Had a client ghost me after I finished a full website redesign

I spent 40 hours building a whole new site for a local bakery in Denver. Got the deposit, did the work, sent them the preview link, and poof. Nothing. No replies to emails, calls, or texts for three weeks now. Anyone else just eat the loss or do you send a final invoice for the remaining balance?

4 comments

4 Comments

flores.mark14d ago

Ngl did your friend ever get paid for that website work?

abbyf7913d ago

I was just thinking about this actually @flores.mark. One angle I don't see people talk about is how these clients usually have a pattern of doing this to multiple people, not just one. So if your friend sent a formal invoice and a firm but polite reminder, chances are they'll pay just to avoid getting a reputation for being flaky.

oliviabutler14d ago

And it's not just web design, people have been doing this for ages with all kinds of services. I've had clients treat my work like it's optional to pay for if they change their mind after the job is done. At some point you just have to send that final invoice and let the small claims court figure out the rest, because letting it slide only encourages them to do it to the next person.

charlie1986d ago

You're telling me people actually pull that? I mean I've heard horror stories from freelancers but I thought that was more like a once in a blue moon thing. It's hard for me to wrap my head around someone ordering a service, getting the work done, and then just deciding they don't feel like paying for it. That's like going to a restaurant, eating the whole meal, and telling the waiter "actually I changed my mind about wanting dinner so I'm not paying." I've done some odd jobs on the side over the years and I always got paid, but I guess I was lucky. Small claims court seems like a real hassle but you're right, some people just need to learn there are consequences for wasting people's time like that.