Client won’t pay me - what would you do?

[alittlebitembarassing]

I’ve been working with a client for the last three months and they’ve informed me they will no longer be working with me but that they had been very happy with the service and had seen fantastic results working with me. They said it was due to it being a new financial year and that they were looking at their various streams of revenue and needed to save in some areas. I understood and invoiced for the previous month’s work that I had undertaken. The client in question is quite a big Instagram personality who talks a lot about how she’s helping others... but she has completely ghosted me and my invoice since.

It has been two weeks and my emails have been ignored, my business has been unfollowed on Instagram (sounds childish but a lot of our clients come from seeing our work on Instagram as we use it as an extra portfolio), and the invoice has not been paid.

They are still going about their days being very active online but no matter who I email the final invoice just gets ignored.

It is a fair bit of money and the work was undertaken before they terminated our services.

How do I go about this? How can I be more firm about payment because I can’t afford for this not to be paid?

Serve a statutory demand. If she fails to pay you can apply to make her bankrupt.

Having been paid with a cheque that bounced, I phoned the very famous persons PR manager and said I hoped to be paid immediately without any fuss. .... and I was.

@alittlebitembarassing

Payment terms are within seven days. I had trouble before with 30 days (previous clients) so changed it to seven days and it is clearly stated both in T&Cs and on invoices.

They’ve always paid before so that’s why I’m concerned that they’re not going to pay it, especially as they have ignored my follow ups (which I’ve been really nice in).

I wouldn’t expose on Instagram because I know that would backfire, and she hasn’t the best reputation of keeping things professional (so I’ve learned along the way with a recent fallout she has had).

I think I’ll wait the 30 days and then follow up with a letter of action. So frustrating!

Don’t wait til 30 days that’s daft. It says 7 days on the invoice. Send a form letter before action.

Don’t wait.

Send one more email. Give them this final warning. Tell them that if full payment is not received by xx date, you will be forced to start small claims proceedings.

OP, if it's the person I think it is, she is vile and I would definitely take her to the small claims court. She needs to learn that however rich she is, she can't just treat people like shit

My terms are 14 days. I chase at 14 days and again at 28. I then send a letter stating that no further work will be done without payment being made up to date, and also paid up front for any further work.

I have never taken anyone to court, but I would for a large sum.

If they have exceeded the 7 days, then send a copy with a letter before action, by recorded delivery so you have proof it was delivered, and then if payment is not received by the day that you state, then take it to court.

If you terms are 7 days a LBA at 14 days is not unreasonable.

Because if it comes to a small claims court case claimants have to be seen to be reasonable, and someone's bound to say "Well, most companies take 30 days ..."

@Puzzledandpissedoff fortunately this is not how the law works

I didn’t quite that last post properly:

If you terms are 7 days a LBA at 14 days is not unreasonable.

Because if it comes to a small claims court case claimants have to be seen to be reasonable, and someone's bound to say "Well, most companies take 30 days ..."

@Puzzledandpissedoff fortunately this is not how the law works

This is a small claims court claim. Letter to say you will be taking this step in 14 days if invoice remains unpaid.

You'll pay a small fee, maybe £50? Depending in the amount you are owed, and claim the money.

The court will contact them and impose a CCJ if they do not pay, which will have a significant impact on their business and financial status. They won't want that and will very likely pay. What they pay includes your original charge.

Unless you have clear payment terms, allow a reasonable period for payment failing which a 7 day demand letter and then court proceedings. You can usually charge interest after 30 days too

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/20/contents

Just do the letter and give an date for it to be paid by. If not paid by the day after that date then start the claim. The thing is it will take ages to sort via small claims. I have claimed before, but against a big company and won. You will need to be claiming under the £5000 with an interest you are adding / late payment fee.

If over £5000 but under £10,000 it's different and I haven't done that.

Act sooner rather than later, OP.

Any luck OP?

I do a small amount of freelance work and my terms are 14 days generally and people generally respect that. I have one other client whose terms are 45 days (!) but they usually pay more quickly than that (about two weeks this time).

I have never had to get really shirty with a non-paying client, but I have had people ask me to do more work, at which point I've said "only once you've paid my last invoice" which seems to have the desired effect.

If your terms of payment are 7 days that is perfectly acceptable - I get tradesmen wanting to be paid immediately after a job, so why is knowledge work any different?

As others have said, once payment terms have passed, send a reminder, if still not paid, slightly shirtier reminder with threat to add interest, and then invoice with interest. Failing that, small claims court. I know someone who can get invoices paid for you if you need it, she is a lawyer with debt recovery experience. She doesn't charge much but it is probably easier to do yourself when it's only one client/invoice.

Hope you managed to receive payment after?