Head, meet desk!

[Seraph]

Another Try Bites the Dust

So this one client of mine owes me $400 from some work I did in May. He didn't have the money to pay for it in full originally (the work was at first totaled to be $650)...I let him do some coding work for me to take off $250. Unfortunately the work wasn't worth it...but I figured I'd be nice. Right. Darn it I'm naive.

It's now August and I haven't seen any payment. His first excuse was rent was coming up and he had to pay someone else real fast. But, he'd get me the money end of June. June came around...he had bills oh but it'd be middle of July at worst! July 20th-ish....his air conditioner broke since he had it turned down too low. Now he's saying end of July. I got ahold of him August 2nd and got the "I'll go to the bank tomorrow!" Magically the next day, he was *just* late enough to "have the doors shut in his face". :P But he would do it the 3rd.

THE FIFTH he promises again to have me the money that day. But..surprise surprise. Yesterday he tells me that HostGator has shut down his sites due to nonpayment of his bill and that he doesn't have the money to pay them. Or me. Great.

Legal Ramifications Say What?

What?...

So after running EVERYWHERE to find jobs this week so I can get the car fixed up...I find one. YEAY. He wants a logo design, website design, content written, AND banner designs. OMFG YEAY.

Hello reality!

His input for the website? He wanted to have something "very close to" (read: almost exact copy) of another website. Who has a name thats one word off from the name of his website. Who is a MUCH larger company than he is and have been in the industry for a few years now.

I explain "Uh no, not going to do that, COPYRIGHT INFRINGMENT!" (Never mind that said big website is already infringing on one with THEIR logo...) He goes "Oh okay...then I want a site like www.<SAME EFFING WEBSITE>.com

...

....

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Finally it got through that if I did so, not only could he be sued by them, I could be sued, and then George Lucas would SOMEHOW find out about it all and sue the whole effing lot of us.

He's now agreed to let me do my own thing...but we'll see how long THAT lasts. :P

[Automan Empire]

NEVER release finished work without payment in full!

ALWAYS start with a down payment, a second payment when certain parts are completed, and a final payment before releasing the finished project!

ALWAYS specify upfront in writing the number and type of changes included, and costs for exceeding this number, to keep them from stringing you along with the scope creep game.

Check out webmasterworld dot com, the professional webmasters business issues forum, for lots of good ideas and business practices.

[Seraph]

Yeah...I'm naive. I do down payments...I need to start the partial completion payments, though.

I will definitely check out that site...thanks.

[Arm]

Also, if you do anything with a login?

...don't implement the capability of changing the password until you get paid.

[Samaliel]

I mean no disrespect, but haven't you had some similar problems in the past ? I'd think that, since you've been burnt once, you'd be twice as careful. But maybe, just like me, you happen to have faith in humanity.

I don't mean you can trust no one. But you sure can't trust any one.

I hope you'll get what he owes you.

[tropicsgoddess]

Have you had clients sign contracts? That's one way to ensure that they will hold up their end of the bargain and if they back pedal, you can get after them since once they agree to the contract, it's legal and binding.

[Seraph]

I mean no disrespect, but haven't you had some similar problems in the past ? I'd think that, since you've been burnt once, you'd be twice as careful. But maybe, just like me, you happen to have faith in humanity.

I don't mean you can trust no one. But you sure can't trust any one.

I hope you'll get what he owes you.

No disrespect felt there. I am quite naive...and yes I unfortunately have faith every once in a while and I swear each time I have the brain burp that makes me trust a customer, they screw me over.

Also, if you do anything with a login?

...don't implement the capability of changing the password until you get paid.

Haven't done anything with a login yet...but I know I should always leave backdoors in that kind of thing.

Have you had clients sign contracts? That's one way to ensure that they will hold up their end of the bargain and if they back pedal, you can get after them since once they agree to the contract, it's legal and binding.

Yep, I get contracts from them...not signed but ones that will still hold up in court. That's actually what a couple of clients are finding out right now.

Oh, and a small update. I got ahold of him last night, told him how I was none too happy that he did this to me after I trusted him...and he paid up $100 on the spot. He apologized like crazy...but I'm trying very hard to not regain faith in humanity.