New Copywriters... Dealing With Tricky Customers... Paypal Chargebacks

This thread is more for the new, rookie, greenhorn copywriters here.

A word of advice...

When you're just starting out, understandably you will take on almost any work to get a foothold into this industry.

You'll start no doubt by charging lower prices with the belief that this will help you to bring in more clients, which you can add to your portfolio.

But you'll also find that sooner or later, one or two customers will mess you around when it comes to making good on their payment.

Starting out, you might be tempted to ask for 50% upfront with the final outstanding balance becoming due on completion.

After a while and gaining more experience in this market you'll understand this is folly indeed. After you've been in the copywriting game for a while, you need to ask for the full 100% copywriting fee upfront!

You'll also quickly find that a lot of these low paying clients are a major pain in the butt. They won't value your passion, your advice or what you can bring to the table. They're more often than not a pretty selfish bunch who are only interested in themselves and what you can do for them. Not what they can do for you. It's a two way street afterall.

Unfortunately, you'll get one of these asshats sooner or later issuing a chargeback to Paypal claiming unauthorized access of their Paypal account.

The funds (deposit paid) will immediately be taken out of your Paypal account, whilst you are left high and dry.

Always challenge these Paypal chargebacks!

You've put in the time to help your new client. It's only right that you should be paid for the work that you've put in so far.

If someone pays you a 50% deposit, (let's say $300 for arguments sake) you then proceed to make a start on their sales copy.

The cheapskate client nags you with countless emails asking you how the sales copy is coming along driving you up the wall, to the point of distraction. You need to give them a good slappin' to put them in their place and to allow you the space, peace and quiet to do what you do best. (It takes time to produce good copy.)

Nevertheless you'll always get some idiot who is never satisfied no matter how much you bend over to help them. Believe you me, it's happened to all of us at one time or another when we were all starting out.

You try your best to negotiate with the client to no avail. In short s/he is being a right dick, a royal pain in the ass.

Eventually your cheapskate client tells you they're unsatisfied with the sales copy supplied and issues a chargeback at Paypal. Now you've been left with diddly fat squat for all your trouble and time expended on the piece.

Contest it!

Challenge the decision...

If this happens to you... don't fall into the trap thinking that there is nothing you can do about it.

When someone claims an unauthorized payment through Paypal it will immediately and automatically open up a dispute case. You need to act quickly IF you want to get your deposit or money back.

Paypal will look into it on your behalf and if they decide that there was no unauthorized access made to the buyers account, they will refund you the money paid in full to you.

I recently had a client here...

Put in 10 hours of work on behalf of this individual. Halfway through he suddenly tells me he's found a cheaper copywriter and now wants his money paid, back in full. The contract is over he tells me before he's even seen his sales copy.

He proceeds to ask, nay demands a full refund of his monies paid to me. I reply no can do. I've already made a start on your project, spent 10 hours on it, I cannot issue a refund.

He immediately logs out of his email and not more than 10 minutes later, I get an email from Paypal telling me there is a dispute with the payment already made.

He claims unauthorized access to his Paypal account.

The money is instantly taken from my Paypal account.

Undaunted, I reply to Paypal citing the emails sent back and forth between my client (who I subsequently fired) and myself.

I tell them, how can there be unauthorized access to this persons account when he himself has sent me the money and a receipt issued to the same email address?

Paypal look into it immediately and literally within 2 hours decide in my favor sending me an email, telling me, there was no unauthorized access to his account.

Long and short of the story is...

Protect your back. Your time is valuable. Don't let clients treat you like sh*t. If they start messing you around where payment is concerned always fight back. Paypal doesn't always come down in favor of the thieves and scammers who will try every trick in the book to get what they want, without paying a dime.

My client subsequently lost all of my trust, I fired him on the spot. The money stayed in my Paypal account and he's now lost out royally big time because of his own utter stupidity, lack of respect and selfish greed.

Plus word has now been circulated to a few other copywriters here to steer well clear of this individual, in case he tries it on with them too.

I hope one or two of you rookie, new copywriters on the block find this information useful.


~ Sally