Just when you think you've seen ... or smelled ... it all.(LIGHTER ACCOUNTS)

I have been a credit professional for over 25 years. I, like most of us, did not set out to be a credit manager, but rather was funneled into the position via accounting. In the beginning, I never expected that a career in credit management would afford me so many varied experiences with people and situations. The last 25 years have proved to be eventful and I have several stories that are particularly appreciated by other credit professionals. Recurrent themes prevail throughout our industry. For instance, there is the disgruntled debtor who feels the need to demonstrate his displeasure with some form of protest. The methods often exhibit great creativity, effort and sometimes even entertainment. Haven't we all had the experience of the disgruntled debtor who paid a large bill not only in cash but in coin? Or a debtor who has painstakingly paid down the balance due through the longest, most tedious means possible?

I thought I had seen everything until I met Bill Smith (name changed to protect the guilty), sole proprietor, president, CEO and CFO of his small business. We in the credit department had a love/hate relationship with Bill. He was a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde individual; in retrospect perhaps he was bipolar. One thing about Bill was undeniable: he did not distinguish between business and personal--and with his business, everything was personal. Thus, being very passionate about his business, it took my best diplomacy to deal with Bill. For the most part, Bill was a reasonable, cooperative customer. The credit limit extended to Bill's account was rather generous in consideration of his creditworthiness. However, as Bill had been a customer for several years and maintained a satisfactory payment history, we were comfortable with the generous limit but steadfast that he was not to exceed that amount.

One day, Bill submitted an order that exceeded his already generous credit limit. We asked that Bill send a check for the amount over his credit limit so that it could be applied to the oldest invoice on his account, thus keeping him within his credit limit, yet allowing him full net 30 terms on the new shipment. Bill flew into a rage. He alleged that we were attacking his character with such a ...