Freelancer Twin powers ACTIVATE!
Form Of... AN OUTSTANDING INVOICE!!
Lydia: Its removal from Burma is a felony and when triggered it has the power to melt human eyeballs.
Giles: In that case I've severely underpriced it.
'Potential'
Buffista Business Talk: I wanted simple, I wanted in-and-out, I wanted easy money.
A virtual watercooler where Buffistas in business can talk, share, exchange, bemoan, exult and assorted other power verbs associated with all areas of running/starting up a business. For existing or potential Buffista business owners of all types. Spamming is NOT ON. A list of our Buffista owned businesses is on our links page.
amych - Dec 05, 2011 1:33:05 pm PST #760 of 1416
Now let us crush something soft and watch it fountain blood. That is a girlish thing to want to do, yes?
Strix - Dec 05, 2011 1:36:01 pm PST #761 of 1416
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger
Heh.
I don't have any outstanding, yet. I've just got some stuff lined up that won't come in for a while.
I HAVE had a client who didn't pay me for 3 weeks. It was a $40 payment. I was like, UM -- PAY ME. Due date means due date; I gotta eat, you!
NoiseDesign - Dec 05, 2011 1:37:53 pm PST #762 of 1416
Our wings are not tired
There are always the occasional people that are deadbeats on payments. Honestly for most of them unless it is a very large amount I'd spend more in legal fees to get the money that to just write off the loss.
§ ita § - Dec 05, 2011 1:53:16 pm PST #763 of 1416
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
So is it good advice or not? I get that there's hot button language, but it seems to me to be a couple steps behind accountant on the taking precautions list.
Amy - Dec 05, 2011 1:54:41 pm PST #764 of 1416
Because books.
I HAVE had a client who didn't pay me for 3 weeks.
Whenever I freelance, I assume someone has 30 days to pay. That used to be standard, and I always wanted to build in time *without* the money than expecting it right away.
javachik - Dec 05, 2011 2:06:44 pm PST #765 of 1416
Our wings are not tired.
ita !, considering the guy giving the advice is a lawyer, he isn't exactly a disinterested adviser. I always consider the biases of any source when it comes to recommendations, business or otherwise.
Strix - Dec 05, 2011 2:14:19 pm PST #766 of 1416
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger
This was one of my first "I don't know you at all" clients. It was a $40, I'd stated clearly in emails payment upon completion, the contract stated payment upon completion, and she had been a PITA and wanted me to do multiple revisions when it was stated clearly that 1 revision was included in the $40 (that's my general per/hourly for the kind of write-up she needed then.)
I didn't get acknowledgement she'd received the deliverable; emailed to make sure. No response for a week; sent query about her getting the copy and sent invoice reminder. Nothing. One more week; reminder. Nothing. 3rd week; reminder and cut and paste of contract wording.
Got paid that day. Never a word from her again.
Revised my contracts to get a 50% down payment before I start work now.
And yeah, I work with clients on due dates, and most all my clients have been crazy-prompt, since I use PayPal for most jobs. BUT. She taught me a lesson.
Stephanie - Dec 05, 2011 2:14:45 pm PST #767 of 1416
Trust my rage
I get not-paid often. Or at least I used to. But in my case, I don't think a lawyer would help because you can't get blood from a stone.
I think the legal advice is good-if it happens enough to justify the cost AND if your clients can but won't pay. I think a good lawyer would likely charge $200-500 for a letter telling someone to pay or else. So it had better be a big bill they owe.
Some clients owe me $2000-3000, but it's just not worth it to fight them. I just insist on payment up front now.
§ ita § - Dec 05, 2011 2:19:49 pm PST #768 of 1416
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
Or he's an expert, javachik. Depending on how you want to look at it. Could be either. Or both. Or neither.
Laura - Dec 06, 2011 12:35:35 pm PST #769 of 1416
Our wings are not tired.
In 23 years in business I have taken 1 customer to small claims court, myself. I have never been sued. Zero $ to lawyers. And yet, not a hobby.