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?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason7982mo 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.

evanr792mo 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.