I always ask what invoice preferences they have. Some want .pdfs, others have special formats, one major client generates invoices that we have to approve or correct, and we’re paid within 45 days. (Of course their invoices are issued the first week of the month and cover all work published the prior month, so there’s about a 3 month gap between doing the work and being paid for it. But like Jake said above, it’s a rock solid company that always pays, so as long as I know the terms, I can plan around it.)

The only thing I can think is she confused me with another writer or thought I accepted the second assignment and thinks I flaked on her. I clarified our initial communication in subsequent messages, but since she didn’t reply I’m guessing she didn’t read them or was too embarrassed to respond.

It is galling, I agree. The laws here in the states aren’t set up to allow for such losses, sadly. Even in the case where a company went bankrupt, I wasn’t able to claim it. Had the legal papers showing what I was owed on the list of creditors the lawyers had drawn up.

This is why I love the UK. None of the BS runaround.

Not yet, *touch wood*! That would be immensely frustrating though.

She was in England and it was hard to chase her from here – in the end I had to write it off, but it still galls me. 🙁

Oh Sharon, that’s a lousy move on her part! I’m sorry to hear it.

I agree with you on all points. Chase the money. It’s owed you, and I don’t know about in Barbados, but here in the states, you can’t claim unpaid invoices as a business loss. You’re completely out of the money with no recompense.

I’m still owed GBP900 by one client who had been a perfect payer right up until the recession hit her ad income. She offered a payment arrangement, then didn’t stick to it. When I started upping the ante on chasing her, she unfriended me on Skype, stopped answering emails and had the nerve to threaten to sue me. Then she folded and reopened her business to get out of debt. Grr!

Emily, have you ever had a case where you do everything right and, a month or so later, they come back with “We require all invoices to be submitted using our form.” I’ve had it often enough that I’ve started asking at the outset if there’s a particular invoice they’d like me to use.

You were smart to work out a payment plan for that client. I bet he appreciated the leeway, too.

Eileen, that was an excellent business decision. You were faced with either an argument that might have led to a court battle or getting as much payment as you could. Had I been in your shoes, I’d have opted for that, as well.

I had to do that once. Naturally, it was the end of the project and his complaints came in after his “editors in the office” as he called them looked it over and tore apart the work. Of course they did — A) he’d deleted most of my edits, either on purpose or by some fluke, and B) he didn’t want to pay.

My question would have been if they were such great “editors” in his office, why didn’t he just hire them? Answer: because they don’t exist.