Boy, Does It Ever Suck Not Getting Paid!

[Admiral Caine]

John Cooper Must Get Paid!

You definitely have been more than patient with them and if I discover I have any of this company's products, I'll be quickly voting with my dollars bills what I think of such policies (and heaven help them if their products are in my review queue....)

Amen Jolea!

Pay the man! The trouble you save will be your own! I'm already dying to know but I'd rather the guy get paid than actually find out.

 

[Bardsandsages]

Well, once again, posting here worked: I got a response from the second individual I've been dealing with, the one who appears to me to genuinely want to resolve the situation fairly. I've been promised payment of the full $120.00 by the end of June. (He tells me he'll be dipping into his tax refund and/or economic stimulus package.) I really want to believe him, because he seems like a decent guy caught up in a situation somewhat beyond his ability to control (despite it also being one of his - and his company partner's - own making).

So, this is their last chance. On July 1st, I'll go public with their names if I haven't received my payment by then. If I get my payment before then, I'll post here so everyone knows the situation's been resolved.

Thanks to everyone once again for their support, and if you don't hear anything before then...stayed tuned for a final post on July 1st.

They ALWAYS seem like decent guys...The best con men are the ones that can convince you they are "sacrificing" to pay you. But really, if he had budgeted his projects correctly he wouldn't be reaching into his pocket. And even if he is, he shouldn't even be mentioning it to you. It's an attempt to get sympathy.

I've said this before, but the best advice I ever got regarding business was from a vacuum sales owner.

"Pay your people first, your bills second, and yourself last. Then you never get in trouble."

This whole thread should be an object lesson for anyone thinking about starting their own business. Set a budget you can afford to pay now, not based on sales you think you will get later. Don't offer to pay more than you can.

And by all means, don't screw with John Cooper!

 

[John Cooper]

Here's an email I just sent to the party in question.

[Name Withheld],

I just thought I would mention that it is now one week from the first of July, and I have yet to see the $120.00 you still owe me. You'd best be getting a check in the mail, pronto, because if I don't have my payment (in full) on June 30th, then I'm going public with the name of your company on the EN World thread on July 1st. Please note that I must have the $120.00 in my personal possession by June 30th, not your lame assurances that the check has been mailed.

Since you never seem to manage to reply to any of my emails unless I also post on the "Boy, Does It Ever Suck Not Getting Paid!" thread as well, I'll post a similar reminder over there so you're sure to see it.

One week, [Name Withheld]. Then we need never interact with each other again.

John

We'll see if it has any effect. Otherwise, I'll be back on this thread a week from today.

 

[joela]

email

Here's an email I just sent to the party in question.We'll see if it has any effect. Otherwise, I'll be back on this thread a week from today.

Thanks for the update.

 

[xmanii]

I am really curious as to who it is now.

 

[Orcus]

Dont forget to charge interest when you file your small claims action.

Clark

 

[dmccoy1693]

Here's an email I just sent to the party in question. We'll see if it has any effect. Otherwise, I'll be back on this thread a week from today.

I salute your patience as well as your actions.

 

[Spinachcat]

Wow. I am not sure if it is more horrifying that some "publisher" can't fork over $180 bucks or that the payment for three editing jobs in this industry is only $180 bucks.

I know we want to emulate REH and HPL, but how did we get stuck with their per-word rates? And what's this noise about people not paying half up front? Throw me the idol and I throw you the whip.

I have been involved in multiple lawsuits against non-paying clients over the years, so I know how frustrating that can be so I sympathize with the situation. You are FAR more polite about the non-payer than I would be. I only give 90 days and then its hammer time.

Good luck! Hopefully, they will pay up quickly.

 

[Joshua Randall]

John, you are now the chump here. You've repeatedly let these deadbeats off the hook by repeatedly issuing ultimatums and then not following through.

You have three choices now.

(1) Pursue legal action to get your money.
(2) Forget about the money. Out the company here for satisfaction.
(3) Forget about the money and don't do anything else.

Continuing to issue toothless threats, however, is not accomplishing anything.

 

[Alzrius]

John, you've been FAR more patient than I would have been. As it stands now, you've been waiting over a year for your money, and they've only given you a third of it. There's really no excuse for such behavior from a publisher, particularly one that owes you such a small amount. Just be ready to publicly let them have it when the check doesn't arrive in your mailbox July 1st.

On a separate note, I've been looking back over your work, and the timing of this thread versus when some of your products were released. I now think I have a pretty good idea of who the company at fault is (I won't say it here though, in case I'm wrong).