[EmmaPhlema]

Ok...
What do you do when you cannot get people to pay! I've been trying to be nice, sending out two emails "did you receive my invoice?" and then 2 weeks later "I'm sure you received my invoice"... and he doesn't email back. It's been over a month since my last invoice and I WANT MY MONEY.

This is a well-to-do company and they have money. This person is the son of a great customer of mine and she referred him to me. This is the first project I've done for him and don't really want to piss him off, because it's a good client to have. What should I do...I don't want to threaten but it seems my "nice requests" are not getting thru...I should probably just call the guy.

[Anxious]

Definitely call him. Normally that does the trick and reminds people that you're an actual person rather than a wee bit of paper that you can hide under other wee bits of paper.

One polite phonecall to say you're 'following up on your previous letters regarding an outstanding invoice' should get him paying up.

[stuntman]

i always wait about 2 or even 3 months

edit : that doesn't help much does it.

[Coops]

Yeah, some clients can take months to pay sometimes. Nobbers. Chase the fuckers up and keep chasing them...

[herkalees]

Hunt his wife down.


</joke>

[Patr100]

I'm not in the position but this is a good argument to be a webhost reseller or at the very least control the hosting arrangements so you can take the site offline (or at least threaten to) as a last resort, to concentrate minds.

Not always possible I'm sure with those who insist on using their own resources.
-

[Coops]

It's not all web, web, web y'know.

[d*d]

emails are easy to ignore/forget about, phone and actually speak to the person before getting annoyed

[cjgraphix]

I have a system for payments. Maybe it can work for you as well.
I email an invoice. If I hear nothing for 14 days (2 weeks) I send another invoice via email, as well as through regular mail. at 28 days (4 weeks) I email / mail invoices again and call directly. at 45 days I make another call, and start to not be so nice about it. at 60 days I start removing files from the server.

I also have in my contracts that invoices are due at 14 days and at 30 days there is a 2% penalty, and at 60 days there is a 4% penalty. What are your contracts like?

You say this is a 'good client to have'... but it's not if there are payment issues. I had a client go 60 days late on 3 different occasions and I ended up letting the client go.

[Emanuele]

Usually I wait for a month or two. If they still don't pay, I call them by phone everyday. If they don't pay I tell them I'll remove files from server in a week. ( This last thing usually works... )

[MCD]

Originally Posted by cjgraphix

I have a system for payments. Maybe it can work for you as well.

I also have in my contracts that invoices are due at 14 days and at 30 days there is a 2% penalty, and at 60 days there is a 4% penalty. What are your contracts like?

You say this is a 'good client to have'... but it's not if there are payment issues. I had a client go 60 days late on 3 different occasions and I ended up letting the client go.

I operate along the same lines as CJ....however im nastier with the penalty and I always include a paragraph from the second contact onwards about outstanding payments being referred to a debt collection agency.

Having said that...it doesnt happen so much anymore as I stress the payment schedule up front several times which seemed ridiculous at first but i have f**k all desire to spend my days running about chasing money from people when i can be doing more constructive things.

Realise your worth...it can be a little uncomfortable demanding money....but as far as Im concerned, not paying is stealing.

If i was close i'd pay a visit for you...scotch tape the guy to filing cabinet and pelt him repeatedly with kiwi fruit til he paid up.

[EmmaPhlema]

I also have a claus on my contract that says any bill 30 days late will result in a 5% charge. I have never used this and would hate to start since this is my first job with this client, but I am going to call him within the next week to see what is going on.

Thanks everyone for your advice! I wish I lived closer to you guys. I could always use someone to throw kiwi, stalk spouses and prank call my lazy clients.

Thanks again boys.

[Snowshiro]

30 days is perfectly normal in business. 90 days isn't that unusual if it's a big corporation. It's a bitch, but they're not likely to change the earth for you.

[stuntman]

2 things.

Friends who I've done work for always seem to pay up very, very late, like 7 / 8 months late.

Someone I know who had a small graphic design company worked on and off for Sony for a year. Sony didn't pay up, so he said I'll take you to court, and they said fine, do it, we don't care, we're Sony. He didn't have the money to do it, so he shut up shop and went to the south of france to run a holiday home.

[Shiro]

I also have a claus

Is it a Santa Claus?

[EmmaPhlema]

Originally Posted by haku

Is it a Santa Claus?

what are you? the spelling police?

[datahound]

Yeah, everyone know there ain't no sanity clause!

[cjgraphix]

Originally Posted by stuntman

Friends who I've done work for always seem to pay up very, very late, like 7 / 8 months late.

That's why you I don't do work for friends.

[pgo]

Originally Posted by haku

Is it a Santa Claus?

Damn you I came here to post that.

Great minds...

[Shiro]

what are you? the spelling police?

Just having a little fun.