Comments on: When Is Your Money Not Your Money?

By: Lisa T.

Lisa T. — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 05:36:15 +0000

I was surprised myself by a client who’s a millionaire and has great integrity and reputation in my town, but he never followed up on the book I wrote for him. It was a long-term project and he paid me a deposit up front, but no longer is interested in my assistance in publishing it. This really surprised me, since he was easy to communicate with during the writing process and understood if I encountered a delay due to other projects.

I have resolved in the future to work with more solid clients, especially government. These government agencies almost always pay on time.

The current economic downturn makes this an even more pressing issue for all us freelancers. I’d like to see more suggestions on how to deal with this, because it’s usually not worth taking someone to small claims court. That’s burning your bridges.

Lisa T.’s last blog post..Arguing about who is dumbest is really dumb

By: Sharon

Sharon — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:47:21 +0000

Well, I’ve emailed the client, Dana (and everyone) and I’m now waiting for a reply. We’ll see what happens.

By: Dana

Dana — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:24:03 +0000

Repeated problems are definitely a sign of cash flow problems. I suspect that’s the problem here. Even if a client has the best of intentions, there does come a time when enough is enough. I wouldn’t blame you if you’d reached that point.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:58:39 +0000

Sue, I suspect the company has a cash flow problem. Maybe their clients aren’t paying them. However, there’s a limit to how much leeway one can give.

@lornadoone: That seems to be the consensus. I will see what he says.

By: lornadoone

lornadoone — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:41:17 +0000

Clients who take too long to pay always make me so nervous because I’m afraid they won’t pay up at all. When they don’t . . . Well, I just hate that feeling. Like the suggestion above, I would tell the client I’d continue writing for him as long as payment was prompt/in advance for the rest of the relationship.

By: sue jeffels

sue jeffels — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:10:36 +0000

Hi Sharon,

I think I know the client you’re speaking of as I have had similar problems and am currently wondering how much longer I will stick with it.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:14:07 +0000

@ Rebecca: That’s my inclination, though I’ll still suggest the pay up front thing.

@ Misti: I’ve done that. After the first and second strikes, I started doing a job, then waiting to be paid before starting a new one, to reduce my exposure. But even that doesn’t seem to be working now.

By: Misti Sandefur

Misti Sandefur — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:23:22 +0000

Personally, I believe everyone deserves a second chance, so I would probably give him one more chance. However, I might Google the client first to see if this is something he does often, and if I discover it is… well, I’d let him go based on my research. If nothing came from my search and I did decide to give him a second chance, then I’d place a limit on how much work I’d do for him for a while. I’d do this to keep from running up a large tab that may not be paid or become a hassle again.

This, of course, is my two cents. You do what you feel you have to.

By: Rebecca Laffar-Smith

Rebecca Laffar-Smith — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:20:05 +0000

Third strike and he’s OUT! Give Mark’s great suggestion a go but if even that doesn’t seem to work then it really is more hassle then it’s worth. Cut your losses and make room in your business life for a new client.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:01:52 +0000

@ Mark: Good suggestion, thanks. Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be too hasty.

@ Rebecca: This is the third time that I’ve had this situation with this client. The first couple of times I asked those questions and concluded that it made sense to stay. Now I’m wondering. Although non-payment is not the end of the world, it means that I have wasted my time in something unprofitable and I have to spend more time to earn that income elsewhere. I write because I love it, but it’s also how I earn a living. As someone once said to me, when the plumber comes to your home and fixes a leak, you don’t tell him (or her) to come back in 60 days for payment.