eeep

Despite the title of my blog and all my Big Talk, I am a pretty wussy person.

But I just essentially told a client to suck it.

Let me backtrack. Some weeks ago I answered an ad on Craigslist. Several red flags went up almost immediately--canceling scheduled interviews, etc. Then in the first meeting I had with the principal of the company he makes some comment about "Employing the unemployable, moms at home."

Yeee-IKES.

There were other things, but the editor I had the most contact with was pretty chill and I thought this might not be so bad---doesn't pay well, but steady work and not too much of a hassle, so what the hell?

Then the hassle started kicking up. A barrage of phone calls, daily emails, changes on a dime, all the lovely hassle of working on a team, but with no salary or benefits. My uneasiness was increasing, but oh well. My other cients were also suffering, but I decided to just set limits on my time and not budge.

THEN, I invoiced, as requested, for the two weeks of work I'd done during March. Mr. Principal tells me he'd have a check for me at the staff meeting last week, intead of putting it in the mail. Fine, I say, but then discover none of my backup sitters were available and they refuse to schedule meetings during the times Maggie's in school, so I can't make the meeting. The check doesn't come up, but I expect he'll just pop it in the mail. So I wait. And wait. And finally ask the editor about it.


"Oh, he decided to just tack that on to your April invoice since it was such a small amount."

This was yesterday, April 16. Two more weeks of work time left in April before I can invoice (they want monthly invoices) and probably another week afetr that until I have a check in my hand. This is a new client, one I don't know from a hole in the ground, and they never told me they were doing that. Six weeks of work (weekly deadlines) with not so much as a penny in compensation and an excuse instead of the promised check.

Alarm bells, red flags, OH CRAP they are never going to pay me are they?

So I just sent an email to him essentally saying "No money, no work" and that he should have told me he was delaying payment at the very least. This guy's already proven himself to be an unprofessional jackass, so I fear this is going to get nasty.

I'm finding my spine.