Advice on clients who don't pay

[DigitalSolution]

Is there anything you can do to protect yourself as a designer from a client who doesn't pay for your work?

I recently made the mistake of giving a client the original flash file I was working on for his website. He said he would pay but that he needed the file right away. So I sent it and never heard from him again. Besides not giving original files out, is there anything else as a freelancer to watch out for?

[esylum]

I always ask for 50% up front and never seem to have a problem getting it. It weeds out anyone who isn't serious about paying for the work.

Also, get in the habit of having any client sign a contract. Contracts go a long way when monetary disputes arise.

[GoldenZ]

Well, This is a good Question to discuss, However there should be a relation between you and the customer, Like a friend of yours knows that customer and then you're freely comfortable to send the works!

Customers Over the internet: There MUST be a Down Payment and you can send him a sample with watermark first, in your case "Flash Works" I suggest you Place a watermark background over the animation so he can't rip it out.

Again Down Payment is so important if you have no idea who you're dealing with.

Good-luck,
-Amr

[amir]

Hi,

So I say to you as a professional designer with at least 16 years of experience,

if you give your customer to complete Artwork before you deposit or something like this having....

you can forget the whole, you'll get your money never

regards
amir

[muzzha]

is it possible to get your full money and then sent the work file to contest holder...

[brandyarnold]

is it possible to get your full money and then sent the work file to contest holder...

Muzzha - the thread isn't speaking of DC, it works a bit differently here. The Contest holder prepays for the contest. After you upload the winning design, you get paid - from DC. We have already secured payment before the contest begins (unless it is a non-guaranteed contest, which it will be clearly stated to design at your own risk) and guarantee the payment upon delivery of the files. In other words, there's nothing to worry about in regards to getting paid while you're on DC.

However, to avoid getting ripped off in the real world... I think it comes down to each job and determining how you will handle it. For example, if I know the person I am working for, or it is a repeat client that I trust, I'll go ahead and send the files and wait for payment, but when it's the first time working with a client, I usually try to secure a down payment.

[DigitalSolution]

Watermarks! Great idea thank you.

[muzzha]

Thanks brandy, and sorry for taking it all wrong, i thought topic is about DC. And thanks for advice!

[AlHourani]

watermarks of course
full payment before full work

[my3dwebsite]

When dealing with Flash content, never give the ".fla" or for that matter a ".swf" to client you don't have a contract with or at the least a hefty down payment.
If you do a simple Google search for "Flash Decompiler" you will find that anyone can decompile even your protected swf into a working flash file including all of your actionscript.
What I would suggest is to run the presentation on your computer and use a "screen capture program" to send them a video presentation of your project.
That way they can comment on the ongoing process without getting their hands on the working file. It's a painful extra process but well worth it.
As far as watermarks, decompilers get past that no problem.