I Wasn't Paid • Hacker News Board

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#31

Post by gavingmiller » Tue, Jan 31, 2012, 2:47 PM UTC

gpcz wrote: post #22

This fantastic speech by Mike Monteiro ( http://vimeo.com/22053820 ) explains how you can avoid ever having to use this site as a last resort to get your grievances resolved.

This is an absolutely brilliant talk. And if you do any freelance or contract work you can learn something from it.

The quote: 'when you hire a lawyer [to handle contracts] you switch from being a design amateur to a design professional' really spoke to me, and it applies equally to programmers.

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#32

Post by dangrossman » Tue, Jan 31, 2012, 2:47 PM UTC

> People who feel that they have been wrongly accused can now send in feedback that they have been wronged and we will look into it

That sounds like a bad idea. You either publish submissions through the website, or you don't publish at all. If you manually take the 'feedback' and turn it into a story, you're now the publisher and lose the legal protections of the Communications Decency Act.

Your site was a better idea, legally, before you posted that.

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#33

Post by rglover » Tue, Jan 31, 2012, 2:47 PM UTC

barefoot wrote: post #27

rglover wrote: post #6

Not the best route to handle this. Make sure you have a decent lawyer on hand (and a good contrct) when dealing with delinquent clients. Something like this will guarantee that you'll never get paid.

At what point does it make sense to involve a lawyer? $5,000? $10,000? Isn't it expensive to legally fight for your payment?

It really depends on your personal situation and how much. If you're in the U.S., you'll have to check to see the min/max for suits in small claims court (this is generally anywhere from $3,000-$15,000). One thing that works, though, is merely having your lawyer draft a letter to the offending client. Your less intelligent clients will jump when they see any threat of legal action (and for you, it's only a few hundred bucks to get a lawyer to draft a letter – maybe even free depending on your relationship). There's certainly leg work involved, but when it's your livelihood, you have to do what you can.

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#34

Post by ramy_d » Tue, Jan 31, 2012, 2:48 PM UTC

Everyone here is saying it, anonymously calling others out by name is wrong and profesionally destructive.

This is why we pay lawyers: http://www.dvafoto.com/2011/04/fuck-you-pay-me-a-discussion-...

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#35

Post by iamandrus » Tue, Jan 31, 2012, 2:50 PM UTC

gk1 wrote: post #25

ljf wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really - no adverts when I visit it? Edit: Some sort of IE7 hack/virus/attack? (sorry can't reply to your message for some reason) http://i.imgur.com/r8u2I.png - screenshot is with adblock turned on, but I also tried it with it turned off and didn't get it.

I'm on IE 7 (don't ask), so perhaps the ad is the site's way of telling me "F U"? Edit: Screenshot - http://i.imgur.com/5lnJ7.jpg

Your computer probably has malware. Run ComboFix and that should fix the issue.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/combofix/how-to-use-combofix

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#36

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jan 31, 2012, 2:52 PM UTC

scott_s wrote: post #30

unreal37 wrote: post #8

This reminds me of ol' F'd Company. Can't be sued for libel if the story is true.

Yes, you can. You can't lose a libel suit if you're able to prove what you said is true, and it goes to decision. I am not being pedantic. The difference between the two statements is huge, because the amount of time and money it may take you to prove your case could easily bankrupt a person.

[deleted]

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#37

Post by barefoot » Tue, Jan 31, 2012, 2:54 PM UTC

How about making it a paid subscription service instead? I would subscribe to that.

Developers have their identity confirmed (to avoid anonymous business-bashing) and can freely discuss bad (and possibly good) experiences with businesses.

The membership agreement could explain that no emotional or biased comments would be allowed and would encourage some level of explanation of why the client did not pay along with proof in the form of bounced checks, etc...

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#38

Post by gavingmiller » Tue, Jan 31, 2012, 2:54 PM UTC

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 professional duty to know what's in your contract (not a piece meal that you dug up on the internet.) You should be able to explain to your clients what is in your contract, why it's there, and how it benefits them and you.

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#39

Post by Alex3917 » Tue, Jan 31, 2012, 2:55 PM UTC

jeremymcanally wrote: post #3

While I sometimes wish something like this existed, it seems ripe for abuse and/or open to some sort of libel law violation should it get out of control.

Isn't it already explicitly illegal to post lists of customers who haven't paid in your store? IANAL, but I seem to remember that the case law is already pretty settled on this one.

Re: I Wasn't Paid

#40

Post by cdr » Tue, Jan 31, 2012, 2:56 PM UTC

rglover wrote: post #6

Not the best route to handle this. Make sure you have a decent lawyer on hand (and a good contrct) when dealing with delinquent clients. Something like this will guarantee that you'll never get paid.

The classic: http://vimeo.com/22053820