I'm a freelance translator and I blog about client education. In July and August I wrote two posts about what I call "client etiquette," divided in DOS and DON'TS:
http://www.translationclientzone.com/etiquette/dos
and
http://www.translationclientzone.com/etiquette/donts

Perfectly in line with what you say here, right? I actually started reading your text thinking you were a translator, since I got the link though a colleague's tweet. 🙂

Paula, this is so true. The minute you turn it around instantly, they come back with those 24-hour projects because hey, you've done it once for them. If I finish something early, they get it with a caveat –"I was able to give it additional time because my current project has stalled…." Whatever the situation is. That may help block the notion that it's going to happen every time.

Anne, just once or twice have I had a client refuse to pay or just simply say "We're not going to use it after all, so we'll just forget this invoice." (Actually said it just like that.) I just chase it anyway — I did the work, and if you don't like it, you have to allow me the chance to fix it.

Jake, I think he's in business because he acts like an expert and passes along bad information. I'd never tell someone not to chase an invoice — that's just career suicide for them (and for me).

Gabriella, exactly. How can you survive if you allow everyone around you to just forget to pay?

Anyway, what I said was:

Not chasing invoices? It's professional TO chase invoices. It shows you value your work and time and refuse to work for free.

As for working weekends, when I've asked if a deadline had any wiggle room, a few editors have given me a weekend. I'm pretty direct: "Thanks for the additional days. However, I'm not available that weekend, so is the following Wednesday OK?"

Goofs.

If I remember correctly, somewhere it noted he had a background in publishing. Think maybe he was on the wrong end of payment chasing at one time or another? He tried arguing that spending time chasing payments made you look desperate for money and you should instead focus on the next (non-paying?) assignments. Hogwash.

Making me feel guilty for wanting to earn a fair wage.

Constantly screwing me around with respect to payment. Once or twice, maybe, but to have to chase down every invoice gets old pretty quick.

And LW, how in heaven is it smart to never chase an invoice? I mean, you don't have to go all Captain Ahab or anything, but honestly, I wonder how some people manage to stay in business operating like that…

My dad, who was a freelance graphic artist, always said if you turn something in ahead of deadline, the client will come to expect that and try to rush projects through.