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Payment Method to Avoid Getting Ripped Off?

by JRJWrites
15 replies
Hi,

I had a quick question. When dealing directly with clients, what sort of payment method should you be asking for to avoid getting scammed/ripped off? I personally got scammed a couple months ago of a hefty sum, which is why I want to make sure that never happens again.

I'm thinking that I should do 1/2 payment before starting, 1/2 payment when project is completed? Would that work?

P.S. It ended up working out well. If I hadn't got ripped off, I wouldn't have come over here to WF and learned about all the valuable info I've been able to glean. I wouldn't have my own website and I wouldn't have a steady Fiverr account. Blessing in disguise!
#avoid #method #payment #ripped
  • Profile picture of the author banwork
    I require full payment upfront for everything I do since nearly all of the scammers try to avoid that and I have other costs to pay out once I get paid. Any time people suggest doing different than full payment up front, I tell them that I only accept pay in full upfront because people trust me and I only work with people I trust in return. Most people that are scammers or are untrustworthy are the type to not trust others. At the same time, I tend to make smaller weekly payments versus giant one time payments to compensate for this requirement. For any ongoing work, pay as you go allows you to only do work you are paid for and for your clients to invest a little consistently without having to trust you right away with their full budget.
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  • Profile picture of the author lotsofsnow
    The best insurance against getting ripped off is to deliver excellent value.

    If you deliver excellent value the chances are very slim that you will get ripped off.

    Well, you also have to make sure that you deliver products that are bought by "regular" people.

    If you off some kind of tools that are not completely white hat or any kind of service that is somewhat grey hat or even black hat you can bet that you get ripped off.

    Look at it this way:
    Imagine you try to sell tools to people that rob banks all day long. Why on earth should those people suddenly change their habits for you?
    They get everything for free all day long and now you expect them to pay...

    Makes sense?
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I get 100% paid upfront so there is never an issue. If they don't want to do that, then something is usually wrong.
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    • Profile picture of the author brutecky
      Originally Posted by laurencewins View Post

      I get 100% paid upfront so there is never an issue. If they don't want to do that, then something is usually wrong.
      Not really. Think about it. Your selling something online and Im buying something from you. You want 100% payment up front to be sure that you dont get cheated. Well where is my guarantee that you will actually do the work if Im giving you 100% up front?

      I have done hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of freelance work. All for people I have never met in real life. I always do 50% payment up front. This way we are both taking an equal risk.

      This of course only applies if your not using a service such as Elance or oDesk which has an escrow system. I actually strongly suggest that people use one of these services anyway. The escrow alone is worth there fees. Also you get to build a track able work history and feedback that will help you get future jobs.

      As for direct jobs. Sign up as an Elance affiliate and send your direct jobs to Elance to create an account so they can hire you. This way you get the job, you get the escrow and work history, and you also get the $50 referral commission Elance gives affiliates.
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  • Profile picture of the author StevenWatanabe
    When it comes to brick and mortar businesses, I charge them for the month ahead or even a 6 months contract in a bulk sum. Get everything in writing and verify it. Usually a signature will weed out most of the scammers and like most of the people before me, so will the upfront cost.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Ask for the money upfront. If they believe in you and believe that you can turn their business around, they should have no problem paying 100% upfront.
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  • Profile picture of the author johnben1444
    Some of the best ways of checkmating fraud is by using the most trusted source of payment like PayPal. CC is good but there are so many negative talk about it so i will stay away until the water clears.

    Block countries or treat countries that are prone to high fraud with more strict measures.

    Always, verify your payment once your client tells you they have sent money and even when you receive an email/alert.

    It is also best to only accept full payment, many people won't want to pay back once the job is completed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shannon2011
    Personally, I never pay a vendor 100% upfront. I only pay 50% and then pay 50% on deliverables. I do the same for my clients, excluding coaching clients. My coaching clients pay 100% upfront with a 3 month pre-payment.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ghoster
    Payment up front.

    You'll net fewer clients, but the clients you do net will be better overall.

    If someone doesn't understand your need for upfront payment, don't work for them.

    You're solving someone's problem. Make your case that you are qualified to do that and they should be willing to go ahead and pay.

    Failing that, there are escrow services but that will eat into your profit.
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    On the whole, you get what you pay for.

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  • Profile picture of the author taxpayment1
    I would definately recommend Full cost upfront. It Is always a relief knowing I am paying for what I see upfront rather than going through a long process of trying to get up-sold on. It shows honesty to me and that you're not here to just make a quick dollar off someone.
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  • Profile picture of the author greatwriter
    Depends on the project and amount involved.
    If it's below $ 1, 000 I request for payment upfront.
    It is is more than than I do 50% before and 50% after delivery.
    I totally avoid clients who say they can only pay the whole
    amount only if the project has been totally completed and delivered,
    think most of them are out to scam people
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  • Profile picture of the author swiftreaction
    I have to agree with most everyone here. You should always get your payment in full and upfront. In the offline world, you have to pay upfront for products or services, or you have to provide collateral equal in lieu of full payment. I don't see how that's even remotely possible only, and that is where Paypal comes into the picture. If buyers pay through Paypal, they are protected; sellers on the other hand could still get screwed, even after taking a payment upfront. It's a cold world out there, but seeing that money in your account before you start working will definitely make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
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  • Profile picture of the author trader909
    Be 100% sure of your payment terms. Tell them no negotiation. "If you can be ripped off you will be" is the motto you should live by with money. Sadly


    The best insurance against getting ripped off is to deliver excellent value.
    Right.......
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  • Profile picture of the author JRJWrites
    Thanks for the input!
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  • Profile picture of the author kencalhn
    since even though you may get full payment upfront, people could still do chargebacks, I like the idea of escrow-type services. back when I hired coders I Really liked scriptlance.com (before it was sold out), since money was held in escrow and that reduced/eliminated any problems. I never had a single problem hiring coders on scriptlance, which was a pleasant surprise. So a similar approach with escrow may help avoid problems, and/or do small projects first to see if they're trustworthy
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