Help! I Got Ripped Off

Discussion in 'General Lounge' started by jklaws, Dec 17, 2002.

  1. jklaws

    jklaws New Member

    I developed software and a few webpages for a company, and they still owe me $4,000, they have paid some but the refuse to pay the remaining balance, The just Hangs up the phone when he hears my voice or sees my number? Is there anything I can Do?
     
  2. trout

    trout Well-Known Member

    did you leave yourself any 'backdoors' or open ports?
     
  3. jklaws

    jklaws New Member

    I have complete control over the domains, I have marked them for Sale when anyone views the site, I did that last night.
     
  4. Manequinne

    Manequinne Well-Known Member

    CRRR them a letter stating what they owe, what they have paid, and when you expect payment.

    I would make sure I have detailed the letter, so in court they won't say they don't know what you are charging them for.

    If they haven't responded by the date you request payment:

    I would sue them.

    Have them served, and sue them.

    I am not trying to be funny, 4000 is alot of money.

    In college, I did webpages, and a local business owner didn't pay me, so I sued her.

    Even though it was only 250.00, I didn't care!!!!!
    I had books to pay for.

    It never occured to me back then to mess up the page.

    I know now, she would have sued ME for messing up the page.... ;-(

    If YOU owed THEM, I bet you would have to pay.

    I'm sorry if my post seems grouchy, but I hate to see people get ripped off for their hard work.

    Good luck.............
     
  5. oz

    oz Well-Known Member

    How about making the home page detailing their failure to pay and just move all the other folders to another directory and edit the 404 message to link back to the home page.
    I would put a copy of a nicely worded email abouit your request for payment.
    With a note to the effect that astheir is not email response you thought that this way they may see your request for payment.
    Put a gadzillion links on fraud and then the google bots will pick it up LOL
    You may wish to warn then that once the google bots get hold of it they will have heck of a time trying to get it from google as it is public domain

    Don.t get mad get even
     
  6. allen074

    allen074 Well-Known Member

    btw this is why i always get 50% upfront on all of my web jobs unless the customer is a previous one then its only 33% upfront

    been screwed once never will it happen again.
     
  7. breeze

    breeze Well-Known Member

    Bummer. Isn't there some way to put a date into the software so it will stop running on a certain date? Is that unkosher? I mean kind of like trial software works. Then when they pay, you give them a key and it starts working again.

     
  8. allen074

    allen074 Well-Known Member

    i generally always host the development web sites myself and if i have questions about the person possibly stealing the artwork... i put a tag with my name over the artwork or make it black and white

    then they get it when they pay

    course if they dont pay, i can send them to collections HAHAHAAH LOL HAHAHAHA LOL HAHAHAHAHA :)

    j/k
     
  9. xhardc0rex

    xhardc0rex Well-Known Member

    You are TOTALLY missing the point !

    Sorry but it seems you're totally missing the point.

    Okay, they owe you money for a job you did. What do you do now?

    1) First thing is to document the hours you worked. Did they pay you on a per job basis or hourly? Even if you did not keep any records of your work, CREATE some now.

    2) Get the phone number for your state's department of Business Regulation. Call them (toll-free of course) and explain that you were not paid for your hours worked. You may very well be able to file a complaint and have it investigated. You may be able to force the company to pay you. Embarrass them atleast. If anything, you can make the stupid f*ck*rs pay for ripping you off.

    3) Find out the CEO and/or President of the company. If the company is big enough, writing a letter to the Human Resource's dept at the corporate office may yield something. Do you know the car your boss or any of the execs drive? Get their license tag numbers, make, model and color of car. Something may come to you later that will make use of this information.

    4) Make note of any invulnerabilities of the company's computers to backdoors, trojans, viruses, etc. Don't log into their system from your home, but use a library or junior college computer. Leave nothing that can link their system's problems to you...whether it is today or months from now.

    5) Is the company in bad financial shape? Do you know any of the investors or have access to any proof of their condition? If so, you may be able to use this knowledge later on to bring about their bankruptcy or financial colapse. If you have any internal memos you may be able to post them to f*ckedcompany.com, or pass them to local news operations such as TV stations and newspapers.

    6) Do you know anyone who still works at the company who you can trust? Don't say anything to them but offer to go out for lunch sometime. Keep in contact, as you may need their help in the future.

    7) Go out and file for unemployment immediately. Keep your emotions in check and don't try for revenge. Put together a dosier (portfolio) of dirt on the company that you may be able to use against them WHEN THE TIME COMES. I've been there myself...I had to chill out from all the rage I had for an employer that cost me income at the worst possible time in my life. Now it all seems surreal...I didn't have to get bent out of shape. Had I simply collected information, I could have relaxed and furthered my life while collecting UN, until I found another position. Enjoy your time and remember that you can always put a knife in the mofo's later on. Don't let emotions take control of you.

    8) Read Sun Tsu's book, "Art of War". Watch the movie "Three Dog Night". Both will help you greatly in life with their rich educational content and enjoyable stories ;)


    Good luck and I hope they burn in Hell as scumbags deserve to!

    Robert

    *some content taken from Perry Tanko's "Urban warfare in the 21st Century, Unabridged" by Natl Vanguard Books
     

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