Dealing with Clients that WON"T PAY

[Stonepilot]

How do you deal with clients that won't pay? When you know that you've been pantient and have given them more than enough time lets say almost two months. I know that this happens all the time but I'm going through this. I finished my contract with this specific studio. Its not that they don't have cash cause they've posted job openings on the web. And they are paying their current employees. I'm not the only person that is having this specific problem with this studio. How would you handle it.

[imajicastudio]

Well if you have a signed contract I would tell them they have until so many days then if not you will take them to court. Contracts hold up very well in court and they will have o pay court costs. Depending on the area you live in and amount, small claims court might be your best bet. Contracts are the way to go, unfortunately mine is getting people to sign one. Good luck.

[nick reynolds]

Pitchforks, torches, and rocks usually get the point across well.

If that doesn't work try court or just confront them. Have you confronted them about it in a serious manner?

[Joeslucher]

You could resort to a collection agency or your cousin Vinny with a baseball bat.

Also threaten to turn them over to the Graphic Artists' Guild Grievance Committee which pretty much mean they'd be blackballed.

[svahaa]

even if it's a simple jotted down piece of paper or in an email, as long as both you and the company agree on the terms, and it is documented somewhere, you are both legally bound.

if you must work without a contract, then you must be very vigilant about not giving them the final work until you have final payment in-hand. usually, i require my non-contracted clients to pay 50% up front as a kick-off, which they are usually fine with paying. then, when it comes to the project's completion, i send them very low-res images of the work done, to show them that i am moving forward in good faith. and the images are low-res, so as to prevent them being used for any other reason than their viewing on their monitor.

but you must always always protect yourself first, then do the work. and there are ways to do this carefully and professionally, so as to not come off as a difficult person to work with. if the client does not want to enter into a contract, then you must work out a situation where you feel protected, or you must let them go, as they are not worth jeopardizing your work. and often, when you play that card, they shape up, because you come off as someone who doesn't need them, and is therefore quite established. it's a bluff to play, but it's the b.s. one has to deal with when contracts aren't there.

in the end, sometimes you just have to be a pain to get your money. and more often than not, the bigger companies delay the longest, as they know that they are the big fish, and they can play around with you.

best of luck.