> 1. The customer's a crook and just refuses to pay. You're probably out of > luck, unless the amount is enough that it's worth taking them to court, AND > you've got good documentation, AND they're local.
Don't overlook the Disputes Tribunal for lesser sums. Look it up, there's easy paperwork and low costs. BUT -- they are not bailiffs, they merely rule in your favour:you then have to chase the money with the ruling in your hand. > 3. They're not happy. Resistance to paying you might be the first indication > you'll get that there's a problem. Find out what the real problem is and > negotiate a solution with them. In *rare* cases this can be surprisingly hard. A reasonable customer will communicate and deal, but some just aren't wired that way. If you haven't spotted that kind of tendency ahead of time and protected yourself with a clear contract and specification, no amount of reasonableness on your part is likely to lead to a negotiated settlement. > their need. You'll probably end up doing some extra work for them, or > accepting a partial payment, even if you've done exactly what they asked > for. Yep, with the more reasonable clients, that's normally how it would end up. The less reasonable ones just get abusive, because they've learned over the years that that's a way to avoid having to pay (or pay much) for something they've commissioned. Take them to the Disputes Tribunal, at least. cheers, peter _______________________________________________ Offtopic mailing list [email protected] http://ns3.123.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/offtopic
