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.
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