Hi, so for two months I went back and forth with a potential client before agreeing to work with them in a capacity to handle marketing and pr. They originally wanted me to work for them full-time with a 1099 but I said no way, and wrote an offer letter to clearly state (twice) that I was a freelancer for 6k a month. They agreed.
Before they even paid I secured an article with the biggest newspaper in the state- a huge win! After that, I requested at least 50% payment upfront before doing anything else. They begrudgingly wrote me a check and for two weeks I was handed a massive amount of tasks that always changed. I photographed images for them, got them more PR opportunities, booked them for an event and then- I got a job offer (w2). I told them I would no longer be pursuing freelancing after working with them for two weeks. I sent them an exit plan to finish any work pending. Mind you, they only paid me $3k after two weeks and never set up when they would pay the rest. Originally, they said they didn’t even want to pay me until after I worked for two weeks.
I told them that since I quit, they didn’t need to pay me the additional $3k so I thought we were good.
Also, it took them two weeks to schedule a meeting to get me a lot of the necessary info I needed to do my job. It was very disorganized.
Then suddenly, they’re saying they don’t trust me to complete the exit work, that I should not do any work, and that they want a refund of 1,500 so they don’t have any loss. I seriously don’t know what to do. I am upset because I personally feel they would’ve never paid me in full. They are now saying I was hired as a full-time employee. I emailed them a list of all the work I completed and the work I could finish. They said, no. Dont care. Give us half our money back.
I don’t understand why they keep suddenly saying that they got absolutely nothing from me. and with small threats like ‘we will only be amiable if you pay.’ Or, what??? We never signed a contract by the way. I want to be professional but not a doormat. Advice, please.
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Send an invoice of work done and costs.
I’d try to let it sit for now, ignore them unless the file suit. Even w/a contract, that doesn’t stop problems. Definitely better to have one. But can b a false sense of security. The parties have to abide be the contract. GL.
They are now having to onboard two people whereas their original agreement with you only required they do this once. It’s not like the person they hire after you (which is extra work for them in itself) is going to be able to begin real productive work on day one; they’re going to need logins, learn procedures, setup tax and payment stuff, learn the details of the project and finally learn where you left off and how they plan to finish. You bouncing costs them money and put them behind schedule, plain and simple.
On some other sub Reddit a business owner is complaining that this marketing and PR freelancer is bailing after giving him/her $3000k and only working for 2 weeks.
Frankly you would have been better off finishing the project, outsourcing the tedious tasks to speed things along, and pushing back your start date at new job. Win, win for everyone.
full-time with a 1099 but I said no way, and wrote an offer letter to clearly state (twice) that I was a freelancer for 6k a month
I don’t understand the difference here. Freelancer for 6k a month (assuming still 40 hours) is the same as full-time with a 1099.
In both cases a 1099 has to be filed.
The freelance contract was a month-to-month contract it seems and you backed out of it mid-month.
So they do have a case against you.
It all goes back to what your contract states. Are there clearly laid out terms stating notice period?
Judging by you didn’t know when you would receive the other 50% of your agreed upon payment, you either don’t have a formalized contract, or your contract is poorly made up.
I think you jumped into freelancing without quite knowing what you were jumping into. As a freelancer you are your own business. It sounds like you did well for this company in the two weeks, but quitting early also caused them harm which you may be liable for–hopefully they cannot prove this harm is over and above the $1500 they already gave you.
Dont refund them.
F em whats the recourse, especially if you are no longer doing freelance work. You did work, you put in time, provided a seevice, tell them nope, do your exit work as you stated you would, when done send an invoice for the remander of the month owed and move on.
no contract, tell them to go fuck themselves they will not win that in court.
if you dont have a contract they can get fucked. period
They are trying to cheat you out of $1,500. If you agreed to $6,000 a month and you worked for roughly half a month, then $3,000 is probably to right amount of money. Send your invoice, send documentation indicating you’ve received payment, keep your exit communication and wish them well. It sounds like you are in the right here and don’t have to worry about being sued. Don’t argue with them or try to convince them that you are right, just stick to facts.
They are just trying to bully you. I do freelance work and roughly a third of my clients try to cheat me. That is how business is done by a lot of people. If you do freelance again, have a contract, get money up front for your work, establish a written understanding with your client about what they have to pay and what they get so no one can come back later and change the agreement. Good luck
Don’t have to pay anything back.
You worked for 2 weeks, got paid for 2 weeks. Politely let them know you will not be paying anything back, complete your previously assigned work and stop at the end of 2 week mark.
If they need the rest of work done, they can pay you for the entire month and get the work completed.