Client of the Day
Out of context: Reply #339
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- nb3
This is a long, old, and boring story. And a puzzle! Help me understand!
Website client owed me $2800. Commercial industrial parts reseller, this is a very small expense relative to his business. Also I don't care that much because it's not much money. Still, it's mine, pay me muthafucka.
Doesn't pay. Literally years go by, I make regular requests for payment. A few "sure, we'll send a check soon" for a while, but after a few months they responses stop. I'm not charging interest and I'm not doing any work for them. No big deal.
Finally, I just say fuck it maybe the owner died or something who knows. I disable the site and put up a polite "Our website is currently down, please call, thank you."
This, of course, also stops their email accounts from working.
It's a small family business, just a couple employees. Two days later I get an email from the owner's dad. It is full of wild excuses including someone got cancer, a divorce, very hard times, etc. Keep in mind I haven't heard from them in YEARS.
He makes no indication that they will attempt to pay ever. I reply that I understand but there are expenses to keep a website running and I've been more than fair by keeping it up all this time, and I am not charging interest on payment due. Can we work out a payment plan? I tell him I am happy to flip the site back on and hand over all materials and the domain and everything to them for free, just pay me the $2800 you owe, in installments if necessary.
No response.
About a week later I get an email from a "local businessman" (seriously that's how it started, "Hello, I am a local businessman..." lolololol) interested in purchasing the .com domain from me. Never in the 7 years I ran this website has anyone ever offered to buy the domain. It's not even a good domain.
Guy leaves a name and a phone number. I google the number, turns out it's just the owner's friend. Now I assume they've come up with a moronic ploy to trick me into buyiing back the domain and I'm expecting they will offer a lower price. I imagine they were drinking some beers when they came up with this genius grift.
So, I play stupid and email him "I would need to hear an offer before I would consider selling it. I am open to offers, let me know what you had in mind."
He offers me $2800. The exact amount owing on the account. Lolwut???
I email him I accept the offer, thinking hey-o I'll get my money and be done with it. I don't know why we had to do this whole sneaky Ocean's 11 rigamarole, but whatever.
I tell him I accept.
AND THEN I NEVER HEARD FROM ANY OF THESE CLOWNS EVER AGAIN.
Tell me why. Make it make sense.
- This should be made into a movie.cherub
- $2800 is a whole month's bills. I usually don't chase after $200 but would for $2800.doggydoggdog
- Should disable after 3 months of non-payment.doggydoggdog
- Lolthx for the business advice, but... Cutting off whenever wouldn’t guarantee payment, and why cripple a small business when I can easily cut them a break?nb
- Recoup your costs by selling the site to their competition.noneck
- Did you even read the storynb
- The local businessman ruse is simply to deflect attention from the owner owing $2800. Now you are thinking someone is gonna pay $2800 for the domain....shapesalad
- That makes no sense. Was he thinking I would transfer the domain before payment?nb
- You could still chase the owner for the monies owed - $5600 totes, cha-chingNairn