c/client-ghosting-stories

Half upfront stopped a ghost, but scared off a solid buyer too

I tried taking 50% deposits on all my illustration commissions after getting strung along for 3 months by a startup in Portland. Last week a repeat customer who always paid fast balked at the new terms and vanished, which stung. The deposit did filter out one tire-kicker, but I lost a good gig over it. Is there a middle ground here, like a smaller hold or milestone payments, or am I just stuck picking between the two?

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michael803•1d ago

Banking on a deposit schedule bit me when the second wire never showed

My web rebuild for a dentist in Tampa was 60% done when they stopped answering mid-word on Slack. I had them on a 3-payment plan, so I let the second and third installments slide because the first felt like good faith. Tuesday I checked and the domain got transferred away, that is when I knew. I learned to pause all work the second a payment is even a day late, no exceptions. Has anyone else had a client treat a signed payment plan like a loose suggestion?

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william_craig7•7d ago

I finally tried a deposit for a $400 logo job and it worked out oddly well

A freelance gig from a Portland startup ghosted me last March after two weeks of silence, so I added a 50% upfront fee to my next project. The client paid instantly and even said it made them feel more serious about it, but has anyone else seen a deposit actually scare off the dreamers?

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kim_davis•7d ago

The 3 month silence that finally made me stop chasing work

I used to just keep emailing and calling every week after a project stalled, thinking I was being persistent. Last spring, a retail client in Austin went quiet for 3 months and I finally realized I was just making it easier for them to ignore me. Now I send one check-in, then move on and line up other work. Does anyone else set a hard cutoff for follow ups?

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haydenhayes•8d ago

The client who 'just needed a quick edit' and vanished with my sample files

Had a freelancer reach out in March about a logo tweak, I sent over three revised drafts, and then radio silence for 10 weeks. She finally replied last Tuesday asking if I still had the files, like I was supposed to hold them hostage for her schedule. Has anyone else had a client disappear, come back, and act like the pause never happened?

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evan_grant70•9d ago

Lost a $4,200 retainer after the client went quiet for 6 weeks, then popped back up

I was working on a brand refresh for a coffee shop in Seattle, sent over the mood boards and the first round of logo sketches back in March, and then nothing, no replies to emails or calls for a month and a half. Out of nowhere last Tuesday the owner texts me saying they loved everything but already paid a friend to finish it, and asked if I could send the raw files anyway. Has anyone else had a client come back just to squeeze free assets after ghosting you halfway through?

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colegarcia•22d ago

Lost $400 on a branding gig after 6 weeks of silence

Back in March I took on a small cafe rebrand near Portland. We agreed on $800 total, half upfront, half on delivery. I sent over the full logo set plus menu templates after two weeks, then NOTHING. No replies to my texts, no calls, nothing for six weeks. I finally checked their Instagram and they'd posted my new logo without ever paying the other $400. I tried a polite invoice and then a firmer one, but they just blocked me. I'm usually good at vetting clients, but this one had a solid portfolio and references. Has anyone else gotten ghosted after delivering work, and what do you do when they use the work anyway?

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bell.jessica•26d ago

Clients ghosting for 6 months then texting like nothing happened

Last spring I showed a family the cutest fixer-upper in Aurora, they loved it, then vanished after the second viewing. Out of nowhere yesterday they texted asking if the house was still available, not even a sorry for the silence. Anyone else get these random resurrections and how do you handle the awkwardness without sounding annoyed?

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oliviabutler•27d ago

The payment deadline trick that saved my last retainer

I used to just send invoices and hope for the best, but after getting ghosted on $2,800 from a web dev project, I tried adding a 5 day late fee notice right in the invoice footer. Last month, a client who usually goes silent for weeks paid within 48 hours of me referencing that notice in a follow-up. It wasn't the threat that worked, it was the specific date I put in bold, like 'invoice due July 10, late fee kicks in July 15'. Anyone else find that a hard deadline with a number attached beats any friendly reminder?

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