Hey Everyone,
I have a question regarding a recent freelance job I did for a client. I did a day of video shooting for an out-of-town client via a referral from someone in my area.

At the end of the shoot we went our separate ways. The client has now gone silent. I still have the footage and need him to send me a drive and then ship it back.

I had requested a signed contract, but due to time restrictions on his end, he said he couldn't read the entire thing, and sent a brief email instead, outlining all the details (rate, date, hours, etc). He even stated in the email, "This email is binding."

So, he last told me via a short email one week ago that his ex-wife is in the hospital, so I've backed off for now, but that was one week ago.

What should I do now? It seems to me he doesn't want the footage, and clearly doesn't want to pay me (At this point I have no intention of giving him the footage until he pays me).

I have time on my hands and don't mind being a squeaky wheel or doing a little legwork to make this right.

Thoughts?
Thanks in advance,
Andrew

I have the energy for legal avenues, but am not willing to pay for it.
I just checked his FB page and he's posting all sorts of stuff on it; videos, funny pics, etc. Nothing about a sick ex-wife.

Make sure that you have explicitly told him he is past due.  Document everything. 

Don't talk to them over the phone, only over email. I would also talk to the referral and let them know the situation and see if they can contact them.

I collect quite often with my work (unfortunately  )  and what works well is sending emails like "This is the 4th email I've sent regarding payment for xxxxxxxx" then moving to the 5th email, etc.

Usually around the 5th email or so people start getting the hint that you aren't going away.   But there are more avenues you can do...when someone ignores me I find their business location and contact their landlord and have their landlord connect us.  That usually does the trick, but I hold out on that one for a while.

Small claims court does cost money, a few hundred to apply, but you don't need a lawyer.

Good luck

This happens all the time in the porn industry...

A great resource for legal mumbo jumbo  is Nolo Press, nolo.com.  They have a book on small claims which has come in handy in the past.  Good luck.

Make sure that you have explicitly told him he is past due.  Document everything. 

Don't talk to them over the phone, only over email. I would also talk to the referral and let them know the situation and see if they can contact them.

Small claims court does cost money, a few hundred to apply, but you don't need a lawyer.

This is good advice. I work at the largest law firm in the county. #1 rule is document everything. You can't document phone calls (as far as content goes).

Quote from: MontanaN8V on September 23, 2018, 05:05:09 AM

Baseball bat. Watch Inglorious Bastards for inspiration.

I was thinking more like "Fargo" and the Chipper Shredder...

That’s a little harsh unless you put a horses head in there bed first!

+1 on the Nolo Press suggestions. Real good source for DIY legal stuff.