TIL the hard way that chasing a $400 payment from a handyman took 6 weeks of my life I'll never get back

I did some furniture assembly for a local guy who runs a rental property near downtown. He swore he'd pay me after 'the tenant inspection' (which I later found out wasn't even scheduled). I kept texting him every few days and got nothing but excuses about his bank app being down. After six weeks of this, I drove to his office and sat in his lobby until he finally wrote me a check. Has anyone else had a client just completely ghost you over a small amount like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_riley17d ago

Had a buddy who did some painting for a dude flipping houses. Guy owed him $600 and kept saying he'd mail the check next week for like two months. My buddy finally showed up at one of his open houses and asked about his money in front of a couple looking at the kitchen. Guy wrote him a check right there on the spot.

bell.jessica17d ago

Small claims court is the only thing that actually works with these types. I had a guy owe me $350 for some drywall repair and he dodged me for a month. I filed the paperwork online for $45 and had him served. He called me that same day begging to pay before the court date. The filing fee was worth every penny just to see him panic. Set a hard deadline at two or three weeks then follow through with the paperwork.

luna26117d ago

but honestly I see it a little differently. if someone is dragging their feet on a $400 payment and giving you obvious excuses, that's not a misunderstanding it's a pattern of behavior you should have caught way earlier than week six. sitting in his lobby might have worked this time, but next time I'd set a hard deadline after two weeks and let them know you'll take them to small claims if they don't pay up.