Anyone ever stiff you?

[Matt]

So has anyone ever had a client stiff them? I personally have not. There actually wouldn't be anyway for a client to not pay me and have the product because I don't deliver the product until I am paid :). I have had some clients go through the entire process of laying out requirements and all and then I coded it and I never heard from them again. I guess that is a sorta stiffing as I wasted my time, but atleast they didn't get anything for free.

So, if you have been ripped off, how did you handle it?

[ccollins]

Matt,

I've gotten "stiffed" in a similar way. They didn't realyy have a choice, as their budget was cut, but it still sucked. The good thing was that the project was general enough that i was able to turn around and sell it to another company with only minor changes.

-c.collins

[honcho]

I did some work for the web hosting company I usually use (send quite a few clients to them too). In the end, the work had about doubled the original estimate (due to well-documented additional features), so the bill was twice as much as the quote. They only paid the original half with the excuse that they thought it was a fixed price project - I've never done a fixed-price project.

Unfortunately, they already had the code through a testing phase (and it was on their servers anyway since they were my hosting company). I told them I considered that theft, reserved my right to sue them (although it's not a big enough sum of money to go through the trouble, especially since they are out-fo-state), and took my business and all future clients elsewhere.

I figure the lost business will outweigh that 50% of my bill in about 3 months.

[MonkeyCode]

Does anybody know what to write to create a legal contract so that once signed they cannot steal your code without paying the agreed amount?

[Matt]

Well, I think that any contract that states they have to pay a certain amount for your services (the code) should do. The problem is that if someone is going to rip you off, it will happen with or without a contract. The bigger problem is that if it is a relatively small amount of money it isn't worth the hassle of suing them....

The best bet is to not let them have the code until you get payment. Once you establish a relationship, this can obviously change...

[Blue Line]

I havent because i also make the customer pay before they get the website!:dance:

[Orioli]

Originally posted by Matt
The best bet is to not let them have the code until you get payment. Once you establish a relationship, this can obviously change...

I agree and it is always a good idea to have this written somewhere in your terms.
We will release Web Site code / graphics when payment of the final invoice for the outstanding quotation value is received in full.

[EvilHaider]

Happened to me recently on a couple of projects...lost about $200 or so

Lesson learned.