Had a week where two clients ghosted after signing, but one paid a $300 deposit, so is asking for deposits upfront the real test or just luck? | Client Red Flags - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Had a week where two clients ghosted after signing, but one paid a $300 deposit, so is asking for deposits upfront the real test or just luck?
Last week was a mess. Monday this guy signed a contract for a $1,200 logo project, then went silent for three days. Wednesday another one agreed to a $800 website fix and vanished after I sent the invoice. But Friday a third person sent a $300 deposit before I even asked. So now I'm stuck: one side says always get a deposit first to weed out flakes, but the other side says some good people just hate paying before seeing work. What's your take? Did deposits save you or scare off decent folks?