Ask HN: How do you deal with deadbeat clients?
It raised a number of questions for me - Is it just a matter of patience and perseverance? Knowing that eventually all the chasing you do will pay off with the amount you invoiced? Are there ways to mitigate this issue?
The first comment I normally get when I bring this up in conversation with peers is that you have to have a ROCK-SOLID contract and statement of work drawn up for your clients. Sure, this helps people understand that you mean business, and will normally help with the majority of your business relationships. But there's that fraction of clients that will laugh in your face and drag it out for however long they want because they know you can't afford to retain a lawyer to fight them.
So what are the other options? cap deploy:web:disable? Backup and delete everything? That tack, to me, is a very last resort but still reeks of legal quagmire. You, obviously, wouldn't want to be brought up on charges of "hacking", right?
The only other option I've considered - public shaming/outcry. Designers and copy-writers who've had their work stolen/plagiarized have been quick to post on their blogs about it and circle the wagons w/their communities. And quite often it works. But what about posting about that deadbeat client? Does that smell of desperation, poor business practice, and would it be a reputation killer?