A web developer posted a payment shaming message on their client's site • Hacker News Board

Re: A web developer posted a payment shaming message on their client's site

#51

Post by SoftTalker » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:23 PM UTC

hinkley wrote: post #42

KomoD wrote: post #17

This probably explains why they're not paying: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/c... > Company status: Dissolved > Dissolved on 16 December 2025 His other company: > Company status: Liquidation People are now attacking the guy on Instagram because I guess the developer or someone, made a Tiktok video about it.

The thing about dissolving a company is that they generally should have done it before getting a bunch of services without paying for them. Like a gambler they think the big win is coming any second and they drag it out too long, leaving a bunch of unpaid bills behind then.

As a contractor some of this is on you also. Before extending credit to a client you should do some due diligence on their ability to pay.

Re: A web developer posted a payment shaming message on their client's site

#52

Post by lsaferite » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:24 PM UTC

josefresco wrote: post #5

I build websites for a living and sometimes people don't pay their bills. Their website going down is usually not a big deal (sometimes they don't notice for months!). But their email, now THAT is a show stopper every time (instant payment).

Back when I used to work freelance, I learned that all my contracts needed to have a provision not releasing IP rights until final payment was made. This provides the legal stick to side-step going through a commercial contract dispute. You frequently run into companies wanting to pay fractions of amounts due and not having a strong incentive to hurry along a resolution. Instead, without IP assignment it becomes a copyright enforcement action instead and that can get attention and resolution much faster. I never ended up needing to use it, but I did have to remind a few customers that the provision existed. This all came out of a client stiffing me on a large bill that was, at the time, extremely damaging to my cash flow.

With the above in mind, publicly changing a customer's website to something like this is *highly* unprofessional. Better to simply force the site down in a legal manner that conforms to a signed contract.

Re: A web developer posted a payment shaming message on their client's site

#53

Post by Forgeties79 » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:24 PM UTC

SoftTalker wrote: post #51

hinkley wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing about dissolving a company is that they generally should have done it before getting a bunch of services without paying for them. Like a gambler they think the big win is coming any second and they drag it out too long, leaving a bunch of unpaid bills behind then.

As a contractor some of this is on you also. Before extending credit to a client you should do some due diligence on their ability to pay.

But how? Make them show me their books? Aside from a downpayment idk what else there is

Re: A web developer posted a payment shaming message on their client's site

#54

Post by KomoD » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:25 PM UTC

hinkley wrote: post #42

KomoD wrote: post #17

This probably explains why they're not paying: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/c... > Company status: Dissolved > Dissolved on 16 December 2025 His other company: > Company status: Liquidation People are now attacking the guy on Instagram because I guess the developer or someone, made a Tiktok video about it.

The thing about dissolving a company is that they generally should have done it before getting a bunch of services without paying for them. Like a gambler they think the big win is coming any second and they drag it out too long, leaving a bunch of unpaid bills behind then.

Well isn't it possible that this is a recurring service? Like that he's also buying web hosting from the web dev

Re: A web developer posted a payment shaming message on their client's site

#55

Post by petit_robert » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:25 PM UTC

mrtksn wrote: post #12

I see such behavior from time to time but feels off-taste IMHO. It's almost as if would be more professional if they worked with the Italian mafia to coerce for payment(not that I approve such thing). If contract broken, sue them. Why throwing a scene?

>If contract broken, sue them. Why throwing a scene?

Haha! tell me about it.

A client of mine ended his contract in 2010, pretending he did not use my software anymore. He had the source because I had to compile on site for technical reasons.

A disgruntled employed called to tell me and my associate he was still using it. It took me 3 years to find a proof, lawsuit started in 2014, the expertise began in 2016 and ended in 2021. I have a first trial hearing scheduled Feb, 12 2026. Expect 6 to 12 months before a decision, and of course, an appeal after that.

The guy had stocked up 5 million dollars net when I stopped him with the lawsuit [0], he is using the money to pay well known lawyers to delay the procedure every which way.

I'm out largely over 100 000 euros in court, expertise and lawyer fees, plus the countless hours spent responding to the endless, senseless dribble their lawyers produce.

As far as I'm concerned, my services are now hosted by me, and failure to pay shuts down the service, it's in the TOS.

[0 : he subcontracted for a big entity. I would never had gotten that contract myself, lacking the thief's network; said big entity never replied to our mails about our software]

Re: A web developer posted a payment shaming message on their client's site

#56

Post by ecb_penguin » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:26 PM UTC

JohnGB wrote: post #41

ecb_penguin wrote: post #29

I have no idea what the contract says, what was paid, or any of the other conversations they've had. All I see is someone complaining publicly about a private matter. When that happens, I assume they're wrong. Normal people don't air petty grievances on the internet. They use the courts and other mechanisms. According to another comment, the business is dissolved. They don't care if their site goes down. So this guy…

You say that as if the courts are a reasonable solution for most people. In many cases the cost and time render them useless and often cost more than the invoice that is due. In some jurisdictions you may recover this, but in many you can't.

You say that as if airing your problems on the internet is a reasonable solution for most people.

We have small claims courts in every jurisdiction in the US. It costs $50 to file, and you do not need an attorney. The courts will review the contract and generally reach a reasonable decision.

There's always a cost/benefit to things. I bet the courts have returned more money than Facebook posts have...

Re: A web developer posted a payment shaming message on their client's site

#57

Post by ecb_penguin » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:26 PM UTC

smt88 wrote: post #34

ecb_penguin wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disable the account or change DNS records are the easiest.

This is illegal in most places unless the contract says otherwise. You don't have a lien on a website or domain the way you do for a car.

I didn't say anything about the legality... They asked how to block email. Both of these would work.

There's no reason to respond to questions or points nobody is making.

Re: A web developer posted a payment shaming message on their client's site

#58

Post by ecb_penguin » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:29 PM UTC

EGreg wrote: post #46

ecb_penguin wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 4 seconds after I posted it, it got downvoted. Then 10 seconds later, -2. Because it has the word cryptocurrency. No one can load, read and react that fast. This is getting ridiculous. Turn off the bots based on a word, and engage with the substance. Because as soon as you said Cryptocurrency, you lost the plot. Everything you said is literally how freelancing already works. You pay a certain amount upfront, and th…

I normally think pg has been very reasonable in his views, but his historic approval of downvoting things merely to signal disagreement , or worse, being triggered by a word , is a mistake, this norm makes HN much less useful. It chills speech to the point of not being able to suggest correct solutions to things, or correctly diagnose problems. Well, I refuse to participate in that. I only downvote if I think the qua…

> Not if I disagree with it and certainly not because it contains — gasp - a word for a technology I would prefer not to see discussed!

I'll stop you right there. You were downvoted because you were wrong, not because, - gasp - you used a certain word.

I'm a cryptographer. I'm not afraid of cryptocurrencies. I'm afraid of snake oil salesmen that sell things they don't understand.

> And I also refuse to be bullied into silence by some downvotes

K, well, I have no idea what this means. It's not bullying to downvote a wrong opinion.

I've been wrong lots of times. It's not a big deal...

Re: A web developer posted a payment shaming message on their client's site

#59

Post by exe34 » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:29 PM UTC

drysart wrote: post #22

exe34 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> legal repercussions like what? contract says "money for stuff". no money, no stuff.

But this is very obviously not "no stuff". This is " different stuff". Taking the website down entirely or just blanking it out is a very, very different matter than replacing it with a different message; and doubly so when the different message is actively harmful to the customer. Unless the designer's contract with the customer explicitly allowed them to do this, this sort of thing is a slam dunk legal case of eith…

it's not the client's website yet, they haven't paid for it!

Re: A web developer posted a payment shaming message on their client's site

#60

Post by SoftTalker » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 6:29 PM UTC

ecb_penguin wrote: post #29

I have no idea what the contract says, what was paid, or any of the other conversations they've had. All I see is someone complaining publicly about a private matter. When that happens, I assume they're wrong. Normal people don't air petty grievances on the internet. They use the courts and other mechanisms. According to another comment, the business is dissolved. They don't care if their site goes down. So this guy…

This strikes me as something like a landlord changing the locks when a tenant gets behind on the rent. In many jurisdictions this is illegal, as there exists a defined process for dealing with non-payment of rent: eviction.