Client gave me multiple checks that bounced

I need some help with a bad client. They were a month late paying a balance that they signed in a legal contract. The late fee was $100. When they gave me a check (didn't include the late fee) it bounced. They apologized and said the bank I was using was lying when they said it was due to insufficient fees. They gave me another check and i deposited it into a different bank account. That check also bounced. Both times I was given $10 fees for a returned check so in total she also owes me $120 in fees.

This time she said she was hacked and would give me the money 'when she could', which by now has caused a lot of problems in my life financially. The original account I deposited the check in only had $100 (I don't use it often) and when it bounced it took my account in the negative and I obtained overdraft fees after I used the money (while it was still good) to pay a bill.

I called 311, they sent me to a sheriff who told me to contact the district attorney. The client could now owe 2x the amount plus 3 months in jail.

My mom thinks it is cruel to go this route, but I currently don't have the money to buy groceries and we're about to get a 3 day snow storm. She thinks I should suck it up and is afraid nobody will want to work with me if this woman gets sent to prison.

>My mom thinks it is cruel to go this route
fuck your mom, get paid.

what was the contract for?

Just do it, they're not better than a thief. If anything, maybe the generous route is to have them sign a contract to pay 2x the amount, but have jail time waived.

At this point I am 100% sure it's fraud given:

She told me a mutual acquaintance had been known to fraud people out of money and had gotten away with it. The next week she went and hung out with this person at a bar.

I do web design/branding and she removed the domain DNS (what points the domain to the host server) so you couldn't see the finished site anymore from her domain (I still have it hosted on my server). She refused help on reconnecting her domain to my server.

She backtracked a few times saying she never got the link to the website, even though she literally owned the domain it was on and had already met with me in person to go over the design AND I sent her a link in a text message. Me not showing her the in progress website by a specific date would have nulled the contract so she tried to sneak her way out of it.

After the second bounced check I told her I needed the money in cash, today. She was upset that I didn't believe her (and refused to go to the bank to get the cash) and said I owed her the balance she did pay me back since she didn't have the site. (Legally she doesn't get the finished site until it is paid in full anyway - but again, it is finished).

I have several texts from her where she says that she liked the design and was surprised by how fast I did it.

See

Also, after the second check bounced she said it was hacked. The first time she said she called the bank and everything was fine.

She's been posting on facebook about a trip to Mexico, going on weekend trip to NYC, buying three computers, etc.

1. What you did was fine. Your mom is being a pussy, although it is a bit pathetic that your life gets turned upside down by one unpaid check.

2. The DA's job is to prosecute crimes, nit collect your money. It's possible that a criminal prosecution (if it happens) will result in restitution, but you're not the primary interest in criminal court.

3. If you want to defend your own interests, file suit in civil or small claims court (depending on the amount in question). If the client isn't paying you, they're probably not paying others either. First one to get a judgment can get priority over the others.

>Just do it, they're not better than a thief. If anything, maybe the generous route is to have them sign a contract to pay 2x the amount, but have jail time waived.
Shut up faggot. You can't sign a contract agreeing to waive jail time. Not only is that decision not in your hands, but threatening criminal prosecution to collect a debt is illegal. Never post here again.

I don't really want to send her to jail considering she has two children but I am not sure that I will be the one to ultimately make that decision if it gets to the district attorney.

Yeah you have to talk to an attorney. Your client is clearly committing fraud.
No one is going to think poorly of you for taking a con artist to court unless they're also looking to take advantage of you.

It's been tough getting clients this winter, and yes I feel pathetic.

Why is this even a question?
you did work, you get paid.
Shes breaking the law on top of everything else and bullshitting you.

You will never get paid unless you take action now.

>My mom
>She thinks I should suck it up and is afraid nobody will want to work with me if this woman gets sent to prison.

is this a troll attempt?

Your mom is fucking idiot. The fact that she choses their side over yours is fucking disgusting.

Fuck them up user, for your own self worth, principles and dignity.

It wont affect business one bit.

Thanks. Yeah I got into a tiff with my mom over it. She pretty much raised me to lay down like a dog and doesn't like it when I stick up for myself... hence why I decided to start my own business instead of working at Dunkin Donuts like she suggests.

Depends... in the construction industry when a shit cunt decides not to pay we go back and start taking our materials away

Big storm coming up? Better give me that 20k in cash plus a little something extra or the roof comes off and your house is ruined
ALWAYS works

you aren't sending her to prison. She's sending herself.

That's a good way to look at it. She shouldn't have performed fraud without knowing the repercussions (that would make her a complete idiot) and if she did know them and decided it do it regardless she deserves it (and more of an idiot).

Yeah sounds like she lives in a fairy land like a lot of people and I get why she might feel bad. Its better not to involve people like that for your own sanity.

Look on both sides, not only does your client have kids but she is putting them at risk by breaking the law.

What example does she set for her kids by ripping people off?

What does that say about you if you let people like this fuck you over? It will most likely happen to you again anyway so its a good lesson for you.

Your client is probably telling another version of events making you look bad while she thinks she has robbed you (you have effectively been conned)

I understand being Ethical but even you know what she is doing is not acceptable.

If it were me? I would follow that legal path and let them deal with it, chances are she will get a call or a letter outlining what why shes fucked and she will magically find you money.

She basically stole from you. What do you think Tony Soprano would do in this situation?

>Look on both sides, not only does your client have kids but she is putting them at risk by breaking the law.
>What example does she set for her kids by ripping people off?

Well said.

I always require 50% up front before work gets started. Full payment is required before deliverables are released. Checks take five days to clear, so not going to do anything based off a check until I find out it passes.

I've had people take half a year to pay me in installments jusnt before I could actually get work started.

I joked about the crowbar to my s/o and mom. I know where she lives and works, where her husband works.

But she already 'has a bad knee' from when she slipped on the floor at work and blamed that the floor had been mopped without a sign. I asked her if the floor was wet and she said 'I don't know, that's what my lawyer said could have happened so I went with it".

Didn't know about this until after the site was finished.......

We've worked together on personal projects and I had planned on giving her a project to help her career so I didn't think she would stiff me. I really didn't. I've met her kids and husband. I've been to her house. I thought I knew her, but still tried to protect myself with a contract because I know working with people you know is tricky.

sup faggot OP

this is how it will be.

you will contact the district attorney.

that cunt will pay you, x2, and she wont go to jail. you're going to make a deal, because she will rather pay, than go to jail.

and if she really doesnt has the money, fuck her, she's going to mexico and shit, and you were going to "pay" for her vacation? fuck that.

your mom doesn't love you, is she getting the client's dick or what

>my s/o

Your mom is being a pussy. Nail this bitch OP

>She thinks I should suck it up and is afraid nobody will want to work with me if this woman gets sent to prison.

Yeah, people that bounce checks won't want to work with you. Doesn't sound like a big problem to me.

Well you live and learn. Learn not to make exceptions to people you "trust." Uphold the same standards for everyone, otherwise you will eventually get fucked.

It's possible she doesn't love me. She has pretty much always chosen the side of someone else over me for as long as I can remember.

if her bank account was hacked then the bank wouldve closed it, let her show you her bank statements

How much is owed?
I tried to sue for between $1,100 and $9,000 (pending court ruling) but the time and effort invested, and required for future appearances and paperwork just wasn't worth it.

Every time I filled in a new form I got agitated and angry and it lasted a few hours to a few days so I just stopped filing papers to the court and in the next few months I'll get a letter from them saying the case will drop if I don't file bla bla bla.

Threatening court action really only works with big businesses because it's cheaper for them to pay you a few dollars than to pay their corporate lawyer tens of thousands just to fight a trivial fight.

With poor cunts who have no money to begin with, they always win, even if you get your money.

Good thing she decided to bounce checks, which is a crime. No need for civil court.

That's why the district attorney process is supposed to help vs a civil court case. They can only award up to $750 in my state but up to 3 months prison.

I assume it's difficult to 'prove' intent to deliberately bounce a check. I also wonder if that's a high priority for the DA.

I wish you well. I wasn't so lucky.

Business owner. I have been down this route a few times. Here's the things you need to do:

1) Get all this on the record, preferably by email, where you make it clear the user is in debt to you by ______ amount, the dates, times, checks that bounced. Basically have a bunch of factual evidence of everything that is happening. In nice packaged emails.

2) Once it is 100% clear the client is dodging you, and you have given them the benefit of the doubt, then it's time to get serious. Send them an email that basically says they have ______ days before you use legal methods to obtain what you are owed, and also mention that you have plenty of evidence to support your claim against them.

3) Then you just have to decide how far you want to take it. Often times a threat gets the job done. I say if you have given them plenty of time and options and they still want to fuck you then go after them with all the power you have. It's not right for someone to hire someone for work, then decide not to pay them. I don't give a fuck what their excuse is. If they were having money problems they sure as fuck should not have hired people they cannot afford. In some rare situations, having a heart and forgiving the debt is a good thing for your business reputation in the community. But 90% of the time you want to crush people like this, they are scum.

Last client that tried to pull this shit, I threatened legal action, and 7 days later I got a good check in the mail. The same asshole contacted me 2 weeks later asking for some free work. I told them to fuck off.

One more thing, I just kinda glanced at the thread.

I think this is a civil matter, not a criminal one.

Meaning you would filing in small claims court.

My email to her would read something like this:

Dear ________,

This is ________ of _______LLC. On the following dates I performed the following services for you: _____________. The total balance due for service is ___________. To date I have recieved ________. That leaves a remaining balance of ___________. On ______ date I recieved a check from you that did not clear (attached image). And you informed me that _________. Then on _______ date I recieved another check that did not clear and you informed me __________.

Unfortunately as a business owner I cannot afford to accept checks that do not clear, and stories as to why they have not cleared. Please meet me at your convenience within 5 business days to arrange a cash, cashier's check, or money order payment for services rendered.

Otherwise I will be forced to pursue legal means to recover the money owed.

Regards,
user

>pic
gotta keep those ankles covered

They have an entire program dedicated to it. It's like a virus that spreads. One person writes a bad check to a second person, second person unknowingly writes a check that three days later they don't have funds for and so on.

I've already researched but thank you. I have sent her these kinds of letters previously and they only resulted in bad checks.