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[nycphp-talk] OT: Freelance PHP gig Not Paying up!

Rahmin Pavlovic rahmin at insite-out.com
Thu Dec 22 10:36:59 EST 2005


On 12/22/05 9:52 AM, "George Schlossnagle" <george at omniti.com> wrote:

> Sue him.  Depending on the amount, you may be able to do it in small
> claims court, where the process is extremely cheap, easy and does not
> require retaining professional counsel.
> 

Last I checked, the amount was $4k and under -- otherwise, you have to take
full legal action.

This isn't legal advice, but I would say some options would be to:

a)  send a legal letter stating something to the effect that you own your
work until it has been fully purchased (giving you rights to take it down),

b)  remit them to a collection agency -- no one wants bad credit or
harassment,

c)  take them to court.

The truth is, a client can still refuse to pay after a court has ordered the
client to do so -- there's little recourse if they continue to flat-out
refuse to pay, just more bureaucracy -- so the most you can do is apply as
much legal, financial and professional pressure within the law until they
break and pay you.

(Even if they don't, it's better that you pursue them as much as you can;
it sets a precedent in a karmic sort of way -- the next client will be less
likely to stiff you, and you'll have better experience setting up rules in
advance, which also make you more valuable.)





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