I went to a walk thru 6 months ago and during the walk thru we noticed his projector was dead. He asked me how much to replace it . I told him $1500 at the lowest. He said I can't afford it . So feeling bad I told him I have a demo projector with less then 200 hours on it and I would give it to him for $650. He said he also wanted a new hdmi run to the projector. I send the proposal and his wife calls and he has not got it so I resend it.

About 4 months later his wife calls on Tuesday and asks me to do the theater by Sunday for the football game. I go on thrusday run the hdmi cable. Install projector next day at 6pm on Friday I get the projector up and the existing mount is about 6-8 inches to far back and the image is to big for the screen.

I show his wife and tell her
1. I will take this projector back and sell you a new one that has the right throw
2. I will move the mount forward 6-8 inches
3. I will sell you a bigger screen at my cost.

She says she needs her husband to see it but he is at yankees game and will look at it in morning . That was 2 months ago and they won't pay the bill . Or return my call. I had my assitant call from her cell 3 weeks ago . She picked up and her husband he to speak him me about the problem. The guy emailed one 2 weeks ago but it been 2 months and they have paid 0 of the 1200 they owe me

What to do ?

How about I go and muscle in on your deadbeat client while you go and muscle in on my deadbeat client. Maybe we'll be able to collect that way.

Build one of these into the system. If they don't key in the code...

Awesome. Do that. WAIT. I'm in the blast radius. F THAT!!!!! DON'T do that.

I'd go camp out in his driveway until I got a chance to have a polite face to face discussion at a minimum. It doesn't have to be an argument, just knock on the door and ask to talk about the problem. Tell them you value your clients and if the are not happy you want to fix it.
Then let them tell you why they haven't paid and don't leave without the projector or a check. Better yet, have your square reader available and offer to take it via credit card right now.

The client I half jokingly mentioned in my first post owes money going on close to two months from a commercial job. He is avoiding payment and told me the price is too high, fix it. F him. I am VERY fair and was beyond fair on that deal. My next course of action is to go down to his place of business, basically an employment agency, and confront him about the whole thing. I've explained why the bill is what it is, where the charges come from, and just how much of a deal he has gotten. Since he placed his desk directly in front of his ~20 employees, they will all hear what a jackass he is, although I expect they already know. He came as a referral from one of my very best customers and lives across the street.

To point out what a jackass he is, we did a tv install at his house. Half way through, he called from the office to talk to me. Keep in mind the amount was already agreed upon, and my estimates state payment due at completion of the job. During the phone call, he asked if we can break up the invoice into a couple payments. I said sorry, no, but we do take all major credit cards if you wish to make payments. Miraculously, only the babysitter was home upon our completion of the job. I had to wait a month to receive payment. Open the envelope and it was half the invoice amount. Waited another month to get full payment on a damn tv hang.

I am transitioning myself out of the installations and had my tech do the job at his office. I did not have him collecting payments at the time but have started to have him collect. As soon as we hit 60 days, I'm sending him to collections. I am then emailing him, his business partner, and his wife to let them know I am firing them as clients. His wife is nice and I am thinking she will be a bit upset with him. Either way, I am gearing up to do a decent sized upgrade at my clients house across the street. Will be fun seeing them.

It's a good thing the majority of our clients are decent, and quite amazing come to think of it, since people suck. One of my favorite lines from a tv show and someone's signature on this site is oh so true, "People are bastard coated bastards with bastard filling"

it might help if you look like this:  

Your proposal, contract and invoice should have payment terms included. This information should be available on all documents to avoid confusion before/during/after work begins.

-Payment Due by (usually upon completion of the project)
-Late Fee Policy
-Accepted forms of payment & ways to make payments (paypal for example).

You should include the ability to write in, and have them initial something that isn't "typical" like this used projector scenario. "Projector is used and sold as is".

You should also have a paragraph (on all 3 documents) that gives the client instructions for when they are not happy with something. Don't leave it to email and voice mail. Give them a process for refusing (and allowing you to uninstall/recover) the projector.

In this case you discovered the issue with the projector before leaving the project. You could have given the clients wife the ability to choose between you taking your projector with you that day (and not billing for it) or agreeing to keep it as a loaner for a specific period of time. She would have had to sign next to the written in change.

Have an invoice ready on site once the project is complete and ask for payment while you are there. If the client pays on site you are done.

If the client does not pay for whatever reason leave a copy of the propsoal, contract, invoice with them. Immediately put a copy of the proposal, contract, invoice in an envelope, put a stamp on it and put it in the mail box. Email the client a pdf with the proposal, contract and invoice and a paypal or square invoice so that they can pay it immediately.

1 week later send the email again noting the number of days passed due. Send the printed copy certified mail.

Week 2, 3, 4 rinse and repeat. Send the email and the certified letter again. At 30 days passed due contact your attorney and begin the process of suing them for the balance.

Including the proposal, contract and invoice each time may seem redundant but its important. It serves as a reminder of what the project was supposed to be, what everyone agreed to do and and how much/when to pay.

This is pretty much what all big companies do. They send you an invoice and they keep following until you hit the 30 or 60 or 90 day mark then they cancel service and sue you.

The weekly certified mail may come off as annoying or aggressive but so is a non paying client.

If the client contacts you about a problem (real or perceived) with the system ask them for it (all of it every issue they have) in writing. Address anything that you are responsible for and offer to take care of any additional items as part of a new project (once the first one has been paid for). Do not agree to complete the new items as part of the original punchlist... thinking this will get them to pay the final invoice. You will end up working for free again.

You never really know why people aren't paying you but if you make every effort to make it easy for them to pay you (paypal, square for example) most will. The busier they are the less likely they will be the one who follows up. If you are persistent and consistent and give them multiple options then they are purposely avoiding it. Whatever the reason is...it's their problem not yours.

Where did you get that picture of 3 pedal mini?

Well he DOES have it on all the dating sites.

They have your parts and equipment. They need to pay for them, or let you remove them. If they don't let you do this, slap a lien on their house.

Do you have any kind of contract? If not, I got a guy. Let me know if you want I should have him soften them up for youse.

I keep hearing that a letter from an attorney often loosens the wallet. Got any attorney clients? Relatives?

Join the masons. They all look out for each other and have "people" that can help you with stuff like this.

Collect those cards between the pages of Playboy, Penthouse, and any other smutty mag you can get from your local truck stop. Fill them out in his name. While yer at it... order a few adult toys and women's play clothes - NOT in his wife's size.

What did he say in the email 2 months ago?  Did he say he had every intention of paying, or did he tell you to take a hike? 

I've only had this problem a couple of times, I'd like to say I take it well, but I don't.  I would seriously be at his house when he showed up. Don't take it the wrong way, I wouldn't be threatening him, etc.  But he'd have 2 options, pay me with cash or give me my stuff.  

Some people say that's not the professional way to handle it. I don't care.  I want to make it very clear to people like this to never call me again.

I state very clearly in my contract and during phone conversations when and how payment is accepted.  Unless you've given birth to me, or lived in my house when I was growing up, there are no exceptions. 

In the immortal words of  Jesse Pinkman.

Yo, Pay up Bitch!