Unresponsive Client

[bowie125]

Hi,

My client hired me to edit and proofread four large documents, and we agreed to four milestones and payments.

I sent him the first piece of work. After a short delay, he released the first funded milestone payment. He then funded the second milestone in escrow, so I sent him the second lot of work and requested payment for it, but he hasn’t replied or released it.

Since then, the deadline for all four documents has passed. However, as milestones three and four were not funded or opened, I did not send him the rest of the work - in case I was not going to be paid for it.

I sent my client a polite message well before the deadline, saying I had finished the work and was ready to send it as soon as payment for the second milestone had been released and the remaining funds for three and four had been deposited into escrow. However, my client has vanished!

I’m annoyed because it looks like I’m not going to be paid for two days’ hard work, and he was already getting a very good deal to begin with. I’m surprised, though, since this client has good feedback.

Should I cut my losses and close the contract? Will I still get paid for the first half of the work that was funded and released? I’m also concerned about receiving bad feedback when I haven’t done anything to deserve it.

Thanks for your advice.

[petra_r]

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Amelia H wrote:

He then funded the second milestone in escrow, so I sent him the second lot of work and requested payment for it, but he hasn’t replied or released it.

Since then, the deadline for all four documents has passed. However, as milestones three and four were not funded or opened, I did not send him the rest of the work - in case I was not going to be paid for it.

I sent my client a polite message well before the deadline, saying I had finished the work and was ready to send it as soon as payment for the second milestone had been released and the remaining funds for three and four had been deposited into escrow. However, my client has vanished!

I’m annoyed because it looks like I’m not going to be paid for two days’ hard work, and he was already getting a very good deal to begin with. I’m surprised, though, since this client has good feedback.

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If the client funded the second milestone, and you correctly clicked on the "submit for payment" button, then you get paid automatically 14 days after the last time (!) you clicked on "submit for payment."

Do NOT close the contract, or the funds go back to the client and there is no advantage in closing the contract anyway, it isn't hurting you.

If you did work against unfunded milestones (3 and 4) then that is on you (I get it, I have done it too) and there is no way to force the client to pay, it is possible that the client abandoned the project or whatever, but it is only ever funded milestones that are "a (relatively) sure thing."

Personally I don't cut small projects into milestones. Anything up to about $ 1500 I require to be funded as one milestone, so this nonsense doesn't happen.

[bowie125]

Hi Petra, thank you very much for your advice. I’m not going to close the contract - and at least I didn’t send him the work for milestones 3 and 4!