Warning: A client in Denver refused to pay after I sent the final files

I was finishing a logo job for a small brewery there, and the owner ghosted me after I emailed the vector files. I had to send a formal demand letter through a service like Docusign, which cost me $50, and it took three weeks of back and forth before I got the $1200. Has anyone else had to go this route, or is there a better first step you'd take?

3 comments

3 Comments

derekjenkins1mo ago

I had a client pull that once. A firm email with a payment deadline worked before I had to escalate.

quinnc981mo ago

My cousin runs a small landscaping business and had a client who just stopped paying after the third service. He sent one polite invoice, then a second one with a clear 72 hour notice before he'd file a lien. The check showed up the next morning. Sometimes you just have to show you're serious, but it's crazy it has to get to that point.

carter.terry28d ago

Read an article that said most late payers just bank on you not pushing back. Setting a clear deadline cuts through the bluff, so they either pay up or you know to take real action fast. It's a shame that's the game but it works.

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