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Payment major issue with client
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ejeffrey:

--- Quote from: jpanhalt on January 11, 2022, 04:13:38 pm ---No one seems to have mentioned a "mechanic's lien."  In the US, that is a powerful tool.  A quick Google shows that UK is similar.

--- End quote ---

It very likely doesn't apply.  A mechanics lien in the US normally only applies to specific property that was involved in the transaction, and normally it comes up when dealing with subcontractors where the subcontractor can claim directly from the property owner if a general contractor doesn't pay even when they have no established business relationship.  For regular electronics consulting services it wouldn't normally apply and would be handled as a regular contract dispute.

In addition, mechanics liens have notification requirements that it may be too late to meet.

@DigitalDesigner nobody can tell you what to do based on either UK or Irish rules because we don't have all the specifics of your situation.  That is why you need to contact a lawyer with contract law experience in the relevant jurisdiction.  Hopefully the original contract has a choice of law clause so you at least know where you need to find a lawyer.  It's very likely that just an hour or two of legal advice will give you a good idea of where you stand.  A lawsuit would be considerably more expensive for both parties, but you should both be motivated to avoid that.  There are also mediation services and the British equivalent of small claims court which you could do more cheaply without a lawyer representing you, but getting some good legal advice is still the first step.  It shouldn't be that expensive.

One other suggestion: make sure that someone with authority and responsibility at the client knows what is going on.  It's entirely possible that the person you worked with approved a bunch of stuff that they shouldn't have and went over budget and are now trying to push you into doing a bunch of work for free to avoid getting in trouble for unauthorized spending.  They likely don't realize the legal implications of that or contract law.  If someone with more responsibility sees what happened including that you have documentation of requested changes, they may just decide to pay you or make a reasonable settlement offer.
nctnico:

--- Quote from: floobydust on January 11, 2022, 05:54:53 pm ---On the other side, most consultants I have dealt with will not provide any deliverables until fully paid.
Releasing any source documents is a bad idea until you're paid up. Otherwise any other firm can take over your work, while you remain unpaid.

--- End quote ---
Normally I would agree with that but (if the first post is accurate) this client is of the type that likes to rob you by sneaking in extra work without paying extra. Anyone can do without such clients. Sneaking in extra work is a common tactic and easely detectable once you are aware of it. A sane client will ask to finish the basic functionality first before adding extra features. The chance the OP gets paid is next to zero anyway unless ofcourse the contact person is not at the highest management level and messed up (as ejeffrey explained very well).
floobydust:
Thing is, a client that sneaks in the most extra work without paying, will also avoid paying. Crooks are crooks across the board, not just on one issue.
They seem to resent engineers for what they are and actually get entertainment, enjoy giving them the run around.
I had one out past 90 days, he said "just reinvoice me and add 30%" and I was like wtf then realized it would reset the payment clock and I'd still be waiting months, so I didn't take the deal. For one-man firms, gotta put food on the table. Some companies are assholes with 60-90 day accounts payable policy, why finance them - just stipulate Net 30 with penalties for late payment in the contract and if they don't agree, I walk.

I'll release Gerbers and .hex files allowing manufacturing and production but not source until it's settled.
SiliconWizard:
Unless I missed it, the main problem for the OP is not so much about features having changed - which, collecting the corresponding email correspondance, should be traceable - it is whether they clearly stated how that would impact the final price. If they failed to be clear about this, then the client, even if they are playing with it, has every right to be angry.
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