A freelancer, a salaried employee and an ego-maniacal business owner walk into a bar …
No joke.
Freelancing can be the most rewarding and the most frustrating work scenario you encounter. Working from home, setting your own schedule, and choosing the assignments you want to tackle are all great, but what happens when you do the work and don’t get paid? All hell breaks loose. I’ve been there … more than once. Any freelancer who’s worked more than a handful of gigs probably has a similar story. Sadly, it goes with the territory. It shouldn’t but it does.
You may recall reading a different block of text here last week. Yes, I’ve made some edits. Why? Because justice prevailed 
That said, lack of payment continues to be a very prominent issue within our industry, and I remain a very strong advocate for all legitimately hard-workers fighting to be paid what they deserve.
And so I would like to keep this topic open for discussion to anyone and everyone who has experienced a similar lack of respect for hard-working freelancers and employees alike. We must band together if we are to expel these toxic, overbearing ego-maniacs.
Please, share your story with us here. If not for ourselves, then for our successors, we must not let this type of injustice prevail. Individually we are strong, but together we are unstoppable — a force to be reckoned with!
Aimee
AWESOME article, Aimee! Not only have I had to sue a former employer to get what was rightfully mine, I won’t ever hesitate to do it again! Control-freak fraudsters will pay a heavy price when they run into people like us. It begs the question: How the heck did they ever get away with it if they’ve been in business for any length of time?
Let’s join forces and share some of our experiences, I say! The world should know who the bastards are out there who choose to make a BAD name for those with integrity in business! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
Thanks, Jeff, for sharing your story! I remember not so long ago you were talking about a payment issue. Good for you for standing up for yourself by taking legal action and claiming what is rightfully yours! And congrats on the successful outcome!
Thanks again for taking the time to share your story here. I hope your success story will inspire others to speak up as well
Cheers,
Aimee
Reblogged this on The Road to Myself: Dying to Live (Memoir).
The only company I’ve ever had to take to collections is NO MORE. While I didn’t get my money, the feeling of schadenfreude was priceless.
Unethical people in business do end up suffering misfortune.
The executive director of an immigrant women’s centre in Toronto refused to pay me after I had left. I reported her to the Labour Board, and she got a lovely smack on the wrist while I got my money. Years later, the centre got audited.
Numerous publications have stiffed me, and eventually they closed up shop.
Writers talk. People in the ad biz (and other businesses) talk. We share our stories, and eventually unethical business people get their dose of karma.
Hey Noreen,
I’m always sorry to hear about others’ trouble getting paid. Like I said, it happens far too often in our industry. Kudos to you for having the courage to speak out and stand up for all of us hard workers! And you’re right, it’s a small world and we all talk … what goes around comes around, so those of us who have been shafted can at least take some comfort in that.
Aimee
There have been a few times when I haven’t been paid for work, but luckily for me, those have been web dev gigs. You’d be surprised at the number of clients who don’t pay a developer, but then don’t change their server passwords. You’d also be surprised how quickly a client will pay up when you suddenly remove the work you did for them from the web.
I haven’t had to do that for sometime, because I’ve since learned a couple valuable lessons which I’ve found useful in avoiding the “work-for-freelance” stigma:
a) Always get a deposit. Even with clients who I know pay fast and on time, I don’t start a lick of work (sometimes I won’t even answer emails) until I’ve got a deposit in hand.
b) Always get a contract. Whether its a 400 page document written up by your lawyer, or on a 7-11 napkin.
Hey Keith, great to hear from you! You make some excellent points about getting a contract AND a deposit. I think the deposit is even more important than the contract, as contracts often aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. And even if they are rock solid, non-payment and a contract still equals a pain in the ass collection through legal means. At least with the deposit, you’re a little ahead of the 8 ball.
When signing a contract, I’d also add how extremely important it is to be thorough and very very detailed, for two reasons: 1) it helps cover any loopholes giving you better protection, and 2) if your employer/client suggests you’re being anal or too picky, that’s a pretty big red flag that they’re planning to screw you down the road. Run don’t walk!
It aint show “friends” people!
Cheers,
Aimee
Absolutely, insist on a deposit. I’ve been in the ad business for more than 20 years, and have worked for agencies that have been stiffed big time by clients, one to the point of ruination. The one common denominator? Not one of them could or would come up with a deposit or initial payment to begin work. I will say this to ANY freelancer or provider of creative services: If the potential client can’t or won’t pay a deposit, then they can’t or won’t pay your bill at the end. IT NEVER FAILS. Tread carefully, no matter how badly you need the work.