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I Wasn't Paid

iwasntpaid.com

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Re: I Wasn't Paid

#151

Post by tomkarlo »

One of the big problems with web consulting and clients that don't pay is that unlike other business situations, these clients often lack physical assets and storefronts that can be used to collect on a judgement from a court. Traditionally, if you had a small claims judgement and it's not paid, you could have the Sheriff or the like serve notice or even put a lien on assets.

When a client's business is entirely virtual, there's a risk they'll simply change their mailing address or otherwise dodge a judgement, and it can be very difficult to enforce the claim (or at least not economic to do so.) I've seen this happen a number of times in recent years in situations where the amount ranged from $1500 to $10,000.

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#152

Post by john_flintstone »

gee_totes wrote: post #137

I was involved in the case involving Carlos 'Storm' Martinez, who is an amazing post sound mixer and a stand-up guy. I am a little perturbed to see him mentioned on the site. The design of the site in question was good, no doubt, but it was also riddled with a stolen Neutraface2 font face and the HTML didn't validate. And there was no RoR backend; the whole site was hosted on a GoDaddy shared server. From my understa…

>and the HTML didn't validate

Stupid as it is to go down the publicly naming route, what has the HTML validation status of the code got to do with anything? This is a measurement that only means something to guys who measure things - it has nothing to do with business generated, traffic, or the user experience of a website (the true yardsticks of good work).

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#154

Post by readme »

This site strikes me as slanderous and defamatory. Anyone posting personal accounts on it of another man's integrity had better be ready to prove their statements true in a court of law. At least in the US, most states have slander and libel laws to protect us from this kind of nonsense. There is already a system of public record and courts to deal with this kind of stuff.

If you get ripped off, and you can't sue, you are doing it wrong. TBH, you should be holding back your deliverables until you receive some payment, getting money up front, and so forth.

A better name for this site would be "HowIGotRippedOffBecauseImASucker.com"

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#155

Post by tomkarlo »

marcomonteiro wrote: post #142
edw519 wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I have an idea for a website. If you build v1.0 I'll pay you a whole thousand dollars and you might get equity if it works very well." If only all the assholes were so easily self-identifying. The real problems are the charming, smooth talking, dream clients offering cool projects, top dollar, and paying on time...until they don't and decide to start making your life hell because you're in so deep already. They're n…

"The real problems are the charming, smooth talking, dream clients offering cool projects, top dollar, and paying on time...until they don't and decide to start making your life hell because you're in so deep already. They're no dummies." I can completely relate. If only there were a place to keep track of clients and their payment history. Glassdoor meets credit reporting. Clients with no history get charged more an…

Agree 100%. The follow-on problem is that once you are owed a not-insignificant amount of money by one of these clowns, the temptation is to keep them happy and avoid conflict in the hopes you'll get paid out without having to resort to litigation.

I once worked for a few months with someone before I watched him not pay one of our contractors for no reason. When I raised the issue, he asked me if I'd be willing to take a 50% pay cut - on the work I'd already done for him.

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#156

Post by gee_totes »

john_flintstone wrote: post #152
gee_totes wrote: post #137

I was involved in the case involving Carlos 'Storm' Martinez, who is an amazing post sound mixer and a stand-up guy. I am a little perturbed to see him mentioned on the site. The design of the site in question was good, no doubt, but it was also riddled with a stolen Neutraface2 font face and the HTML didn't validate. And there was no RoR backend; the whole site was hosted on a GoDaddy shared server. From my understa…

>and the HTML didn't validate Stupid as it is to go down the publicly naming route, what has the HTML validation status of the code got to do with anything? This is a measurement that only means something to guys who measure things - it has nothing to do with business generated, traffic, or the user experience of a website (the true yardsticks of good work).

True, it doesn't have anything to do with anything. It was just a pet peeve of mine.

We need to adhere to standards, dammit!

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#157

Post by tomkarlo »

Kesty wrote: post #80
gavingmiller wrote: post #38

Ultimately it's your fault as a contractor if you don't get paid. And a site like this does nothing to teach developers, freelances, designers, and the like how to avoid these pitfalls which is why I'll never use it. Why is it your fault? Because as a professional you've not taken the time/money to have a contract created to cover your ass. Contracts exist to protect both parties from each other. And it is your profe…

Contract are only really usefull for big company and with big accounts. For private freelancers and small/medium jobs suing someone for breach of contract will probably not be a viable option. The amount of time, effort and money that you need to sue someone and win sometimes is seample not feasible. Yes, having a contract written by a laywer may work as a deterrent for some clients. But if they don't accept you stil…

"Contracts are only really useful for big company and with big accounts."

This is totally untrue, and incorrect. Not only because you can take even a tiny client to small claims court (but without a written contract, forget it) but because contracts are also there to protect YOU from claims by a client against you and your business. If you believe that your business is valuable, or you have any personal assets you'd hate to lose to a lawsuit, you should be using a written contract any time you're doing work for hire as a contractor.

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#158

Post by [deleted] »

gee_totes wrote: post #156
john_flintstone wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>and the HTML didn't validate Stupid as it is to go down the publicly naming route, what has the HTML validation status of the code got to do with anything? This is a measurement that only means something to guys who measure things - it has nothing to do with business generated, traffic, or the user experience of a website (the true yardsticks of good work).

True, it doesn't have anything to do with anything. It was just a pet peeve of mine. We need to adhere to standards, dammit!

[deleted]

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#159

Post by samlev »

gee_totes wrote: post #137

I was involved in the case involving Carlos 'Storm' Martinez, who is an amazing post sound mixer and a stand-up guy. I am a little perturbed to see him mentioned on the site. The design of the site in question was good, no doubt, but it was also riddled with a stolen Neutraface2 font face and the HTML didn't validate. And there was no RoR backend; the whole site was hosted on a GoDaddy shared server. From my understa…

Every time I hear the term "kill-switch", it instantly lowers my opinion of the developer. Something about it just irks me.

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#160

Post by sounds »

ilaksh wrote: post #141
minus1 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's my mitzvah: Don't do work for individuals or very small companies. People are much more reasonable when your fee isn't coming out of their pocket.

I would love to stop doing work for small companies or individuals. But how do I get bigger clients? I really don't know how.

Advice sometimes isn't worth the (web) paper it's printed on.

But take a long, hard look at the clients you are most successful with. Identify the larger market that fits that criteria. Then, how are you going to compete with the people already in that space?

I think of it the same whether doing a startup, consulting, or pivoting a business.

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