter?

A template gives you the words. RobinReturn gives you the workflow: the legal substance is solicitor-drafted and kept current, the dates and statutory references are computed from your case, the audit trail is preserved if the matter reaches court, and the escalation path through MCOL is built in. The £2/£9.50 fees pay for the workflow, not the words; a Letter Before Action also carries a £25 review fee plus VAT, paid to the reviewing solicitor.