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Client wont pay. 5757 Responses
Last post: 9 months, 3 weeks ago | Thread started: Jan 21, 08, 4:24 p.m.
- Meeklo
So I would like some serious suggestions on this please.
I been working for this project for over a month.
The client asked me if I was interested in some sort of partnership that would get me benefits and of course I declined, so they agree to pay me on my hourly rate (Although we came to an agreement and I ended up lowering my hour rate just for this project).The work was completed on time and met client's satisfaction, I made a mistake on delivering the files to the client before payment was completed (I know, I know, I have no one to blame but myself for that). So after getting on his ass for weeks, calling him everyday I got him to pay most of the owed balance.
3 months ago he asked if I can offer some sort of flexible plan in order for him to give me what he owed in 3 payments of $300. I said sure, if that's what you need, I can do that.
Now its the last payment and they claim that the project will not launch because of negative balance and for that reason they can' pay me.
Its only $300 bucks, but he won't pay me.
I said starting today I will call both partners on the project every single day on the phone till they pay me (they are in the east coast, and I'm on the west).
What can I do?
- Jan 21, 08, 4:24 p.m. – Permalink
- mrdobolina
Call them everyday, really for $300 I'm not sure what else I would do. Does your contract say they need to pay penalties after 30 days or anything? That is always a great thing to have in there. Their non-payment ends up costing them more money. Sorry i couldn't be of more help.
- Dog-earJan 21, 08, 4:29 p.m. – Permalink
- ajzinni
is this a web project? If so then turn it off until they pay you... I do that when necessary. If not, call the creditors, at last it shows up on any reports in the future and is a hassle for them. Also you can get a lawyer to send a letter that sometimes is enough motivation to get payment especially with a low amount.
This however is a great case study in not wavering in your rates. Typically the things you listed above send off red flags to me. I would normally just pass on work whenever someone asks me to share profits, or give a reduced rate. The only time I work at a lower rate is when I am a 3rd party and I am working on the behalf a of an agency. Sometimes I will do this in order to create a relationship with the agency to negotiate lower rates for myself if I contract work from them...
- Dog-earJan 21, 08, 4:30 p.m. – Permalink
- monNom
Write the mutha' off. You're going to waste SO much time and long distance on chasing that debt. How many hours will you have to waste to hit another $300? not many I'm sure.
You always pay for your education.. this time, it was $300. Make it a learning lesson for next time and see if you can mark down your taxes with the loss.
- Dog-earJan 21, 08, 4:30 p.m. – Permalink
- jed
I know it doesn't ease the pain of being ripped off. It seems like this type of thing regardless of the quality of work, etc happens to the best of us. My best advice is to avoid working with clients who up front are squirmish about money. It is a good sign that they are going to either not pay, and if they do, they will make sure they get every penny worth of your time out of the project. In addition, if a client acts as if the money they are spending on this project is the sum of their marketing budget, it is a good sign to avoid it. Reason being, they will have grandious expectations that this particular project will satisfy their every need since they are investing 100% of that budget on it, even if is a small sum of money.
Sometimes we just need to cut our loses and learn from these moments. The best thing you can do is to be upfront with the client and explain how much time you have invested into the project and how much you have sacrificed. If they do not have the ethics to pay you back, karma seems to always have a way of working it's way back to those individuals.
- Dog-earJan 21, 08, 4:37 p.m. – Permalink
- mrdobolina
Great advice, I've noticed it that if you waver on the price at all, they take this as a sign of weakness and are trying to always get over on you.
- Dog-earJan 21, 08, 4:52 p.m. – Permalink
- cramdesign
I "think" you can take it off your taxes.
this money is gone dude... sorry, what it would cost to pursue this, assuming you win, would be more than it is worth.
maybe there are debt collectors or something you can turn it over to for a percentage? not sure... but my advice, is don't lose any sleep over it and write it off.
- Dog-earJan 21, 08, 4:54 p.m. – Permalink
- Meeklo
I know I made a mistake, but that is past, it won't happen again.
I would like to focus on what can I do now, so these bastards don't forget me. I don't care if costs me $300 more to hurt them.
I already told them I'm calling every day to both of them till I get my money back.Sorry forgetting about this is not an option for me. $10 grand, $300 bucks or $10, they are stealing what's mine. So anyone else has suggestions on what can I do?
- Dog-earJan 21, 08, 5 p.m. – Permalink
- monNom
Small claims court. costs $50-$100 and if they don't show, you win.
The court can then place a lein on the company, which will prevent them from obtaining credit until it's cleared.
However, you'll likely never get your money if the company is falling on hard times. You'll be out $100 plus the morning you went to court. The employees of the company, who will be moving on if the company is failing might think you're a jerk for overblowing $300.
On the flip side if you let it go, they might try to help you out in the future, from somewhere more financially stable, since they did like what you did for them. Burning bridges goes both ways.
The opinion of a dispassionate 3rd party: spend the time working on new projects
- Dog-earJan 21, 08, 5:21 p.m. – Permalink
- jett
Believe it or not, debtors have legal rights as well. Read up. Be very careful how vigorously—and with what level of animosity—you pursue the issue. Without a lawyer in the mix, you could actually find yourself in worse shape. Harassment and lines like "I just want to hurt them" could land you in a place you'd really wish you'd have let the $300 go.
Also, as to the taxes, my experience has been that you can write off the lost collection of wages, and it diminishes your overall taxable income. However, it doesn't come out of what you'll owe the IRS.
In 5 years, I've had only one legitimate client fail to pay, and in the end I spent way more money and emotion than they owed me chasing it around. It's hard to swallow, I know. It's theft. Sometimes there's nothing you can do though. File a report, leave it at that.
Hope it helps.
- Dog-earJan 21, 08, 6:55 p.m. – Permalink
- AndyRoss
Look: there's no way on the face of God's Earth to find and enforce a judgement for $300 for less than $300.
So, at this point, any effort toward this claim is good money after bad.
Sorry to deliver the bad news, but there it is.
Don't deliver files until paid in full!
Always host web sites so you can pull them down if they don't pay.
There's a lot of cheap fuckers in this man's town, and you have to outsmart them!!!!
- Dog-earJan 21, 08, 7:48 p.m. – Permalink
