Sorry you are facing this Sweetness ... I agree with Crayola that if you do not already have a strong 'deterrent policy' in place for this behaviour it might be time to adopt one ... I know this sounds harsh but other people treat us how we ALLOW them to either directly or subconsciously ... if you do not want to chase payments do not allow clients to be late in payment by creating a consequence that will motivate them to not want to break that rule and then make sure that you send that clear message you MEAN what is in your policies by following through at the first sign of them not towing the line so to speak!

I never have issues with payment because post dated cheques are encouraged so clients are less likely to 'forget' and when I use the last one I remind them and it gives them a week to get me a new stack, a late for of $10 per day applies to any fees NOT received by Friday at noon for the upcoming week of care and I WILL charge that if you 'forget' in the morning and do not bring it to me by the end of business day on Friday, a $25 NSF charge plus reimbursement of any 'bank fee' I might be charged is passed on to any client who bounces a cheque AND chronic issues around payment will result in termination of this contract and loss of their security deposit are all clearly laid out in my contract will clients.

In my 6th year working from home and only had 1 client bounce a cheque and she came in before I even know with the fees in hand, the NSF fees in hand and a letter from the bank stating it was their error and please do not let it affect her credit or standing within the program ~ she was horrified it had happened ... and that is how one should act ... a cheque is a promise to pay and breaking that promise by allowing it to bounce on someone breaks the trust between those two parties!