DAE remember when a handshake and a landline were enough to trust a new client? | Client Red Flags - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
DAE remember when a handshake and a landline were enough to trust a new client?
Back in 2019 I did a full bathroom remodel for a guy in Cleveland and never signed a thing, just shook on it in his driveway and he paid in full two weeks after the last tile went in. Last month I had a new client email me a 9 page contract for a $400 shelf install and wanted net-60 terms on it, which felt like a totally different world. I ended up passing on the job, mostly because I could not tell if the paperwork was a good sign or a warning. Your mileage may vary, but lately it feels like the folks who front-load the legal stuff are the ones who plan to make you chase a check. Anyone else notice the shift from a handshake to a stack of forms, or is it just the jobs I'm getting in my area?