take it down?
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- monospaced0
In the end, everything must be paid for; nothing is free. Even a website design.
- formed0
Economy sucks, you have to be flexible. I've got clients that are about 5 months late, but they appreciate it and are paying.
Take it down you'll certainly not get paid (depending on the percentage they owe you) and you'll make a bad name for yourself.
My 2 cents. I'd rather wait and get paid.
- SLAZ0
i replied to his email asking for confirmation of payment by Friday or we would need to take the next steps of reconciling the situation. i did not mention taking the site down, but that is what I will do. and then i will wait for them respond or send into collection. i have saved all of the previous emails with them stating payment was being sent right away.
- jamble0
It depends entirely on what your contracted terms for payment timescales are and what penalties you have in place in that contract for clients who don't pay.
It's not uncommon for larger companies to have 60 day payment terms and in which case ripping down a site won't help matters.
My standard freelancing contract clearly lays out 30 day payment terms with a penalty for late payment along with me reserving the right to remove any and all online assets IF no payment is received.
I've only had to do this once and to be honest it was for a small amount of money and a client I wasn't ever to speak to again so I didn't have a huge amount to lose but I'd suggest if you don't have it in a contract that you reserve the right to take down a site for non payment then you may find it more trouble than it's worth and that writing them a final demand for payment including the threat that if payment is not received in x days, you will take the matter to court.
Again, all this depends on what you've got in contracted payment terms really.
(On another note, don't take the site down, just rename the index page)
- ninjasavant0
What do they do, maybe we could just do a hostile takeover?
- cannonball0
Take it down with a nice, friendly letter stating that you like to see your work live, and that you will be more than happy to put the site back up when you have been payed for the product you made.
- megE0
I would give them a warning first - saying will bring in attorneys and/or take down site
then see if they pay
- monospaced0
I think you should tell them that you're taking it down before surprising them. Let them know that it will be up as soon as payment is promised/received. Be somewhat civil. 2 months is a long time, so I don't think you should wait any longer myself.
- billl0
i'm lucky if i get paid within 60
- bulletfactory0
Have you contacted them the invoice and late-fee applied? A warning would be more professional before any action - make sure you let them know that non-payment within X number of days may result in possible site down-time.
- SLAZ0
i have spoken to the guy multiple times, each time saying he is paying that week. that is why the drastic step of pulling the site down, especially at 60 days. still, a deal is a deal, he said we would be paid in Jan when it was launched. so technically, 90 days (+30 for the invoice date).
- take it down. if you warn him, he can pull the files and put it somewhere else.instrmntl
- zenmasterfoo0
Let them know ahead of time, but make sure you're notifying all the right people. Your contact may not be responsible enough to see your payment through most HR/accounting red tape. Thus the delay. If his or her managers know the job is going offline it might stir things up enough to get a positive response.
- TResudek0
Agree with Bill... some companies takes 60, 90, 120 days.... If you have a relationship with them then I wouldn't do anything drastic. If they are virtual strangers and you feel like you are at risk of being blown off then you may want to try a smaller gesture. Break a couple of things on the site that they will notice. Then, they will ask you to fix them and you will have a good position for getting you money.
I'm very thankful I've never been put in this position... that is really rough.
- It takes them that long because they dont want to pay.Hurley
- SLAZ0
just got this response from the client...
"I will try to handle this today. Just returned from vaca."he has 7 days....
- I waited 7 months for one client to pay.zenmasterfoo
- seems to have money for vacations; but not for an obligation to youplash
- plash0
Give him a blackout date. say Friday at 10am. tell him if payment is not made you will presume he will not pay and court actions will be taken. keep it emotion free and precise with future actions. remind the terms of the contract and call your lawyer.
- court action? don't you think that simply taking away the site is enough?monospaced
- sometimes you have to be prepared for your bluff to be called. take the high road. lawyers are always a last resort.zenmasterfoo
- no, b/c the work was done and if a contract was signed. then the guy should get paidplash
- courts should never be a bluff..plash
- monospaced0
get it in writing
- fodcj0
The contract I have and get clients to sign states that until they pay the work obviously doesn't belong to them so think you are in your rights to take it down if you have something like this in writing.
Clients can take some time to pay though as others have pointed out and in todays cliamate that is even more true. Some I have worked with have a policy that they don't pay until you have chased them 4 times (and other shit like that).
Just some peoples business practise unfortunatly :o(
- SLAZ0
i agree on the formal note... my concern with that is, because we do not manage the hosting, so technically they can change their passwords at any point, and we would not be able to take the site down then.
- scarabin_net0
i would add to your contract that the site comes down after nonpayment, so you can do it easily in the future