Well they do say revenge is a dish best served cold…If you do offline marketing and you’ve ever had a client who wouldn’t pay up for your services, you’ll really relate to this story. It’s a bit of a golden oldie, but well worth reading..
Web designer Frank Jonen says his client, Fitness SF, repeatedly ignored his invoices for “half a year’s worth of work.” And whilst most offline marketers would resort to court or collection agencies, Frank took a different route – he hijacked Fitness SF’s website, posting:
“Dear Fitness SF Customer,
Fitness SF preferred to ignore our invoices instead of paying them. As a result this website is no longer operational.
We regret any inconvenience this may cause for you as a customer of Fitness SF, however it is a necessary measure in getting what is rightfully ours.”
You can read the rest of what happened here
I’m not saying for one minute that what he did was right, though you can understand his frustration if the company really did owe him the cash and I would imagine it wasn’t at all legal, but how many of us have actually dreamed of doing something like it!!!
Do you think what he did was totally wrong?
6 replies to "Revenge of The Nerds…"
I have done the exact same thing myself – and it worked , of course. Damn good tactic.
Nice one…
Not all clients are made equal, I use a direct debt method to make sure at least some of the invoice is settled immediately, and stage payments made during the job.
If for any reason they are not happy or don’t want the work completed then at least they have paid to date. As the local vice chair of the FSB we are often asked how to improve small business cashflow, and my response is always.. get paid for what you do when you do it.
Sounds a good idea Richard.
It’s also a good idea from the buyers point of view as well.
I was stiffed a couple of times in the early days by paying upfront and not having the work completed but I also recognize the same can be said from the developers point of view.
I’ve always paid a deposit as a sig of good faith then as the work was completed and checked
Thanks for responding
I always wonder if the company considers the ways in which the web designer CAN affect the business reputation in the community and across the web. Too many business people do not realize the ramifications of their actions. Paying the web developer is a lot less expensive than losing the website entirely. An important point to ponder for all of us. What do I have to lose if I make this choice?
I think you’re right, nowadays with social media, forums etc it’s very easy to let folks know when things go tipsy up with both vendors and clients.
Your reputation online is everything
Thanks for responding