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Rant: My main client's payment system crashed for 5 days straight
It happened right after the new year, right when I was expecting a big invoice to clear. The client uses a specific platform called 'PayFlow' and it just stopped working. I had to email them directly, which delayed everything by over a week. Has anyone else had a client's payment tech fail and how did you handle the cash flow gap?
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mason7985mo ago
Yeah, the "big invoice to clear" part is the real kicker. That's why I keep a separate account just for business expenses and a small buffer. When their system goes down, you're stuck. I had a client's check get lost in the mail once and it threw off my whole month. Now I build a little extra time into my payment terms for this exact reason. Tech fails, but your bills don't stop.
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evanr795mo ago
My buddy Mike runs a small landscaping crew. Last spring his main client's online payment portal crashed right when a five thousand dollar invoice was due. He had three guys to pay and a truck payment, but the money was just stuck. He had to take a high interest cash advance to cover it, which ate like four hundred bucks in fees. Now he makes all his clients agree to a one week grace period after the due date before any late fees kick in, just for this kind of mess.
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theas942mo ago
Grab a card with a 0% intro APR offer just for emergencies like this. Paid off the balance before the promo ended, cost me nothing in interest. Also started sending manual invoices 3 days before the automated system was supposed to fire. Gives me a head start if their tech craps out again.
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