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Six months of polite reminders got me nothing, one hard deadline got me paid in 48 hours
I had this guy in Austin who owed me $3,200 for a patio pour I finished back in March. Every month I'd shoot him a nice text, like "hey just checking in on that invoice" and he'd say "next week for sure." That went on for six months until I finally sent him a message saying I'd be putting a lien on his house if I didn't see payment by Friday. He Venmo'd me the full amount the next morning. It made me realize being nice just tells people they can ignore you, and that one concrete deadline does more than a hundred friendly reminders. Has anyone else had a client suddenly pay after you threatened something legal?
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oliver_baker496d ago
And what's wild is that by being nice for so long, you actually gave him a legal defense if he wanted to claim you waived your right to enforce payment (since you waited so long without acting on it). That deadline probably saved your claim more than it saved your cash flow.
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shanes666d ago
Deadlines work because they force people to pick between paying you and dealing with a real headache. Six months is way too long to let someone walk over you like that. Next time, send a final notice after 30 days, not 180. Most contractors I know put a due date on the invoice and then a second notice at 45 days that mentions a lien or small claims court by name. You want to be firm early because the longer you wait, the more they think you'll just let it slide forever. Also, always get a signed contract that states interest on late payments. That gives you more leverage without having to threaten legal stuff right away.
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