Comments on: Time To Fire The Client?

By: Christine B.

Christine B. — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:03:23 +0000

Fire him! I’ve gone through this countless times myself and it is not worth the time. The time you spend chasing him for payment you could work on other projects, queries, etc.

Good luck

By: Sharon

Sharon — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:14:57 +0000

Thanks for the input, Christine. I ended my relationship with that client, amicably, and then the company got in touch when they sorted out their problems. So far, so good.

By: BloggingWriter

BloggingWriter — Fri, 04 May 2007 23:09:21 +0000

Good thought, Katherine. I asked them to pay me at least some up front and they are thinking about it, so we’ll see what happens. However, I like the way you put it and I will keep that in mind if it happens again.

By: Katherine Huether

Katherine Huether — Fri, 04 May 2007 23:06:49 +0000

I think that you should say yes to that one round but in your acceptance of the project say to them something like: My career is going in a different direction and I no longer have the time to fit in your project. I understand that you have been a good client and a steady source of income, and for that I thank you. But at this time, I can no longer accept work from you after this round is complete. I will invoice as usual after this project is complete. And then if they do not pay, sell the articles on Constant Content or turn them into free ezine articles with affiliate links in them.

By: Jul

Jul — Wed, 02 May 2007 12:08:31 +0000

I agree, prepayment sounds best, but at the very least I’d require them to agree to very specific payment terms, which include penalties for late payments. It costs your time when you have to go chasing down payments, so if they’re going to require chasing, you should charge them more for that.

By: BloggingWriter

BloggingWriter — Wed, 02 May 2007 12:07:38 +0000

That’s a great idea, Lillie – and I think I will add that to my terms in future. I have been very lucky so far – not many bad clients – but including that in the deal would make it less likely that I’d be hanging around waiting for a check.

By: Lillie Ammann

Lillie Ammann — Wed, 02 May 2007 02:25:14 +0000

I agree with Dana that requiring prepayment is reasonable. I always require a deposit before starting work for a new client and expect payment for one project before starting another. These terms are clearly spelled out in the information package I send out to anyone requesting information about my services.

Maybe you could send this client a letter that you have established a new policy and attach terms requiring prepayment (or at least a deposit and payment upon completion).

I do state in my policy that terms can be negotiated, and I have several clients that I bill monthly. These are long-time clients who have established a reputation with me, and I do a lot of different things (at least a little something almost every day) for them. I just keep track of my time and bill at an hourly rate at the end of the month. But everyone else gets an invoice with the work.

By: BloggingWriter

BloggingWriter — Tue, 01 May 2007 18:03:23 +0000

Thanks, Brenda. I see you’ve written an AC article on getting ripped off. I will be sure to check that out once these deadlines are over.

I thought you might feel that way, Dana I suppose it doesn’t hurt to ask – as you say, I always deliver on time – maybe at least a 50 per cent deposit.

By: Brenda Marie Hoffman

Brenda Marie Hoffman — Tue, 01 May 2007 17:58:12 +0000

I have to agree with you and do what Donald Trump does so well: tell the client, “You’re fired.”

By: Dana Prince

Dana Prince — Tue, 01 May 2007 17:58:12 +0000

I’m with you on the struggling part, as you know since we share this client.

I’m inclined to think future projects might need to be paid for in advance. They know my integrity and know about their lack thereof. I felt at first that I would work with them, understanding hard times but the lack of response = a lack of respect at this point.

Too bad though, it was fun while it lasted.
Dana