Navigating Client Dispute on Hourly Project After Sudden CRM Platform Change

[dyerrington]

My project with a client was initially focused on integrating research I had conducted earlier in the year, leveraging AI and machine learning to target highly specific customers for the client's business. This required detailed integration with a CRM system, aligning closely with the client's data and strategic goals.  The orignal research I conducted for them proved to be highly proffitable for their business so they continued working with me to refine it and eventually build automation processing based on the research I performed during the initial phase of the contract.

However, the client's decision to switch CRM platforms late in the project significantly impacted the relevance of my work. The integration I had painstakingly implemented was for the new CRM the client chose to migrate to, but their sudden decision to change to another one meant I needed to rewrite a substantial amount of code, update Google Platform resources, and other resources to accomodate the change to a different platform.

Despite this, when the client's payment for the last invoice bounced, I continued to advise on the new CRM selection requirements, even off the books, showing my commitment to the project's success.  I've sent several requests for payment to resolve the outstanding balance (about 40 hours of work) without resolution.  Finally the client responds by questioning the value of all my work along with a long chain of complaints about the original work that's already done, implemented, documented with his approval, and integrated into his business months ago also billed and paid already. This puts me in a difficult position, becuase the client is [falsely] claiming the entirety of the work is unsubstantiated.  I have plenty of coorespondence and proof to claim otherwise.  Hopefully it works.

• Nature of the Project: Started as a scraping/consulting project about 6 months ago and was extended based on the client's ongoing needs and was mutually agreed to continue to other, yet related projects such as email validation, data orchestration, and cloud platform setup and configuration.
• Contract Type: Hourly, with extensive documentation of emails, GitHub checkins, tracked project management, and off-platform correspondence.
• Client's Position: The client is questioning the entire scope of work done over six months, is 48 days overdue on the last invoice, and has initiated a dispute a few days ago. This dispute arose after they decided to change their CRM platform, impacting the recent work I completed specificallty for that CRM platform.  Also, the client claims to have hired independent engineers to review all of my work and trying to spin a false narrative about never recieving assets or deliverables.
• My Position: I have detailed records of the work performed and client acknowledgment over six months.  He's constantly attempted to get me to do work off the books and claim everything is too expensive even after I've given him detailed projections of the work that he agreed to before performing it then delivering it within the scope promised. The client's last-minute CRM switch and their failure to understand the implications of this switch are the main issues.  Basically, they didn't like the pricing structure of their chosen CRM after we were 90% complete integrating with it then his payment "bounced."

This has literally cost me 7-8 hours to go through 6-7 months of coorespondence, take screenshots from Github and my project managment tracker that prove the client was acknowleding and benefitting from the work I produced -- with a deadline of 2 days to turn it around.  I prepared tons of screenshots of messages he sent me off platform that basically say that if he switches CRM platforms, all the money he invested in it will be wasted.  Now I'm just waiting to see what happens.

If any client can just say "oh I don't like any of the past hourly work" to get out of paying for their last invoice in these circumstances and claim a dispute, how does anyone really protect themselves from this?  Should I have closed the project once the original terms were met and had the client open a new one with an on-demmand and ongoing assumption?  I've never had this happen in the 3 years working on Upwork.

[sajal36]

I think you need to have the 2 Cent approach on this - Till the original scope existed your solution delivered the required result and completed. However they changed the underlying software which impacted the implementation so it will be as part of change request.

You must estimate the change effort with impact analysis and suggest the new release date. I believe if solution worked for the first CRM then it must be valid of for second one too although this might require underlying changes. You must put across to client very clearly that if required you can put across the complete traceability of the work and change done. I believe you must also look at revision in case required to close the project successfully and discuss with client accordingly.

[dyerrington]

This is makes sense.  The original project increased in scope, due to client specification.  Other projects outside the orginal ask were all confirmed and approved by client.  The final project was stopped because the client changed the platform the work was perfomed on last minute and decided not to pay because it was signifficant work to adapt the completed work to function on a new platform.  He decided not to pay the last invoice and claim the dispute rather than complete the job.  He's claiming that all work was never delivered, but I have clear records and coorespondence that claims otherwise.

I also have screenshots of him claiming that the decision he made to integrate with the platform he chose was a mistake due to how the platform bills then explain that if he switches, all the work that I completed the following week would be wasted.