Client refusing to pay citing ‘substandard work’ - WWYD?

[KookyNotOoky]

So I’ve been doing freelance graphic design for a while now. I picked up a new client earlier this year and have done about 8 jobs for him so far. To be frank, he’s been a massive PITA since day 1 (constantly phoning at random times, asking for free updates, pushy disrespectful tone etc etc.) – however after telling him that all contact should be via email I was willing to put up him as he does pay well and on time, and he’s well-connected in this industry.

However the last two contracts I completed for him he says aren’t good enough and he’s now refusing to pay (£600 in total), even though on one of them his colleague initially responded to me and said its fine. He basically called me and starts ranting about how I’m trying to 'shaft' him, do I know who he is blah blah blah. When he eventually calmed down I offered to take a second look within a week (owing to other commitments) however he demanded that the (unspecified) ‘problem’ be ‘corrected’ within 24 hours, which I said was not possible - I then reiterated that I expect to be paid for the work.

Since then, crickets (this was two weeks ago now).

Not sure whether it’s worth pursuing?

Tbh I've been on the fence about continuing with him for a while now, and part of me will be glad to get shot of him, and so I’m tempted just to write it off so that I don’t have to deal with him anymore. That said, I did do the work, and £600 is not nothing. However almost certainly he will refuse to cough up, so I’ll have to take him to Small Claims Court, which means months of extra admin/fees and I imagine he will still refuse to pay even if the court finds in my favour. Could he claim that I’ve broken the contract by delivering ‘shoddy goods’ (or whatever the legal term is), and that therefore he is justified in not paying?

Not sure whether it’s worth fighting this one, or just chalk it up to experience and walk on…??

ok so he’s paid 6x before

i think you email him and say - could we perhaps have a chat over the phone. as you know, i’m self employed and £600 is very significant to me. I don’t want you to walk away dissatisfied with the job. So let’s see if we can come to an agreement

a colleague responding saying it’s “fine” is not really evidence that it delivered what was agreed OP

Just say, I really don't want this to end up in the small claims court.

I would want him to be very specific about the issues before deciding either way. If that can't be produced - he needs to pay. If it is produced, you need to look at the list and determine if it is fair or not. If fair, then lessons do need to be learned anyway. If not fair then perhaps the specs / work agreements need tightening up?

I'd be concerned about my reputation so wouldn't just forget about it.

This may be outdated since they have gotten easier to remove, but it used to be standard practice to watermark your drafts until the client gave final approval and payment. That way they can’t just take the file and run without paying.

i would call the client and work this out. It’s a lot of money, but more importantly, you mention his connections and influence.

I think everybody is entitled to refuse to pay for sub standard work. Whether that was the case here, nobody on mumsnet could possibly know without examining the work and probably not without having an understanding of the area anyway.

But he has paid previously, so I do wonder why he would decide not to pay this time. I would write this off and terminate the business relationship.

Contact him to give him the opportunity to pay, then send a letter before action, which h you can download for a couple of quid off the internet. This may jolt him into action.
Then I would sever ties with him.

I would eat humble pie and play nice to get to the bottom of the issue. Try and resolve it amicably, receive payment and never do work for him again.

If he refuses to pay, you'll have to take it to a small claims court.