When doing work for a large company, it can sometimes be a hassle to get payments on time.

What happens if the corporation flat out refuses to pay you for the work performed and says to cancel the project?

That is what the software developer in this story was dealing with, but he got the last laugh.

Check it out.

“So Sue Me…” Really?

I was working 40 hours/week programming at my main job, but I did occasional small projects in the evenings and on weekends for other clients.

At one point I was referred to a large company that runs major stadiums and event venues around the country (one of their stadiums is relatively close to where I live).

I’ll just call them MARK-1 for this story.

THE SAGA BEGINS

Easy enough.

This manager at MARK-1 said they wanted a simple administration database and user interface for employee timekeeping.

Apparently the old system they had was not working for them.

I got details of what they wanted and drafted a set of specifications.

Told them I could write the system to the specs for $2,000 flat rate.

They agreed.

I immediately went to work and churned out a database and UI for the system with full documentation in about 2 weeks.

So far so good.

So, I scheduled an in-person meeting to show them.

Now when I showed up at the meeting, someone representing the security department was there.

And he asked about getting some additional features.

Sure, I told him, I can do that.

So I went back, wrote up a change request and incorporated the additional features into the platform.

I scheduled another meeting with MARK-1 for a couple of days later.

He should be charging for these changes.

When I got to that meeting I noticed the audience had grown: there were two extra people from the finance department.

“Can you add Feature X, Feature Y and Feature Z?” they asked.

“Sure, no problem.”

So I left, wrote up a CR and added the features.

A few days later I met with them again.

At this point, the company is just taking advantage of him.

Imagine my surprise when the audience size had grown, and the new attendees asked for more features.

This went on for about 5 more rounds, and I was getting frustrated that I had spec’d out a 2-week project that was now taking months.

And I wouldn’t be paid until I delivered (and they accepted) the final product.

But I chugged along implementing all their change requests.

But one day the MARK-1 manager called me.

Apparently she had been speaking with other departments that weren’t represented in her status meetings of ever-increasing mass.

She gave me a list of dozens of new features they wanted, some of which would require a complete redesign of the core database and an overhaul of the UI.

I had had enough.

I told her “This is a complete overhaul of the original spec. I’ll have to redesign and rebuild this from the ground up.”

Wow, not only trying to get him to work for free, but she is rude about it too?

“Well that’s not my problem,” she responded.

“Well actually it is. I’m not going to design and build an entirely new system until you pay me for the current one, built to the specs we agreed on.”

After a short pause, she dropped a bomb on me: “Well we’re not going to renegotiate. You can consider this project canceled.”

“That’s not how this works. You still have to pay me for the work I’ve done.”

“No I don’t. You haven’t delivered anything. Sue me.”

And she hung up.

MEET ME AT THE COURTHOUSE

I took MARK-1 manager’s advice and went to the courthouse the next day to file in small claims court to recover $2,000 from MARK-1.

On my court date a couple of months later, I went down to the courthouse and was greeted by an arbitrator.

In my state, they have court-appointed arbitrators meet the litigants when they arrive, to see if the parties can sort out the case with an agreement to maximize the judge’s time.

Good for him!

The arbitrator asked me “Is there anything you would agree to, to resolve this immediately?”

I thought about it and said “If they’ll pay me 90%, $1,800, right now I’ll drop the suit.”

He then went into a side room where the MARK-1 manager and the corporate lawyer were hanging out.

I heard her screaming that they would either “Pay it all or pay zero!”

The arbitrator came to me with the news, and I told him “I heard, and I’m happy to take it all.”

He laughed and said no, they want to go to trial.

Fast forward a couple of hours, and we’re standing in front of the judge.

I’m at my table alone, and the MARK-1 manager and lawyer are standing at the opposite table.

The judge asked MARK-1 manager to tell her side first.

She went into a very long speech about the project and corporate America and apple pie and thermonuclear weapons and honestly I have no idea because I stopped listening about 28 minutes ago.

She talked nonstop for at least 30 mins.

Then the judge asked me for my story.

Now I wasn’t maliciously ignoring MARK-1 manager’s long-winded tale of political intrigue and patriotism.

I was actually formulating a strategy.

I thought to myself the judge probably had people who liked to speechify in front of him all day every day.

I also thought he might appreciate a short and sweet story that got straight to the point and didn’t waste his time.

Short and to the point.

So I said “Your honor, they agreed to pay me $2,000 to design and build a software system for them.

I completed the work based on the agreed specs and then they decided to cancel the project after I was done.”

That was it.

Then the judge asked me “How do I know you did the work?”

I had printed out the specs, change requests, documentation, and source code the night before.

I lifted a ream of paper (500 pages) from my table and offered it to the bailiff. “Here’s the code I wrote for them your honor.”

The bailiff came to take it from me and the judge waved him off: “No need, I can see it from here.”

The judge then asked MARK-1 manager “Is this true?”

She looked like she was in a daze. “Uhhhhhh yes…”

“Then I find for the plaintiff in the amount of $2,000.”

**** YOU, PAY ME!

About a month later, MARK-1 still hadn’t paid.

So I called the county sheriff and explained.

Sent him the court judgement documents, and he said “No problem, they’ll pay.”

The sheriff actually called me later that day.

Wow, that is quite the sheriff!

He was on a cell phone and I could hear him talking to the MARK-1 manager.

He told her cut a check for $2,000 right now or he was going to “rip your computers out of the wall and auction them off until the judgement is satisfied.”

I don’t know if he had that authority, but the sheriff seemed to have a grudge against MARK-1, and he was reveling in the opportunity to dog them out.

Apparently MARK-1 believed he had the authority because—long story short—the sheriff had a $2,000 check in his hand about 15 minutes later and it was in my mailbox about a week later.

Now that is an excellent story with a very satisfying ending. Well done.

I’m sure the people in the comments have a lot to say.

Yeah, he still lost out on what he should have gotten.

This would have saved a lot of hassle.

Big time lawyers have no power in small claims court.

This commenter is exactly right! Never work for free.

Oh, this is good to know!

Why is it huge corporations seem to try to stick it to small contractors?

They’re not going to stand for it.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.