My advice
Clearly your relationship with this company is screwed, so you are not likely to lose out in the future if you take them for all that is owed to you.
The rule of thumb when going direct with companies you have no previous history with is this:
Only take a very short assignment and test out what their integrity levels are like over payment. If they don't pay up or you have difficulty getting paid then you won't be screwed for much money. Two weeks max should be the first assignment you take on. Make sure this is paid before you take on another.
Always ensure there is some written evidence of performance given at regular stages when dealing with a new client. As for a weekly meeting and ensure that the outcomes are documented and signed for. If this doesn't seem plausible, then just tape record the conversation covertly. No manager with integrity is going to mind performance meetings that hold them now and in the future to what they say they think about you, and if they are genuine and sincere about using you again then it's no loss to them doing this. Such documented evidence or acknowledgements that you have tape recorded evidence also puts paid to them screwing you for underperformance later on.
Always covertly ensure that you find out who their key clients or customers are, but without the company overtly knowing. You don't intend to use this information against them, but if a client tries to screw you but realises later on that you could potentially **** them in some way by bad mouthing them to their key customers, then they will be less inclined to screw you in the first place.
Always check their payment records and reputation before starting with a new client. Always ask if they can provide the names of other contractors who work for them and ring them and ask what they are like to work for.
Again, only those companies that have got something to hide or who don't intend to pay you or treat you fairly will see any of the above transparency measures for accountability as a potential threat. If they start to complain or object at the outset, then see this as a clear sign that they are not worth bothering with and that you will be putting your business and livleihood potentially at risk.
Clearly your relationship with this company is screwed, so you are not likely to lose out in the future if you take them for all that is owed to you.
The rule of thumb when going direct with companies you have no previous history with is this:
Only take a very short assignment and test out what their integrity levels are like over payment. If they don't pay up or you have difficulty getting paid then you won't be screwed for much money. Two weeks max should be the first assignment you take on. Make sure this is paid before you take on another.
Always ensure there is some written evidence of performance given at regular stages when dealing with a new client. As for a weekly meeting and ensure that the outcomes are documented and signed for. If this doesn't seem plausible, then just tape record the conversation covertly. No manager with integrity is going to mind performance meetings that hold them now and in the future to what they say they think about you, and if they are genuine and sincere about using you again then it's no loss to them doing this. Such documented evidence or acknowledgements that you have tape recorded evidence also puts paid to them screwing you for underperformance later on.
Always covertly ensure that you find out who their key clients or customers are, but without the company overtly knowing. You don't intend to use this information against them, but if a client tries to screw you but realises later on that you could potentially **** them in some way by bad mouthing them to their key customers, then they will be less inclined to screw you in the first place.
Always check their payment records and reputation before starting with a new client. Always ask if they can provide the names of other contractors who work for them and ring them and ask what they are like to work for.
Again, only those companies that have got something to hide or who don't intend to pay you or treat you fairly will see any of the above transparency measures for accountability as a potential threat. If they start to complain or object at the outset, then see this as a clear sign that they are not worth bothering with and that you will be putting your business and livleihood potentially at risk.
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