Issue with a client

[18bae501]

Hi there

I would appreciate your advice.

I completed the 4th milestone for a client and had previously requested that he fund the milestone but he simply kept avoiding the subject and asking me to do things that were not part of the contract. 

I had done some work free of charge but then he kept asking me to make various changes to this and expected me to do that totally free ... while continuing to avoid the milestone that needed funding. 

He never had a problem with my completed work, by the way, he just had a tendency to ask for more than what was agreed. 

I contacted him again to remind him that milestone 4 had been done and it needed funding, and he replied with one word "Sunday" ... meaning, he did not want to deal with me because it was a Sunday.

The last time I tried to communicate with him, he complained that I was sending a lot of messages.

I ended the contract because I refuse to be treated this way when I went above and beyond for this client, ended up agreeing to do some extra work for no extra cost and still did not get paid for work that I was supposed to be paid for.

But now it seems I can't dispute it because he never funded the milestone.

Please, can you advise?

Is there anything I can do or should I just walk away and put it down to experience?

[hardorff]

Never ever start working on a milestone before it's funded (if it's a fixed-price contract). Never!

The only thing you can do, if the client won't fund the milestone, is to end the contract (or let him do it) and keep the work for your portfolio. It won't make you money here and now, but indirectly it may in the future by convincing upcoming clients on how great you are at what you do.

Learn from it and... never work on a milestone before it's funded!

[tlbp]

Milestone not funded = no way for you to get paid unless the client wants to pay you

Ending the contract before a milestone is released = no way for you to get paid unless the client wants to pay you

Read the getting paid help article and make sure you understand the rules so that you can get paid for your work. 

[Anonymous-User]

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Kirsty H wrote:

I contacted him again to remind him that milestone 4 had been done and it needed funding, and he replied with one word "Sunday" ... meaning, he did not want to deal with me because it was a Sunday.

Wow. Incredibly rude. And I might add:  there is no "Sunday" in freelancing.

You should have stopped working, never worked for free no matter how nice he seemed to be. If he never funded the milestone, then he never intended to pay you. Don't play the milestone game. Fully funded or no start.

[prestonhunter]

I'll just state the obvious... "Sunday" is not the issue.

It is fine for a client to NOT reply on Sunday. Or Monday or any day of the week.

When we work for fixed-price clients, then they NEVER NEED TO REPLY to us, in any way.

The client funds a milestone, and we do the work and submit it. And we get paid automatically. It's simple.

[kat303]

If you weren't paid for the job in it's entirity, then you still own the copyrights to that work. If you find your work used or published anywhere on the internet, you can contract the site's host provider with a DMCA notice and have the content taken down.

Hi XXX, Since you have not fully paid the agreed price of this job, the copyright belongs to me. If you pay me the remaining amount as a bonus, then you will own the copyright. If I do not receive payment I will use this work with other clients, post it in my profolio and/or have it taken down if you publish or use it anywhere on the internet. How do you want to proceed with this?