Shoutout to the client who ghosted me after a $5000 project

I was finishing a big website build for a startup in Austin, sent the final invoice, and got radio silence. After three weeks of calls and emails, I realized they just weren't going to pay. That was six months ago. Now I get 50% upfront before I even open a design file, no exceptions. How do you handle your payment terms to avoid this?

2 comments

2 Comments

mark_miller17h ago

My buddy got stiffed for almost eight grand on a branding package. The client just vanished after the final files were sent. He had to take them to small claims court, which was a huge pain. Now he uses a contract with staged payments at every single milestone.

lucas20616h ago

Ever have a client try to skip the last payment? I started holding the final high-res files and source materials until the invoice clears. Sent low-res previews for approval, but the good stuff stays locked. It filters out the bad ones real quick.