Gettin Paid?
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- letters0
I am going to skip through a bunch of posts here.
I just dealt with this situation. There are other questions, like do you value the client at all even though you have this difficulty?
Whether yes or no, I find it best to very diplomatically write to them stating the length of time past due, with the attached signed contract, stating that you will need to pursue legal action within a certain time frame if the payment is not remitted.
8K is not that much in regards to possible court fees. However, if payment does not come, I suggest using a solicitor or credit agency as well.
Best of luck
- JazX0
Go through a credit agency (collector) or some financier type. You get your money, they take a small %.
- spot130
First, consult a lawyer which will cost you a few hundred to get an idea of your options and then there may be a number of ways to go about getting the money.
There are collection agencies that will collect the money for you provided you have documentation proving the money is owed. You willl have to pay them a percentage however.
- robotron3k0
oh yeah, i forgot to add (for your next "big" client), you should always get half down on any project bigger than 2,000.
you can find out if the client is serious or not right from the start. and if they don't have the money, you probably don't want to deal with them anyway...
- Dancer0
Duff link Smell
- smellvetica0
you should maintain a 30 day maximum payment period, this is the norm in the UK, then add 5-8% interest per week of non-payment.
usually i find it best to give a small written doc with all this info in and get it signed beofre work starts. it's good to have something to fall back on in cases like this.
- smellvetica0
yup i did. UK based, http://www.courtservice.gsi.gov.…
- shellie0
my bf's dad is a corporate lawyer. he's written letters for me on his lawfirm's letterhead. it's a pretty big lawfirm in downtown LA... they rep cities and shit. and his title is partner... so it's sort of hard to blow off.
it goes without saying that i got paid real fast after that. its easier to pull that off with smaller clients rather than bigger ones.
- nosaj0
We had a dead beat client a few yeas ago. Got our lawyer to serve him papers stating if they didn't pay by such and such a date the matter would go to court. They paid up. A letter from your lawyer will work much better then a letter from you. As soon as they realise they will actually have to get a lawyer and go to court to fight a battle they are goign to lose there is a good chance they try and find a way to settle up....
- shaft0
It really sucks. I had a client that forgot to pay ma and it was quite a lot. According to my country's law I had to pay tax for the money that was on the invoice (they assume i was paid), so my govt ripped me alongside with the guy. Of course, he could write the 'cost' off his company tax. The guy can't pay, he's broke. Of course, that doesn't stop him from driving one of "the wife's" cars, this time a new suv. I hate living in country where law is fiction and when it works, it's often against decent people.
- zaven0
is 60 days of waiting the payment an international standard or is just some shitty italian tradition...?
actually i'm on the 110th day with a client now, but is a town council and a friend who is a lawyer said that they always pay but the average time is 6 months..
My baker at the corner wants the money immediatly when I buy the bread...
Why designers have to work weeks on a project and they see the money many months later? I still dont get it!
- shotoshi0
stylus, you really have my sympathy, I know what you are going through believe me.
I'm in same boat. I've had countless promises which have amounted to fuck all! I'm being treated like a wanker.
But, I'm giving him enough rope. The look on his face when he sees me turn up in Japan out of the blue will be priceless!
- Stylus0
the thing that stings isn't not getting the money but the sense that I'm being treated like a chump by these people. They've set about 6 firm dates for payments that just pass and then when we arrange the next date they say it'll probably be a partial payment... yeah a partial payment of nothing.
- shotoshi0
I should also say, last year I had to take legal action against someone in Japan (different cunt) and what I thought would be a simple case of scaring them with a letter from my lawyer ended up taking 10 months and £6 legal fees to win!
Even though I won, I can't go into details here.But, getting a lawyer isn't always the answer. In my case it was necessary 'cos it was litigation - they seriously breached my contract. Again, can't go into any details.
I think sending a thug is the best way but nothing heavy, just a subtle implication may just do it.
- shaft0
"interest at 6%", "that should only cost about £50 "
Huh, the question comes from AU and I bet this is not the end of local responses that are valuable only in the advisor's country :)
- robotron3k0
i'm telling you stylus, it was amazing how well the "sweaty thug" worked, sometimes he would wait in a lobby for 1/2 a day, but the client learned their lesson...
- shotoshi0
without going into any details I am owed a lot of money and it's 5 months overdue. But my client is in Japan.
However, if he doesn't pay by 31st Jan, I'm going over there unannounced to get my money!
I won't leave until the cunt pays me!
- Stylus0
although the sweaty thug looking guy sounds like a good option
- MX_OnD0
Gies the name an' address,
8k worth o' near death beating oan it's way south....
- Stylus0
thanks rasko that's what I'm going to do > I've been thinking if it goes to court I might be losing a couple of K in legal costs. Hopefully a letter should scare em into paying up anyway and it doesn't go that far.