7 ms·

Show HN: Freelance Debt, zero-risk debt collection for freelancers

16 points by ryanckulp 11y ago

ryanckulp 11y ago
Hi guys, I believe there's a huge advantage to a 3rd party doing your "dirty work." In my personal freelance career I've experienced many cases of customers ignoring clients, until a lawyer or debt collection agency gets involved. We built this to be the latter, and involve the former if necessary. To getting paid, Ryan / Freelance Debt crew
- danieltillett 11y ago
  Ryan can you explain what you will do to collect on the debt? Debt collection can be a bit of a scam especially if it is pay on success only rather than just buying the debt. I am sure you are not doing this, but it would be very easy to just do the bare minimum and then keep 15% of those debts you got lucky on.
- MCRed 11y ago
  Debt collection agencies have not legal right/power to collect debts under the FDCPA. All someone has to do (if they are savvy enough to know this) is send you a cease and desist. Virtually every debt collection agency out there knows this and simply ignores the c&D until the victim, er, target gets a lawyer. But in doing so, they incur statutory fines of $1,000 per incident in many cases. Are you simply going after the people who don't know they don't owe you money because they don't have a contractual relationship with you?
  - rahimnathwani 11y ago
    The FDCPA doesn't apply to debts owed by businesses.
kaustin2440 11y ago
Awesome idea, think it can work for boutique service firms just as well as freelancers. Always very difficult for the little guy to collect from the Fortune 500 Co or even the heavily backed startup..
tshtf 11y ago
Yet another financial services startup that didn't want to spend the $0 for an SSL certificate...
- orchard 11y ago
  Friend of this team. They're using PaidAPI.com (yc alum) to warehouse all invoices, so no SSL needed on static site.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
a-dub 11y ago
Having 1099'd for large institutions that were total shit at cutting checks on any reasonable timescale, I've put a lot of thought into this. What I really wanted was a third party that would do the dirty work that I was also contractually bound to as well. "I'm very sorry to hear about your problems with the billing firm. Unfortunately I cannot call them off, discontinue using them or even bill further hours until your account with them is current as they function as both a billing agency and a creditor. If I do so, I risk a significant financial and legal exposure as part of the contract I signed with them."
brbsix 11y ago
What does "zero-risk" mean, in the context of debt collection?

16 points by ryanckulp 11y ago

Hi guys, I believe there's a huge advantage to a 3rd party doing your "dirty work." In my personal freelance career I've experienced many cases of customers ignoring clients, until a lawyer or debt collection agency gets involved. We built this to be the latter, and involve the former if necessary. To getting paid, Ryan / Freelance Debt crew

danieltillett 11y ago
Ryan can you explain what you will do to collect on the debt? Debt collection can be a bit of a scam especially if it is pay on success only rather than just buying the debt. I am sure you are not doing this, but it would be very easy to just do the bare minimum and then keep 15% of those debts you got lucky on.
MCRed 11y ago
Debt collection agencies have not legal right/power to collect debts under the FDCPA. All someone has to do (if they are savvy enough to know this) is send you a cease and desist. Virtually every debt collection agency out there knows this and simply ignores the c&D until the victim, er, target gets a lawyer. But in doing so, they incur statutory fines of $1,000 per incident in many cases. Are you simply going after the people who don't know they don't owe you money because they don't have a contractual relationship with you?
- rahimnathwani 11y ago
  The FDCPA doesn't apply to debts owed by businesses.

kaustin2440 11y ago

Awesome idea, think it can work for boutique service firms just as well as freelancers. Always very difficult for the little guy to collect from the Fortune 500 Co or even the heavily backed startup..

tshtf 11y ago

Yet another financial services startup that didn't want to spend the $0 for an SSL certificate...

orchard 11y ago
Friend of this team. They're using PaidAPI.com (yc alum) to warehouse all invoices, so no SSL needed on static site.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]

a-dub 11y ago

Having 1099'd for large institutions that were total shit at cutting checks on any reasonable timescale, I've put a lot of thought into this. What I really wanted was a third party that would do the dirty work that I was also contractually bound to as well. "I'm very sorry to hear about your problems with the billing firm. Unfortunately I cannot call them off, discontinue using them or even bill further hours until your account with them is current as they function as both a billing agency and a creditor. If I do so, I risk a significant financial and legal exposure as part of the contract I signed with them."

brbsix 11y ago

What does "zero-risk" mean, in the context of debt collection?