I have this friend who is very close to one politician, he asked me to design a website for the politician, I agreed for a fee and told him, he can charge anything, I dont mind but gave him my price.

Six months after the job was completed, my 20k bal is yet to be paid. My friend is reluctant to ask the poltician for the balance, besides, I have not met the politician for once. Now my friend told me the politician said his coleague's website was design for like 250k, but he only gave my friend 100k and nothing else according to him.

Now the painful thing is that d money was paid me in bits.

Right now, I'm considering making the site blank and tell my friend abt. What do u think? Greenmouse, Kexpan, Graphicplus, Yawa-ti-de, Slyrox others, pls share ur experience about how u handeled case like this.

If you were sick and went to a doctor but only had part of the money, would it be okay for the doctor to not treat you, even if you were at the point of death? Of course, this question only applies in the Nigerian context as the Hippocratic oath doesn't apply

What you should have done is charge him the normal rate and tell him it was, say, 50%. That way, even if you were no longer paid, you made your money. At any rate, in the future, make sure the main CSS file is hosted on your server. That way, you just turn background color and text black. When they contact you, you feign ignorance or as I do, tell them, "sorry but I usually set sites on an automatic timer that expires if they don't pay. I have so many clients that I don't have the time to monitor the timers individually. The only way the site can get turned on (and it will take 24 hours at best) is for you to pay your balance in full".

Folks, we may not be doctors or store owners but that shouldn't be the reason why we don't get people to appreciate what we do. Have you ever called some boys to build you a house and not pay them at the end of the day? If you have, what normally happens? That's right, they threaten to tear everything they have built down, abi? Why can't we do same, albeit virtually?

It not easy to pull down ur clients website, but if one doesnt, then one will suffer in silence, while the client will happily show his friends and associates hiis wonderful website. Thanks.

More comments pls.

I actually have 2 ppl who owe me for a year now...a lot of money. I haven't taken the sites down in part because they are friends and have a history of paying late and in part because I figure it is God's way of letting me know that I really need the money right now and will spend it on useless stuff if i do get it now. It is a tough balance though, I must confess.

I'm just wondering how one will feel asking for 10k bal from a 50k job after 1yr when u were begged to let the site go live and dat the bal will be paid in less than 7days now turn to 1yr.

The same way another person in another profession would feel and should feel - entitled.

It is your choice wether or not to let it go. In the future, make sure you get as an advance, your actual price. That way, if they don't pay, you know you got your "capital". That is what a friend who does business with Nigerians in Nigeria, who has been bitten before, told me.

yawa-ti-de:
If you were sick and went to a doctor but only had part of the money, would it be okay for the doctor to not treat you, even if you were at the point of death? Of course, this question only applies in the Nigerian context as the Hippocratic oath doesn't apply

What you should have done is charge him the normal rate and tell him it was, say, 50%. That way, even if you were no longer paid, you made your money. At any rate, in the future, make sure the main CSS file is hosted on your server. That way, you just turn background color and text black. When they contact you, you feign ignorance or as I do, tell them, "sorry but I usually set sites on an automatic timer that expires if they don't pay. I have so many clients that I don't have the time to monitor the timers individually. The only way the site can get turned on (and it will take 24 hours at best) is for you to pay your balance in full".

Folks, we may not be doctors or store owners but that shouldn't be the reason why we don't get people to appreciate what we do. Have you ever called some boys to build you a house and not pay them at the end of the day? If you have, what normally happens? That's right, they threaten to tear everything they have built down, abi? Why can't we do same, albeit virtually?

Trust me, i envy ur intelligence.

@OP, thats a smart idea right there. Host CSS remotely next time.
Those owing me over the years are up to 10.
and the total figure when i calculate all gives me headache so i have decided to let it go.
one thing i do is try as much as possible to milk out my money before the project is complete.
even with that, some still manage not to pay the token left.

No I can't suspend an online application for non-payment because nothing will make me start the project in the first place without 80% already paid and nothing will make that project go Live without the remaining 20% paid first (except I waive off the remaining 20% cuz you've been such a nice client, the 80% was actually the full cost for the job anyway :-P ). So if its online, its been fully paid for. The rest is history.

yawa-ti-de:
If you were sick and went to a doctor but only had part of the money, would it be okay for the doctor to not treat you, even if you were at the point of death? Of course, this question only applies in the Nigerian context as the Hippocratic oath doesn't apply

What you should have done is charge him the normal rate and tell him it was, say, 50%. That way, even if you were no longer paid, you made your money. At any rate, in the future, make sure the main CSS file is hosted on your server. That way, you just turn background color and text black. When they contact you, you feign ignorance or as I do, tell them, "sorry but I usually set sites on an automatic timer that expires if they don't pay. I have so many clients that I don't have the time to monitor the timers individually. The only way the site can get turned on (and it will take 24 hours at best) is for you to pay your balance in full".

Folks, we may not be doctors or store owners but that shouldn't be the reason why we don't get people to appreciate what we do. Have you ever called some boys to build you a house and not pay them at the end of the day? If you have, what normally happens? That's right, they threaten to tear everything they have built down, abi? Why can't we do same, albeit virtually?

Dual Core: No I can't suspend an online application for non-payment because nothing will make me start the project in the first place without 80% already paid and nothing will make that project go Live without the remaining 20% paid first (except I waive off the remaining 20% cuz you've been such a nice client, the 80% was actually the full cost for the job anyway :-P ). So if its online, its been fully paid for. The rest is history.

Dats it::

yawa-ti-de:
At any rate, in the future, make sure the main CSS file is hosted on your server. That way, you just turn background color and text black.

Hahaha.. . Nice one

a mentor once told me to pay 25k to learn how to avoid being owed only to collect the money and teach me nothing. the memory of bitterness felt would do the teaching. @poster see your loss as your 25k due and put preventive structures like above.

every designer or programmer at one time or the other gets burnt. even companies are not left out. you just have to put things in place to protect youself just as yawa and dual core explained. you never believed people could misbehave, now you do.