Getting Paid

[mustangj17]

I waited for months for a check this year. Even then they tried to argue about the pay rate. That made me real mad. I'm sorry the person who guaranteed me xx.xx per story is no longer working there- but that's not my problem.

Mustang, if you didn't get that "guarantee" on paper, it never happened.

One of the problems with getting paid is having to go through overworked sports editors, who put communication with Accounts Payable far down on THEIR overflowing lists of work to do. No excuse, though, for the A/P person cutting checks "when she feels like it." That's crap. Keep hounding them.

Yeah, I know that's what sucked about it. The boss calls me and says he is going out of town and he needs all these assignments done that he can't do. It was a huge last minute deal, and of course I needed the money so I accepted the offer-which was at a higher rate because of the amount of work and tight deadline. When it comes to paycheck time, which is well down the road, nothing is deposited. By that time the boss is no longer employed there and it is me vs. the secretary (poor lady, it wasn't her fault) about how much I should get paid.

I couldn't prove the cell phone conversation from 2 months earlier, but eventually she took me at my word, and I got the full amount of money. It was two months late, which sucks because money was tight, but atleast I didn't have to fight them too much on it because I know it wouldn't have held up in court.

 

[Rosie]

Very important - keep good records.

I was freelancing for a paper on a regular basis and they decided to change the payment agreement. AFTER I'd submitted several weeks worth of work.

I took them to small claims court.

I won.

It cost them more money than if they would have just paid what they owed me in the first place.

Did they every give you any work after that?

I wouldn't so much as give them a two-word sentence.

When they told me they were going to retroactively change the agreement, without any input from me, I told them I was done with them.

Six months later, I was hired at the paper I'm at now.

 

[Rosie]

One thing that seems to be a recurring theme on these freelance threads, to me anyway, is the lack of understanding one very important thing.

If you are freelancing, you are in reality, running your own business. You should be recording your expenses, keeping receipts, recording mileage and keeping good books.

After my [expletive deleted] experience with the shop I referenced earlier, I would strongly urge anyone looking to freelance to have a WRITTEN agreement with payment terms, due by dates and any other important points which could lead to a disagreement further down the road; especially if it's a place you are going to do more than one story for. Even if it's one story, I would suggest e-mailing an agreement to them and let them know this is your standard operating procedure.

This does two things. You look professional, you look like you take this seriously and it covers your behind.

Edit: K, that's three things. My crappy day continues.

 

[JayFarrar]

What I've found to be odd is some places don't want or expect an invoice.
The assigning editor does a little form and then the money rolls in.
Other places will want an invoice one day and then don't want one the next. Hey AP, I'm talking about you.
I invoiced four different places for work done in August. About a thousand bucks owed to me and only one has sent me a check.
That's why I started the thread about the SportsXchange. It was the first time I had done work for them, so I was curious as to what other people knew.
I normally wouldn't care, but I got a tax bill due this month and I hadn't set any money aside to pay it, since I would have spare freelance cash laying around. Oops.

 

[da man]

Send an invoice whether they want it or not. E-mail it and get them to send a confirmation that it was received. That way, you have a record of when you submitted request for payment and acknowledgement of when it was received, and you can send another copy in case they claim they know nothing.

One more tip: Always give the invoice a number. I use the date as the number on mine (ex: Invoice #100208), but even if it's as simple as 1, 2 or 3, number it. That way, when someone acts confused, you can shoot back, ``My records show invoice No. 16 was received by Joe Useless on June 10. Here's a copy to refresh your memory.''

 

[da man]

Oh, yeah, and the best way to get someone to send payment is to keep bugging them until they are so sick of you they pay you just to get rid of you. It doesn't always work, but being a pest can be quite fun, so you've got that going for you. Which is nice.