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A client's joke about 'creative accounting' made me check their old invoices
I was on a call with a new client yesterday finalizing a project scope. He laughed and said his last designer was 'great at creative accounting' when I brought up my payment terms. I went quiet and later looked up the designer's socials. Found a vague post from them about a client who ghosted on a $2,500 final payment. The timeline matched. Has anyone else had a client slip up and basically warn you about themselves?
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max7163mo ago
My friend's client in Austin joked about being a "serial project starter." She checked his LinkedIn and found three past collaborators listed as "references" who all gave her the side eye.
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andrew_shah3mo ago
That "creative accounting" line is a huge red flag. Good on you for checking their history before getting stuck in the same mess.
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wells.evan13d ago
Wait, did the client laugh when he said it? That's the part that gets me. Some people think they're being charming when they drop hints like that, like we're all in on the joke together. I once had a potential client tell me during a coffee meeting that he "sometimes forgets to pay contractors until they send a second invoice." I almost choked on my drink. He said it with a smile too, like it was a funny quirk. I stopped taking meetings at coffee shops after that, too easy for people to brush off a red flag as just small talk. Did you end up confronting the guy or just let him hang himself with his own words?
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tessap973mo ago
That "serial project starter" line is a CLASSIC self-report. I read a whole thread about people who brag about unfinished basements or kitchen remodels, and it's always a sign they'll leave you hanging too. Always trust those little jokes.
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I mean, is it really that deep though? People make jokes about themselves all the time and it doesn't always mean they're going to screw you over. My uncle has been saying he's going to finish his basement for like fifteen years but he's a solid dude with a steady job and pays his bills on time. Sometimes a joke is just a joke and not some secret confession. Maybe we're all getting a little too good at reading into stuff that's not there.
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