[bradleyland]

My advice? Get up, dust yourself off, and move on.

These scenarios might result in a deluge of support from others in your field, but for a lot of managers, this puts you on a special kind of blacklist. We can't know all the details of the circumstance, but we do know for sure that you were willing to "name & shame" the client here on HN. For some, that's enough.

Just to be clear, it definitely sounds like you got a raw deal here, but I've only heard your side of the story. Experience tells me that people who find themselves in this position are there because they cut corners (work order and statement of work), or trusted someone too early. Both of these are poor judgement calls. Take ownership of that, learn from it, and go find new clients. If you're not in a financial position to take it on the chin, file your small claims paperwork and have your day in court. I just doubt that the name & shame approach is the best thing for the future of your career as a freelancer.

[mrobataille]

Shut up and deal with it?

I really wonder what this world would be like if everyone who had a career, family, or life to risk over being a whistleblower took the safe, sure path and shut up and dealt with it.

[tptacek]

Yes, because whipping up an Internet mob over not having an invoice instantly paid is exactly the same as leaking the Pentagon Papers.

Sheesh.

[bradleyland]

Perspective! Freelancers are an army of one. How you spend your time will have a large impact on your success. No one likes to take it on the chin, but sometimes you have to step back, look at how hard the hit is, and decide if you really want to get in to a brawl over the matter.

Think of this as a judgement call. IMO, it shows either lack of preparedness or poor judgement on the part of the freelancer in this case. When you run your own business, the buck stops at you. In any given scenario, you must be willing to accept your portion of the responsibility. It has been my experience that the more responsibility someone is willing to accept, the better they are at getting things done. It's a pretty good indicator of success. Those who always look to push the burden of responsibility off on others will dwindle their time looking everyone but at themselves.

I'm not saying that the freelancer is 100% responsible here, but I am saying that it doesn't matter much. If your goal is to be successful, you can't be distracted by these stupid little hiccups. You have to get up, dust yourself off, and move on.

[forlio]

I totally agree, this happens when you first start. Call it inexperience or just plan ignorance. Either way if this designer is any good they will have new work in no time. Learn to manage your clients better and how to actually approach a project correctly. On another note, take them to court if you think it's worth the time. Or if you can take them out to lunch and figure it out with out legal council. See if you can make a new friend, it's better to have them as a friend than an enemy.