Being self employed - a rant

[Termite Man]

i have nothing useful to say so ill just leave you some of these in the hope it makes you a bit smiley

((aqua and bees))

that bags empty

 

[moose]

Cash flow - it's a killa.
That's why I've never had the guts to go freelance. Hope the bastards pay you soon, otherwise I'll go round and shake them upside down till money falls out of their pockets.

I'll buy you a pint, bees.

 

[clandestino]

The one I'm chasing from December is a subsiduary of a fucking huge global corporation - IME the bigger and more established the company the harder it is to get money out of them

You're legally entitled to charge them interest on any overdue invoice. Send an email informing them of what the invoice is with interest. It might oil the wheels.

I feel your pain though. One client took a year to pay up. And they're a household name.

Good luck!

 

[equationgirl]

If you need me to find out company director's names and addresses, just drop me a PM. Company directors simply love getting letters at their home addresses about fuckwittery like this

I would also echo the persistent approach. Speak to someone in the finance department rather than a technical contact.

Also, if possible (and what you're owed may be above the threshold) put in a small claim action. Then a claim is noted on the company's credit record and suddenly they find it harder to function. Even the big guys.

 

[moomoo]

Also, if possible (and what you're owed may be above the threshold) put in a small claim action. Then a claim is noted on the company's credit record and suddenly they find it harder to function. Even the big guys.

Once the debt is paid, the company can pay to have the judgement removed though.

 

[Meltingpot]

Now, I'm very aware I have a fantastic job, and I wouldn't change it for anything, but fuck me I'm so fucking pissed off at the moment.

The reason? Waiting for people to fucking pay me

I've got a couple of grands worth of invoices that are now over a month late and it's utterly fucked my finances, and I'm faced with the prospect of having £0 to spend at Off The Tracks this weekend, and have had to rely on Aqua for help with bills and stuff.

I've been really upset about it this morning, but have now come through to the other side and am just fucking mad at the world

I mean for fucks sake, how hard can it be to just pay people on time? I've done the work, I did it well, JUST GIVE ME MY FUCKING MONEY YOU CUNTS

Oh, and to cap it all I'm currently having to start the process of taking someone to court for money outstanding to me from fucking December

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.

As you were

Yoiu have my sympathies. I think it helps to have two big mates called Reg and Ron in this situation (or maybe Hale & Pace).

How about asking for half up front, and then the other half of the payment when the job is completed?

 

[equationgirl]

Which is good, but in the meantime, it should encourage payment of the debt AND it makes them pay more too.

 

[Meltingpot]

People are such cunts about this My partner's firm are owed so much money, by various big rich companies, and every month he has to expend time and energy chasing them for payment for work already done. Same thing happened when my dad co-ran a small business - one of the things that eventually pushed them under, in fact, was massive multinational corporations just refusing to cough up the money they owed. Fucking selfish wankers.

This is so wrong, Michael Heseltine even used to boast about his late payment of creditors when he ran Haymarket. The problem is, the later they pay you the more interest they earn on the money sitting in their bank account and for a big company this can be substantial.

I believe the Lib Dems were going to do something about it if they ever formed a government.

 

[newbie]

there really isn't a solution to this one, except stashing money away so that not being paid a for a couple of months doesn't really hammer you.

None of the suggestions made so far will work, not in any part of the freelance game I've yet come across, because it's a small pond and there are other fish can do the same job, so pissing off the clients just doesn't work. And factoring, threatening or mucking about with the courts will surely piss them off- they're probably waiting to be paid by their clients anyway. Personally, I always silently bump up the bill to those that regularly take months to pay- they'd have to pay to borrow money anywhere else, so if they insist on using me as a bank they'll have to pay me.

best of luck

 

[keybored]

Why not offer a discount for prompt payment?

Once I wasn't completely reliant on one (habitually late-paying) client, I told them I'd not continue working for them if any more payments were late and they've been remarkably efficient since then. If you're in a strong enough position, this might work.

^ Wise words

That's just not the "done thing" in my industry, people would just tell me to fuck off.

Don't sell yourself short, you're as valuable to them as they are to you. You've said you do a good job. They're not doing you some sort of favour giving you work, they'd be fucked without you. If they're pissing you around with money start putting your foot down, do what TopCat and ymu say (tactfully!) and your invoices will be at the top of the pile. Good luck

 

[weltweit]

Add 10% to your prices and then offer a 5-10% discount for early payment.

Put your prices up across the board and just live with the late payments.

Heck I once had a German company asking me for a 5% discount for paying within 10 days. We worked out that we could earn more from our banking the higher price a bit later so we declined.

If they are very bad payers put them on payment terms such as 40% up front, 30% on presentation of work and the final 30% after.

If you are worried they may not be able to pay either charge in advance or question why you are selecting customers who have difficulty paying. Perhaps you need a better class of customer.

 

[blues]

Bees, I don't know what you do and whether you're reliant on repeat business, but you can always download a small claims form from the court service website, fill it in, adding in court fees and interest on debt and fax or scan/email it to them.... you'd be surprised how quickly they start phoning you about how/when they're going to pay!

 

[Pingu]

The advice I've got for you is not to use factoring companies, you can end up in a whole lot of trouble and owing them money as well as not being paid by who owes you.

Just keep ringing the people that owe you money, daily if necessary. If you can, get the home number of the boss of the company. And KEEP PHONING!!

My BIL said that eventually they will say "ffs, just give him his money" to get rid of you.

Hope that helps..........

re factoring, if its goods then i would agree with you but if its services on a signed timesheet basis then you have nothing to worry about. by signing the timesheet the customer will agree that the work has been performed and to a satsfactory standard. Some factoring companies will debt chase for you once payment becomes overdue.

IME dont just phone, write as well so there is a record of you attempting to collect the debt

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

You're legally entitled to charge them interest on any overdue invoice.

Yeah I know, I will do with the debt from december, but the other stuff I'm waiting for is from a company I get around 70-80% of my work from, so I can't really risk pissing them off.

If you need me to find out company director's names and addresses, just drop me a PM

Oh I know that, the bloke that runs the company is on the jobs with us and is a sound bloke usually.

How about asking for half up front, and then the other half of the payment when the job is completed?

Simply wouldn't wash in my industry.

it's a small pond and there are other fish can do the same job, so pissing off the clients just doesn't work.

Yep. I count myself incredibly lucky to be doing what I do, so I've just got to grin and bear it I'm afraid. I'd still rather have this hassle than work in an office <shudders>

 

[newbie]

Yep. I count myself incredibly lucky to be doing what I do, so I've just got to grin and bear it I'm afraid. I'd still rather have this hassle than work in an office <shudders>

you and me both

be careful about having too much work from one source, though. You'll be very exposed if they go bang, and if he/they are having problems paying bills to a mate there may be a serious issue... I know one of my clients only recently paid an invoice of mine from August last because they were waiting on a big bill being paid- had it not come through the owners would have been bankrupt and the staff all out of a job. They need me and the services I provide, but when it's touch and go they need to pay other bills first

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

be careful about having too much work from one source, though. You'll be very exposed if they go bang, and if he/they are having problems paying bills to a mate there may be a serious issue...

I'm fairly sure it's just him being crap and unorganised, which is what makes it worse really...

 

[Dr. Furface]

IME the bigger and more established the company the harder it is to get money out of them

One of my mate's runs a company and he reckons the worst of all the businesses they supply to get cash out of is Harrods. Unfortunately they can't fuck them off either because they're their biggest purchaser by far.

I think he told me once that they - Harrods - operate some sort of 2-tier system where their suppliers can join a premium list which guarantees them promt payment - but the suppliers have to pay fucking Harrods an annual fee to get on their list!

 

[newbie]

all the more reason to diversify your client base.

 

[Dr. Furface]

all the more reason to diversify your client base.

Ideally yes, but for some businesses that's easier said than done.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

all the more reason to diversify your client base.

In an ideal world yeah, but it's such a tight knit world I work in that it can be pretty difficult to do so.

I'll be fine, I just needed to vent at the world yesterday

 

[newbie]

Ideally yes, but for some businesses that's easier said than done.

voice of bitter experience, I've spent decades wrestling with this stuff.

 

[Fuchs66]

and there was me thinking I was alone in my money problems, I'm a freelancer and I'm owed money for March, April and soon this month all in all adding up to over 13000 Euros

Wouldn't be bad but I'm starting a job at the start of next month in Holland and I can see me having to chase it up for the next few months from another country.