Hot take: contracts are worthless without a deposit upfront

Ngl I used to just send over a contract and start working right after they signed it. Then last year a client in Austin ghosted me after I finished a $2,500 website build. They owed me zero because I hadn't taken any money upfront. Now I ask for 50% before I touch anything. Has anyone else gotten burned by not taking a deposit?

3 comments

3 Comments

garcia.wren24d ago

You took zero upfront and got ghosted" that's exactly what happened to me too. I had a client in Austin who paid exactly zero after I finished a whole $2,500 website build. They just stopped answering my emails and texts. Now I won't touch anything without 50% down at least. It's not just about protecting yourself from non-payment either. That deposit shows the client is serious and actually has skin in the game. If they balk at putting something down, that's a red flag that they might waste your time later. I've had way fewer problems since I started doing it this way.

dakota_miller937d ago

That Austin client story hits hard. I think people forget that the whole deposit thing is just basic respect. Like imagine if you asked a plumber to fix your sink and they showed up, did the work, and then you just pretended they didn't exist. That's what clients do when they ghost you after a project. @garcia.wren is right, if someone won't put down 50% it tells you everything about how they value your time. I've seen the same pattern with people who flake on dinner plans or cancel last minute, it's always the same type of person who doesn't respect anyone's effort.

mason.drew23d ago

Feel like I see this a bit differently. @garcia.wren, I get where you're coming from, but a good contract and a willingness to chase what you're owed can do the same thing a deposit does. I had a client try to stiff me once, sent a polite but firm letter demanding payment and they paid up within a week. A deposit can scare off some good clients too, the ones who just prefer to pay everything at the end.