Ever Had Someone Not Pay You?

4 replies
What did you do about it?

Also, do you simply wait for a check in the mail, or do you have a merchant account for credit carding payments?


TIA
#pay
  • Profile picture of the author Rezbi
    Nope.

    I always ask for payment upfront - before I start working.

    Once I get payment and all the resource material from them, then I start work.

    When I write copy it takes me ages to get it right. And I let them know this beforehand.

    Just writing bullets can take me days or weeks.

    I'd hate to put in all that work, only for them to turn round and say they don't need it anymore.
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    • Profile picture of the author Shadowflux
      I haven't had someone not pay me but I only ever work with people who I think are reputable and trustworthy. I've worked with people who became gradually less trustworthy as our relationship went on and I let them go.

      I think that when there are large amounts of money at stake you should always have a contract which details what is expected from both parties. Any reputable business person will gladly sign a contract.

      The problem is that this doesn't help much when you're dealing with people on the other side of the globe.

      If you're weary of working with someone, and the amount of money is quite large, then you should request at least a portion of the payment up front as a show of good faith. If you can't come to some sort of agreement with the person you're dealing with then you should think about working with someone else.

      The most important thing to do, if it does happen, is remain professional and take whatever course of action you can (contact hosting or affiliate companies etc). Don't let some lowlife who refuses to pay ruin your reputation simply because you're fuming mad at the time.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stephen Dean
    Yup. I used to take half down, then half on delivery of the first draft.

    I've been writing copy for 7+ years, and using this policy the first 6 years I only had one issue. Then in the middle of 2010 I had 3 clients skip the final payment in a matter of months. Ever since I've been taking the full fee up front.

    I assume the sudden increased risk has to do with the economy. I typically trust people until they prove untrustworthy, but I've had to rethink that. Sad.

    Cheers,
    Stephen Dean
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    • Profile picture of the author Cam Connor
      Originally Posted by Stephen Dean View Post

      Yup. I used to take half down, then half on delivery of the first draft.

      I've been writing copy for 7+ years, and using this policy the first 6 years I only had one issue. Then in the middle of 2010 I had 3 clients skip the final payment in a matter of months. Ever since I've been taking the full fee up front.

      I assume the sudden increased risk has to do with the economy. I typically trust people until they prove untrustworthy, but I've had to rethink that. Sad.

      Cheers,
      Stephen Dean

      I agree with this... definitely don't have a large amount of the fee collected at the end, that's a recipe for disaster... if someone wants to hire a great copywriter, they need to assume some of the risk, since the Copywriter is running a business. No one complains that they have to pay McDonalds 100% up-front before they get their food, and it's the same here, just with MUCH larger sums of money. lol
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