client who stiffed me wants another order

1604 Views 10 Replies 11 Participants Last post by mmoguls, Mar 30, 2018

terzdesign

Discussion Starter · Mar 2, 2018 (Edited)

Hi all

I have a client who stiffed me on the remainder of an order a year ago. I was not happy and he was not in the right; he simply decided not to pay me beyond the deposit. it was a couple of hundred dollars.

Skip to now and he wants to do another order. I don't think he remembers what happened, or my company. Or maybe he thinks I forgot?

Normally, if a client is a **** I tell them go somewhere else or quote them something ridiculous. In this case I was thinking of charging him a normal rate with 100% up front with a credit card, and when he gives me the CC number I add what he owes me from the last order he screwed me on. Of course I would give him a separate invoice for the new order as well as the old one that I've sent him ten times before. Bad idea? I'm sure it would piss him off (rubs hands together!)

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MuddyWater

· #2 · Mar 2, 2018

Bad idea.

I don't know your local laws, but that can be treated as theft if you quote/bill one number and charge another. If you're really willing to work with him again, charge him 100% upfront, or refuse to release the finished product until you have payment in full. If you want to be nasty, then you remind him he still owes money after he's already paid for this order.

Long story short though, is it really worth the hassle over a couple hundred bucks? Clients like that tend to have big mouths and can cause a lot of damage in the form of bad PR.

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tcrowder

· #3 · Mar 2, 2018

Tell them you would be happy to help them out as soon as they pay the monies already owed on the last order. Then tell them all future orders are Cash up front.

On the other hand, you need to take some responsibility for the last order since you released product without getting paid. I NEVER turn over ANYTHING without getting paid up front.

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Jester1023

· #4 · Mar 2, 2018

You most likely will have a problem with Johnny Law, should you do as stated. Check local laws, but you should have taken him to small claims court on the previous matter. You can charge him with the 100% deposit, then after it is cleared, ask if he would like to settle up on the amount he owes you from the last time.

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NoXid

· #5 · Mar 2, 2018

He could always contest the charge with the CC company, so probably no point in taking that path.

As others said, ask for cash upfront to cover the past job and the new job. If he walks, you saved yourself dealing with one a$$hole, so no (further) loss.

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seacookie

· #6 · Mar 3, 2018

Tell him he owes you. When he pays that, you can do business if he pay upfront. I don't make any deals with people which tried to screw me. My energy flow is not worth few bucks from a scumbag. I rather earn that somewhere else.

And you can be sure he remembers he stiffed you

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l AliAs l

· #7 · Mar 3, 2018

He must like your quality of work! I would probably charge 100% of the order upfront then as stated above, bring up the previous balance to settle.

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splathead

· #8 · Mar 5, 2018

Quote the new order including the balance from the previous order.

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KevinD

· #9 · Mar 5, 2018

You can't charge his card on another invoice. But you can upcharge your current prices to get back some of your loses. Make him pay upfront. If he asks why tell him that he lost his credit on his last purchase but you would be glad to work with him again but these are the new terms. If he walks he walks.

Another thing you can do is freeze the money on his card then charge it after the work is done. But I would go the first route.

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Ripcord

· #10 · Mar 6, 2018

This happened to me. I got paid for a job ($500 or so) and then she wanted a few more shirts afterwards. I dropped them off without collecting because she wasn't home when I delivered. Ignored my emails for a month and I gave up. Next year she wants to place another order and acted surprised when I told her she owed me $65.

My plan was to tell her to first pay the $65 and then we'd talk about the next printing...And then after she paid I was going to tell her to shove it, just for the principle. ...But she didn't pay the $65 and I never had the fun of doing that....

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mmoguls

· #11 · Mar 30, 2018

So send them an invoice including the past due on it. Terms = Due Immediately.

Paid in full before services are performed.

See, prostitutes aren't that dumb after all...

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