My main client's payment system went down for 48 hours and I almost missed rent

It happened last Tuesday, and their accounting portal just stopped accepting invoices. I had to call three different people to get a manual wire, which took a full day. Has anyone else had a client's internal process fail right before a big bill was due?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray_miller411mo ago

Honestly, that "manual wire" process is the real killer. Tbh I've started adding a line in my contracts about a late fee if their payment system fails. It's not about the money, it just makes them take the problem seriously so they fix their portal faster.

perry.evan1mo agoTop Commenter

Saw a blog post from a freelance writer who basically does the same thing. She calls it a "systems failure fee" and it's a flat rate, not tied to the invoice amount. Her point was that chasing down a wire transfer eats up admin time you should be billing for.

lisaf381mo ago

That "systems failure fee" name is clever, makes it sound less personal. But is chasing a wire really that big of a deal? A few emails over a couple days. Ray_miller41 has a point about making them fix the portal, but a whole fee for that feels like nickel and diming unless it's a constant problem with the same client.