What to do if a client stops responding when delivering work and during an assignment?

Questioner

I am a full-time graphic designer and occasionally I do some freelance work. 4 months ago, an acquaintance of mine approached me with the question whether I could help him and his cousin design a logo and website (design + build) for their new business. Because I have known this person for 13 years, I have not entered into a contract with him, but we do have an agreement in writing (via WhatsApp) for the final price of the work. I had sent a schedule that we would adhere to. After we had reached an agreement I started working. Exactly according to our planning the logo was finished on time and I started on the website, we had a few feedback sessions about this, after which I no longer received any response to my messages. In the meantime it seems that they will no longer respond, but I wonder how I can still get paid for the work delivered. I asked one of my friends (Lawyer at XYZ) to take a quick look at this and he told me that I was in a fairly strong position and that it would be best to contact the legal aid office. Could you help me with what I can best do?

Lawyer

It’s frustrating when a client stops responding, especially when you’ve done a lot of work. First of all, it’s important to know that you have the right to be paid for the services you’ve provided, even if you haven’t drawn up a formal contract. The fact that you have an agreement via WhatsApp works in your favor. Here are some steps you might take: 1. Send a formal payment reminder. Create an official invoice with all the details of the work you have done and how much you should be paid for it. Send this by email and possibly also by post. 2. If you still do not receive a response after the formal payment reminder, you can send a reminder. In this letter you state that if the payment is not made within a certain period (often 14 days), you will take further legal action. 3. If there is still no payment or response, you can consider hiring a debt collection agency. They can ensure that the claim is collected. Please note: there are often costs involved. 4. If the claim is still not paid, you may want to consider taking legal action. This can be expensive, so you should weigh up whether it is worth it. Please note, these are suggestions and it is always wise to seek legal advice before taking any action. You may want to ask your friend for advice again or contact a lawyer or attorney who specializes in this area. --------------- Stichting Rechtswinkel.nl is a national organization with students and volunteers. The above advice is based on limited information and may be incomplete or even incorrect for your situation. Always consult a lawyer or attorney for your further steps. Read disclaimer: https://rechtswinkel.nl/disclaimer I would like to invite you to rate the above answer so that we can learn from your response.