Been in a tough spot with a client who hasn’t replied to three payment reminders this past month. The project was finished on time and they seemed satisfied, yet there’s been no response on the overdue invoice.
I don’t want to come off as pushy, but I can’t just ignore the situation either. How do I stay professional while ensuring I get paid?
Sometimes you just gotta show up in person if they’re local. Hard to ignore someone standing at their door.
Stop sending reminders and pick up the phone. Call them directly and ask when you can expect payment. Most people dodge emails but will give you a straight answer on a phone call. If they don’t answer, leave one voicemail that you need to discuss the outstanding invoice. Give them 48 hours to respond, then start charging late fees if your contract allows it. Three ignored reminders means they hope you will just go away.
Send a final notice with a clear deadline and mention you’ll be adding late fees starting after that date.
If they still don’t respond, just add them to your blacklist and move on. You can try small claims court if the amount is big enough, but honestly most of the time it’s not worth the hassle.
Next time ask for half upfront before you start any work.
I just stop working for people who pull this stuff.
Change up your approach completely. Send one final email with a specific deadline - something like “Payment is needed by [date] to avoid additional steps.” Don’t explain what those steps are.
If that gets ignored, send an invoice to their accounts payable department instead of your usual contact. Sometimes the person you worked with isn’t handling payments and forgot to pass it along.
I had a client go silent for two months once. Turned out the project manager left the company and nobody knew about our invoice. Got paid within a week once I reached the right department.
Keep it short and factual in all communications. No apologies or long explanations about why you need to be paid.
Three reminders with zero response is a red flag. At this point you need to document everything and set firm boundaries.
Here’s what I’d do:
After those 7 days, stop being nice about it. File with small claims court if the amount is worth it, or hand it over to a collection agency.
I learned the hard way that clients who ignore multiple reminders are testing you. They want to see if you’ll just write it off. Don’t give them that satisfaction.
Also check if you have their business address. Sometimes sending a physical letter gets attention when emails don’t. Makes it feel more serious and harder to ignore.