Re: Dragon helicopters...make up your own mind
I have worked freelance for a very long time, both in helicopters and elsewhere. Not getting paid within the agreed terms when there is no doubt that services have been provided OK has always made me mad. I guess that I have developed some rules for myself:
1. Don't just have 1 customer & do keep looking for additional sources of work. Be choosy about who you work for, if you can.
2. If a customer starts to pay late, chase the money early, don't let the debt build up to one that you cannot afford to lose. The suggestion about small claims is a good idea: it gets easier once you have done it once. A winding-up order (see 1 of Whirlygig's posts) is a powerful weapon.
3. Keep your ear close to the ground, and keep an eye on the way that the business is going. I have given up on several outfits (having got paid all they owe me) and they have gone bust a short while after.
4. If a customer operates routinely as a late payer, find a new customer. As a sole trader you only need to find enough work for one person. I naturally gravitate to my customers who are better payers - it keeps my blood-pressure controlled and might even be noticed!
5. Never forget you are NOT an employee.
6. In a moment of anger, don't cut off your nose to spite your face...........
I have not yet tried the charging interest option, which I now believe is available, but the idea makes me feel good
[I know nothing about Dragon]
Last edited by Helinut; 4th January 2006 at 17:38.