Website for Deadbeat Client
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- formed0
People need to be very careful about this stuff. Sucks not to be paid, but we are in an unprecedented time.
Piss someone off, they'll most likely just scrap you, not pay and find someone else. Then they'll also be like "oh, yeah, that guy stabbed us in the back, don't ever work with him".
Your goal - get your money, keep people happy for the future (the "oh, he was very understanding and we appreciate it, great guy to work with, highly recommended").
Just points to keep in mind. It seems simple, but people are hurting everywhere (I've got clients negotiating down, sucks, but better than not being paid at all).
I hope all this talk about scripts and code are jokes. I did hire someone years back that put in a script that gave him control of the site should he want it. Needless to say, we never worked with him again. That's just bad business.
- elmntl0
just upload a splash page saying "This website is down because they did not paid to the company who designed the site, please be very careful doing business with this company"
- noob123450
You do work, they give you money. If they don't pay for the work, they don't get to use it. Take the site down and put up a placeholder until they pay up.
- cannonball19780
I don't really cotton to the "just play nice when they don't pay you" attitude. They didn't pay you. They aren't playing nice. Time to take the kid gloves off one finger at a time.
- noob123450
Don't do anymore work for this client either. If you have a hard time getting paid now, it's never going to get any easier.
- monNom0
not launch website until paid?
- easier said than done.mydo
- The site's already up.noneck
- Pull it?luckyorphan
- not really. That's the right thing to do! Pull it down until they pay.OSFA
- lvl_130
get 50% up front, which should be done with a signed contract. 50% after beta-launch. if client doesn't pay, pull the site.
- mydo0
put the site in your own server in a development area. put a nice holding page for them. get a sign off and a payment date. then put it live. then when they miss the date you have an email you can send to them. if you're really worried. host on their site, but host the database or images on your site. that way it's hard from them to screw you.
good luck
- Hosting images or css files on my server could be a good idea for a sketchy client.noneck
- noneck0
We had done lots of projects with this client previously, so I got comfortable.
This particular project got tripped up because the client wanted to use their own web host instead of mine. The next time I do a website it's going to either be:
1) on my web host, or
2) I'm going to bill hourly to launch the site with no guarantee of success. Obtain payment before launching with the additional billing being extra.
- noneck0
Anyone ever made a time bomb? Like a script that you could run that would completely bork the site?
Pretty unethical, but as a last resort...
- i wouldn't. you should just get them back to the table to talk through the dilema. you need to talk them through why the...lvl_13
- sendmail thing wasn't actually our fault. if you have had a solid relationship with them this should not be a problem to talk them through.lvl_13
- through it. it sucks, and it's not really your problem...but it is...because you want to get paid, and they need to understand why.lvl_13
- understand where you are coming from, and the amount of work you have put into the site.lvl_13
- airey0
yeah, i figure an illegal fuckar
- airey0
i'll try that again,
i figure an arguable illegal script fuckaround might be an insane idea compared to simply ftping into the domain and removing the site. i mean seriously, why make this a more difficult issue than it already is?
are you actually a drama queen?
- ETM0
Do you think they would be more willing to accept a payment plan? Maybe break it up into2 or 3 installments? I don't recall you saying if it was simply lack of money or only the delay they blame you for holding it up. If its only the delay, that's petty. I find most clients forget all the delays once something goes live and they are happy with it.
- airey0
of course i'd ask that 2 your face? are you fucking serious.
"And no, I'm not a drama queen. You wouldn't say that to my face." - noneck
seriously dude, you just answered my point. irony be thy name.
- whatsup0
Amazing this topic comes up often here. Why not post their company here and trash them?
- because that can end in tears and legal ramifications for defamation etc.airey
- surely better than a baseball bat or just coming out like a chump. no?whatsup
- are you pretty young then?refunktion
- why do you ask? who are you talking to?whatsup
- or is it immature to inform your fellow designers who they should watch out for?whatsup
- or maybe honest is not the best policy?whatsup
- it just seems like it would not be wise to trash talk someone on a public forum.refunktion
- i hear ya. just sucks that people who screw you get away with crime like that.whatsup
- i mean, this is all hypothetical because the clients "may"not pay. but if they lean on screwing....whatsup
- agreed, just going public is going backwards... about the same as beating them up.refunktion
- True, you need to beat them up AND steal their wallet...ETM
- whatsup0
There's also the Better Business Bureau.
- < Yes.luckyorphan
- and after that, then go beat them up and steal their wallet.whatsup
- whatsup0
Careful, since they know you have backend control, they can just take the source from all the pages and use them as static pages til they find someone else who can put it back into the CMS
- Yeah, clients are really good at this and it happens all the time.monospaced