Clients Who Don't Pay...
- Started
- Last post
- 58 Responses
- Seph0
Surely they arent that dumb as to not realise that you need content and structure before building a website?
These guys are in the fashion industry, its a stones throw from the Communications Industry. In fact it practically is.
They're just complete cunts! I hope you win. Get a lawyer based on results not reputation or word of mouth. Every 'claims' they know a shit hot lawyer because every lawyer claims to be shit hot.
- normal0
Seph:
Sad but true. That's exactly why I was just as confused when I received their reasoning for it. Actually, I wasn't just confused, I was absolutely conflabbergasted.
It's strange you mention the fashion industry as well. The "silverback" partner related a story to me at the pub a couple of weeks prior to this about this woman who runs the BA fashion department at Central St. Martin's named Louise Rhodes. She is notorious around the world for being a complete bitch and really pushing people to their limits. During portfolio reviews having one table labelled shit and one table labelled good she would go through the students portfolios throwing them onto the shit or good table and making sure they knew exactly why. Which is fine, separating the wheat from the chaff during your schooling years is part of the bargain and I would respect her for it. Some of the students would break down and work themselves to death in order to produce something making it onto the "good" table.
I believe that this perhaps may have been the actual intention of the client, he was trying to by force make me break down and take the same measures. He did it clumsily however and obviously it hasn't had the same effect.
However, I am no longer a student and haven't been for years. So that was a bad idea really. He even asked after all of this whether or not I still wanted to do the site. That was my hint to the above, but they had gone too far already, and my mind had soured towards the project at this treatment.
I hope I win as well and am fairly confident that my ass is covered. There is no reason to treat people like that at all.
- Brian220
Sorry to hear about your toubles normal. I hope you screw them to the wall.
BTW - why is your portfolio password protected? Never seen that one before.
- idsgn0
contracts contracts contracts. i dont do a thing without them, got burned a few times from stupid clients, ask for a mockup to never be heard from again.
sorry about your troubles. sometimes all it takes is a firm letter from a "legal representative" to make them shitthemselves and pay up.
- normal0
Brian22:
I never saw the purpose of keeping portfolios in public view. We've never received a job from from a company or client we didn't know or did not previously contact. It also acts as a way to stay informed as to who is accessing our information and controlling it to a certain extent.
We're not about impressing other designers or engaging in a who did what for whom competition our ideas are our ideas and we feel it's in our interest to protect them.
In addition to that, agencies want specialised individuals, they rarely like all rounders.
We are all rounders so we can provide passwords depending on what the agency is seeking to put forth a very focused and specialised skill set. It's not our fault they can't see someone as being perhaps a good copy writer and a good illustrator, it's their short sightedness not ours so we wouldn't want to confuse them.
- normal0
idsgn:
I think a strongly worded legal letter is definitely on the cards. It's part of the process unfortunately. But it may take awhile.
Though I'm having trouble working out how I'm going to pay rent this month, I was relying on this job to be finished and paid by today.
- ********0
normal, sorry for your troubles. I posted that option for people to look into it. it works and it really f*cks clients when they don't 'pay the piper'. Anyway we did the same until we wised up. I subcontract work to a Russian group, they have quick turnaround and a QA department, powie so nice and nice back-end work for cheap!
- k0na_an0k0
get legal help. they are using your work they did not pay for. if you have good records of emails and meetings a lawyer will be able to tell you if you have a case or not.
if not, a brick through their window followed by a molitov cocktail should be enough.
on a positive note, you don't hear this too much. a year and a half ago i signed a contract with a company in ny to develop their website. they sent me 1/2 up front. after emailing them a few times for content i never heard from them again and the check cleared. cool.
- normal0
K0na_an0k:
Exactly, that's what responsible and understanding companies would do in any circumstance. I've hired people on as subcontractors and I would never in a million years dream of not paying them for the work they've put in regardless of the outcome. My responsibility is to the people that help me along first, not to myself.
That story reminds me of going into hhcl redcell for a gig once, when I walked through the door the job had been canned by the client. The director told me about the problem, said to bill for the entire day, even though I did nothing and that was that. Proper respect, and proper professionals. I suppose that may be what I'm used to, so I was caught off gaurd on this one a nice little side project...
I've always been a Newstoday lurker, never really participating in any of these discussions. But today, I feel a full fledged member, I really appreciate all of the advice and kind words people have given and you better believe that when we're gearing up for a big job, i'll be using this to find people with the skills we may require.
I've contemplated bombing their studio with some nice expletives. We'll save that for later though. As revenge is best served cold.
Working on the lawyer bit. I'll keep you guys posted on what happened.
- normal0
JazX:
Might have to find out who these folks are. Hardcore back-end is not my forte.
But if it's a different sort of "service" from Russian groups you're referring to then that might be useful as well.
- Gorbie0
Hard-core backend?!
RECTOPLASM!!
- trooperbill0
50% before i do anything. 50% on delivery of product i.e. before i upload a web site under their domainc (they can see it online under a test domain) or on provision of a CDROM for print. if theres no cheque i simply say, im sorry, those are the agreed payment terms. please contact me when you have my mayment ready
as long as you're upfront and explain why the terms are there and you get the customer to agree theres no problem.
mark
- jevad0
small claims court mate - take teh fuckers to the cleaners
- normal0
Trooperbill:
Those are my normal guidelines and I let them slip this time. One of them was a friend he came over to London from New York not knowing anyone and I gave him a place to live, friends to play with and a general good time. It was a simple job to begin with that got much more involved as time went on. Like I said it was an organic process, we agreed prices as we went along and more requirements cropped up, a creative collaboration. I never thought for a second that this would go wrong. There was no we need x, it was more we need X, we also need Y and Z with some W thrown in for good measure and help in general getting our business together.
The other guy turned out to be the asshole. Apparently this is how he does business, I just hope that my friend doesn't take too many pointers from him because they will learn the hard way that it's not the way it's done.
I'm actually desperately hoping at this point that they put the identity I've done but they haven't paid for into market. That should make the lesson a little bit more biting.
- jevad0
so what are you gonna do?
- normal0
Jevad:
Take them to the cleaners.
- jevad0
fucking word
KICK THEIR ASS SEABASS!
- ********0
Hey normal,
Fuck, man, that just sums up some classic client shit that Ive gone through over the years, I couldnt have put it better myself.."I've already placed an order for , "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Web Page" which will be delivered annonymously to their address. With a note saying that "The Complete and Total Fucking Wankers Guide To Building a Website" was sold out. "
Brilliant...