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Am I a rare contractor because I haven't had problems with people paying up? Is that common in the software contracting world? Or is it the case (as it is wit
by foresterh 16y ago
Am I a rare contractor because I haven't had problems with people paying up? Is that common in the software contracting world? Or is it the case (as it is with most things in this world) that the people with problems also have the loudest voice, or tend to make the most noise, so it seems to be an issue more than it is?
- mgkimsal 16y agoYou may be rare, or haven't done much yet. I've been in software dev in some capacity for about 17 years, and have been stiffed myself a couple of times, and I've had companies I've worked for been stiffed too. In some cases it was for a lot of money, in some cases very little. If it hasn't happened yet, it probably will at some point. It's not guaranteed, but I don't think I know anyone that's been at this for more than 5 years that hasn't had client payment issues at some stage.
- foresterh 16y agoTrue, I've only been doing contract for 2 years, and it's only been hourly. Nobody's been late on the first (or any) monthly payment, so I've never had to worry about it. I'm assuming the problem is more with project-based pay? Which I'm afraid to take on (for these very reasons...)
- mgkimsal 16y agoNo. Hourly can still be problematic - you're just generally out less than you might be on a milestone-based project.
- phamilton 16y agoI recently had a problem with someone not paying. I finally said "I'm done." I took the software somewhere else (after consulting a lawyer) and sold it to another business doing the same thing. I had gotten half up front from the first guy, and sold it for full price to the next guy. Granted, my particular circumstance was a little bit loose on the details of the contract, but it was within my rights to do so, and I got paid in full (plus the extra half up front) for the work I did.