The Lady Programmer

One of the frustrating challenges in freelancing is to find a client who really pays at the agreed price and time. It is a sad fact that in many outsourced jobs, there are many clients who do not really pay their freelancers. The freelancer spends some hours to complete a task, and then submits it to the client, and then the client vanishes without paying. The poor freelancer is left to contact the unresponsive client, who vanishes without a trace.

photo credit: channah (SXC)

What are the ways of avoiding non-paying clients? Here are some ways to avoid these clients:

1. Check the history of the client. Did that client hire somebody before? What is the general feedback? If you are meeting clients within your locality, does that client maintain or work with a business or is the client an individual?
2. If you are looking for jobs in a freelance site, take note of the measures that the freelance site is giving to its members. Does it perform payment verification checks like oDesk does? Does it have escrow services for huge projects similar to the one performed in Elance? Do you get guaranteed payment for each successful post just like PayPerPost?
3. Ask the client thoroughly not about the details of the project. If the client bids for outrageously lower bids or early deadlines than the usual market average then the client has unrealistic expectations for the duration of the project.
4. Try new clients by accepting clients offering low priced jobs. In many cases new clients are often excited about hiring an offshore job and finding success in it and would probably settle down for the first freelancer that they had found.
5. Avoid a client that lets you do a significant amount of sample work. You can opt to submit sample work that is unrelated to the theme of the requirement but speaks to more to the

In outsourced freelance jobs, non-paying clients is highly likely because job is done without any written contract at all, unlike accepting freelance jobs in companies around town. Remember that if you get caught with non-paying clients and you have exhausted all the means to make them pay for work done, just get that project added to your portfolio and leverage that for that next big freelance job – it can be counted as a good job experience instead.

One Response so far | Have Your Say!

1. 

   #1 Job Search Method
   November 12th, 2009 at 8:03 am #

   Perhaps the best way to find a respectable and reputable client is by referrals. Visit some forums, make friends, and ask for advice.