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My main client's payment portal went down the day before my mortgage was due
It happened last Thursday, right when I was about to invoice for a $2,800 flooring job I finished. Their whole system just crashed, and support said it could be a week. I had to call my bank and ask for a three-day grace period, which they gave me, but it was super stressful. Has anyone else had a payment delay from a client's tech problem, and what's your backup plan?
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evafoster1mo ago
Been there, felt that panic. You need a separate bank account just for this junk, call it whatever you want. Fund it with a tiny cut from every single payment that comes in, even just twenty bucks. That way when their system melts down, your money for bills is already sitting there waiting. Why let their tech problem become your emergency?
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gray3141mo ago
I used to just trust the big company payment systems, but a $1,500 delay from a client's "server migration" last year changed my mind. Now I have a separate savings account I call the "glitch fund" with one month's bills.
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shane_hernandez1mo ago
The Freelancers Union blog had a piece about payment tech fails, and they said 30% of contractors get hit by this. A separate account just for delays is the move.
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the_mary16d ago
Absolutely! I got burned last fall when a client's new payroll software choked. My rent check almost bounced. Now I keep a "buffer account" with enough to cover a full month of expenses. It's the only thing that lets me sleep when payments get stuck.
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