Six months of chasing a deadbeat for $400, finally snapped
Back in March I finished a logo for a local restaurant in Tulsa, guy paid half up front and then vanished. I sent invoices, texts, even a polite email chain that went nowhere for like 12 weeks. Last month I tried the whole DMCA route on the reel they posted using my design, but they just ignored it since it's a tiny account. What actually worked was showing up at the place during lunch rush with a printed contract, not aggressive, just holding it up and asking the host if the owner was in. He came out, looked pale, and Venmo'd the rest right there after I mentioned my lawyer friend does free consultations for copyright cases. Took me six months to learn that face to face beats every digital trick in the book. Has anyone else had to go physical to collect, or is that just me being too stubborn to quit?
Ha! The lunch rush move is bold and I kind of love it. People hide behind screens until you show up in person and suddenly the money appears. Six months is a long time to wait for four hundred bucks though, that part would've worn me down. You got paid and that's what counts, but dang, the whole thing should've taken one awkward conversation and about five minutes.