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I know better, and yet...

Blogs: #9 of 15

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I know better, and yet...

I know better, and yet I let my client take four illustrations without paying me. I've done work with him ( a mason) before with no problem. This time, his client, a homeowner building a new house, emailed me trying to get me to take more than 60% less! The image you see to the left is one of the illustrations. (I know.) He paid over a million for a knock-down. I had to work from blue prints to get the illustrations done. To see this and other mason jobs visit my commissions gallery .

My job is to show the mason's client what their home will look like with various stone walls and facades requested by the mason. Normally I have no contact with the homeowner. The mason pays me. If he passes on the cost, or absorbs it as a cost of doing business I neither know nor care. This time, the mason said he would get the money and pay me in two days. Normally I follow the COD rule, this time I didn't. I should have listened to the little voice in my head that was screaming 'DON'T DO IT!"

There are two lessons here. One is to NEVER let a job out of your possession until it is paid for in full or unless there is a contract that gives you proof that the fee is owed. The second mistake I made here is to get involved with the mason's client. It is the mason's problem to get paid. Actually, it is still the mason's problem to pay me. I just hate that I was sucked into the mix. This could all have been easily avoided if I had just said "Sorry, you know I can't let you take these until they are paid for."