Pay your freelancers...
- Started
- Last post
- 32 Responses
- moldero1
I have a firm in SF who owes me $$, and wont return my e-mails because he has to balls. hes lucky its under $1k and I don't really need it.
no names just a hint.
R.G. at MJVE
- mathinc0
I think we should have a thread with non-payment clients so that we can all refer to it before taking on work.
- sofakingbanned0
Yup I'm waiting on a check myself... but like you guys said unfortunately for us that always seems to be the case.
- forcetwelve0
i remember when i worked for myself how frustrating it was to not get paid. scraping $ together for rent, and well, let's face it - for food... sucks.
- monNom0
I don't know all the ins and outs of it, but 'factoring' of invoices might make a lot of sense for freelancers. Essentialy you sell the debt(your invoice) at a discount to a factoring company, who then collects. You get maybe 80-90% of the invoice but you get it right away, and the factoring co. eats the bad debts. -- Sorts out your cash-flow, though reduces your ultimate profit.
Not sure if you maybe need lots of billings to do it though.
- moth0
Maybe you guys should consider 50% upfront - or upon delivery.
On delivery is good - no money - no stuff.
- but that takes backbone!
=.(monNom - Try doing that with a big client. They'll turn around and find someone else within the hour.fyoucher1
- i do that with some clients. yeah, big agencies. nope.akrokdesign
- Doesn't work most of the time with smaller jobs. Big jobs, yes.arthur
- but that takes backbone!
- FallowDeer0
Again like a few of you have posted im in the same boat.
They are all in a rush when they need that project because the client is coming in tomorrow, but when its time to pay up, never to be seen.
- ukit0
Best policy is to secure collateral of some kind, like some of their children
- moth0
'but that takes backbone'
Not really. As long as you communicate your terms from the outset then everybody is clear where they stand and your client can budget accordingly.
- raf0
Setting project milestones with partial delivery/payments is a good idea, ie.:
Design comps → payment
HTML cut-up → payment
Deployment → payment
- whereRI0
im still waiting for 4000 euro from a months ago
- fuckinglol_prophet0
The larger the company client, the slower the payment...
Of course this comes with the paradox that the larger the client, the less the oversight with regards to billing...
- ideaist0
freelance or die trying...
- neue75_bold0
my payment term is 12 days, haven't had a problem yet.. in fact, I generally get paid well ahead of my terms...
- but in my case the studio's know they are lucky to have me..neue75_bold
- you failed to mention that you're a cash-only 'manual relief' expert.airey
- you fail, full stop..neue75_bold
- ...over! :-)akrokdesign
- Cptn_Uncanny0
I've been fighting for payment well over a month now for one of my last projects. There is a contract but they don't want to pay because they're disappointed in my work, although what I did is generating a considerable amount of press for them... I am now thinking about a career change to something more respected. Like mud massaging seniors with toothbrushes made out of backhair. I hear the pay is really good.
- monNom0
You gotta read up on how lawyers bill. Those are some ruthless mofos. Large retainer up-front, stop work on invoice, payable in 5days, etc.
I bet they don't have near the problems collecting that us 'net 90' suckers do.
- arthur0
Three of my clients have gone under this year after I've completed the work but before they paid. Two of them eventually paid.
The third strung me along for months, making excuses. The AD called me after he was laid off and apologized for lying to me all those months, he said he was told what to say to me and they hadn't paid anybody. Contacted collections, but the next day got a letter from the client saying they will make good on all invoices. I'm holding tight for the time being. Would rather get the 100%, but I can only wait so long.
- vitamins0
Not paying freelancers or delay of payment happens way too often. There should be a law on this.
- heavyt0
I find it interesting that the people I subcontract for complain about their clients not paying them fast enough, and then they make me wait 90 days to get a check from them. You'd think they'd be more sensitive to that issue.
I make it a point to pay my sub-contractors right after they deliver files to me. Even if I know I wont see the payment from my client for weeks or months.
I like to think they respect me more for that, and are more likely to work for me in the future because of it.