Yep, good advice in here. Sorry to hear about this. We've all been there though, so you;re not alone. One of the hazards of doing business. I personally avoid PayPal since they chop off 2.9% plus $.30 (or something like that). I get either direct wire transfer, or barring that a personal check if they seem trustworthy. We…
Sometimes, I ask for full payment before release of assets. I'll send proof of completion then tell 'em I'll email the download link soon as I have the payment. But I don't do this all the time. During negotiation stage you can have an idea of a client's trustworthiness via background online research or their reaction to…
Not reaching a deadline and not making a contract are the cardinal sins of freelance. Learn and grow! It sucks for you and I feel for ya, I've been screwed quite a few times too :) State in your contract that your work might only be used when fully paid, it should cover you, you can sue the hell out of them if they do…
Always always always use a contract with individual clients, or some larger clients that don't have paperwork of their own. Never start work without a signed contract. Within that contract, you need to stipulate the terms in the event something like this happens. Yea sure, your client could just ignore it but then at least…