No payment for work done - do I remove website?

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MisterBigglesworth

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Hiya,

Quick question....what do you guys do when there is no payment made for work done? Keep getting excuses and previous work colleague I did a website for isnt payment full amount due each month (payments were split over 3 months).

I was thinking of deleting the web pages (after making a backup of the live site on my pc), or dropping the database. All this could be backed up...so was thinking of writing a script sitting in a hidden folder that turns the HTML in illegible text?

I know this isnt the best approach...but the excuses are getting a bit much. I gave a discounted price, and didnt even charge for some stuff cos the person was a work colleague. Even split the total to help. Found out they actually quite wealthy...so recon I might be taken for a ride. Just wann protect the work I have done...not sure what else to do. Legal route is not worth it...cos fees will outstrip the amount Im due.

Its more principle...but also the time I sacrificed and after being nice and giving a discount and not charging for some stuff...Im a bit pissed off :mad:
 
Just replace the site with the words "Site suspended due to non-payment" in text
 
Put an alert in on page load that says: "...This site has not yet been paid for... "
 
Delete access to the site or whatever will prevent the website from working until payment received in full. I don't you should feel bad about it either. After all it is business.
 
Take it down and send them an email saying unfortunately you had to sell the site to someone else to cover costs :)
 
What Rosaudio said. Replace all pages with a simple HTML file that says something like "This site suspended due to non-payment". Bes sure to make it clear to your "client" what has happened, and assure him that you can restore the site upon payment.

Learn the lesson from this - treat all clients the same. Money is money, and business is business. You put as much effort into this site as you would a normal client's, so you deserve payment just the same.
 
What I normally do is modify passwords on the email addresses, this way the clients can still see the website and email through but the staff and boss etc cannot download email or send email, this will get the quickest response, many people don't go onto their own website for ages but check email at least once a day.
 
Yea, give them notice -first-. i.e. contact them and tell them you are taking the site down in 1 week unless payment is received. Don't accept any excuse, but don't just shut it down without actually warning them either.

Sometimes client will push the limits and they don't always realize how "serious" you are if you keep giving them extensions . Alot of clients have a list of bills to pay, and they will put the ones that seem the "least" upset about late payments on the lowest priority. So unless you threaten them , they will just go along as usual, despite having money to pay.
 
Last edited:
D3x! said:
What I normally do is modify passwords on the email addresses, this way the clients can still see the website and email through but the staff and boss etc cannot download email or send email, this will get the quickest response, many people don't go onto their own website for ages but check email at least once a day.
Click to expand...

This works brilliantly. I had the same issue with a couple of clients before. They only used the domains for email though.

No payment. No email. Simple as that.

Received payment within a couple of hours. Not even end of business.
 
Is the site hosted by your provider or the clients provider?

If it is your provider, disable all access to the site. If it is the clients provider, any tampering with the site can be construed as hacking and the client could institute a claim against you for damages.

Do/did you have a contract in place with the client ? If so, what is/were your remedies in the contract for non-payment ?

As a rule, I NEVER upload a clients site to their servers unless payment has been received from them in full.

Its quite ironic, I have just come out of a meeting with a client who has complained that his site is not up at his provider. So I says to him, "the contract you signed clearly states that you will not have access to the site until paid in full". So now I am awaiting payment :)
 
Thank you for all the replies, I really appreciate the help! :) My plan has been to contact them first and inform them they will get charged interest on outstanding amounts, and that if its not resolved, I will take the website down (needed some ideas on what exactly to do here...the replies here have given me plenty in terms of options - thanks again!).

So to be on the safe side...Im going to make a backup of the website as is. My only concern is they might get FTP usernames and passwords changed....then they have a running website I can do nothing about. Think I need to add in some script somewhere...that when run in IE...it will update a field in the database. Then I can do a check on that field and if its TRUE, output the "site has been suspended due to non payment" message.

But ja...will first notify them before doing anything...just need to implement the script in case they change things.

Many thanks again!! ;)

Edit: All is in writing in terms of payments etc. All was agreed. Think an idea is to put this on my website, so it runs off a test subdomain on my website. Then, change the index page to auto redirect to the URL of their website sitting as a sub domain on my website....that might get their attention!
 
Rosaudio said:
Just replace the site with the words "Site suspended due to non-payment" in text
Click to expand...

I agree- this is a better option than deleting the site, a non payment notice gives any visitors a terrible impression of the company and so your clients will be a lot more motivated to pay.
 
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