What to do in case of delay or non-payment by the customer?

Question

Freelance

Please tell me effective options in a situation where the customer significantly delays payment (or the option - did not pay at all). What should be done (where to write / complain, etc.), and what should not be done in such situations? Is it still worth working with such a customer?
More. On different services there is a different percentage for a safe transaction, there are more than 10%, 10, 9, 7, 5, 3, 2. It is clear that the conditions are different, but what is still more objective, from practice? Or is it worth paying for it at all?
Thanks a lot in advance for the tips!

Answer 1

For new clients, break the project into stages, creating technical specifications, layout layout, functionality implementation, admin panel.
Thus reducing the risks.

Answer 2

clear terms of reference and contract + careful study of the rules of a "safe" transaction

Answer 3

I repeat the platitudes above, the customer should sleep on the performer, initially the conditions should suit you

Answer 4

A secure transaction is not a panacea at all. You cannot conduct 100% correspondence through a guarantor. All kinds of Skype / Slack are more convenient.
Break it down into small steps.
https://habrahabr.ru/company/polyglot/blog/300628/

Answer 5

Take an advance payment.

Answer 6

if the contract, then to the court; if
through the exchange, then to arbitration ;

Answer 7

What to do? Sprinkle ashes on your head and curse yourself for your naivety.
But, as they say, there is a hole in the old woman. You don’t have to go far, I myself recently encountered such a customer.
If this happens, try to explain to the customer that as a user of your product, it is much more important for him, as a user of your product, to maintain a normal working relationship with you than to receive a one-time benefit and risk that one day he will have to pay double when he needs to contact you for help. Programs, after all, as you know, sometimes break down and need support.
I absolutely agree with those who recommended immediately setting the condition of partial prepayment and staged payment. Psychologically, it is easier for the customer to part with a small amount of money every time than to fight with his toad later when you need to pay a large amount at once.
I do not agree only with the fact that such a condition should be set only for a new customer. It shouldn't matter if it's new or old. The rule should be the same for everyone. As they say, any girl with peaches sooner or later becomes a grandmother with dried apricots.
PS I have never used guarantors, because they do not actually guarantee anything and in a dispute they prefer to take the side of the customer, because he is more important to them than you, one of the millionth army of performers.