I turned to working as a freelance graphics and web designer when I lost my job. I got ghosted on one of the first websites that I ever built. This particular job was for a very niche website targeting the “budak raver” subculture, selling clothing, accessories, hair products and other things aimed at that scene.
I was just inexperienced and trying to break into website design and content writing, so I took whatever work I could get. It was exactly the kind of project I needed at the time: something real I could put in my portfolio and also refine my skills.
We agreed on a 100% commission-based arrangement. I would not get anything upfront, but I would receive 15% of the website’s gross revenue for the first six months, with the commission paid monthly. At the time, I was hoping I might make RM500. Maybe RM1,000 if things went really well.
Honestly, the money was almost secondary. I was happy just to have something I could put in my portfolio. I built the website in WordPress and wrote the copy for her Facebook advertisements. I also had backend access to the website and access to Google Analytics, so I could see how it was performing.
The website started making real money
At first, the revenue was nothing special. RM50 here. RM90 there. The first few weeks were spotty. Then things started picking up.
The website began generating a more consistent daily revenue stream from product sales. The banner advertisements I had also helped put on the site were getting clicks and generating additional revenue.
By the end of the first month, the website had generated more than RM5,000 in gross revenue. That meant my 15% commission was around RM750. I was thrilled. I had done three days of work and was suddenly looking at what felt like serious money for a young freelancer who was just starting out.
The client disappeared
Then I sent my first invoice. My emails went unanswered. My messages went unanswered. My calls were blocked. And the client disappeared.
I still had access to the backend and Google Analytics. I could see that the site was still running and generating revenue. I could still see everything but had control over nothing.
The website kept making money but I wasn’t getting paid. I chased for months and eventually gave up, treating it as a painful lesson about freelancing and eventually wrote the whole thing off. I was young and inexperienced. I had agreed to a commission-based deal without thinking through what would happen if the client decided not to pay me and simply disappear.
So I moved on. A few months went by.
The website crashed
Then I got a message from the client saying that the website had crashed and they “knew” I had done it and wanted me to restore it.
The problem was, I had done absolutely nothing and had absolutely no idea what was wrong with it. Out of curiosity, I tried accessing the website again and found I could only access the same backend systems: Google Analytics and WordPress. But neither of those systems controlled hosting. I couldn’t diagnose the cause or restore the site.
The client had simply assumed that I must have been responsible for it going down.
By this point, the six-month commission period had ended, and based on the revenue I had been able to track, they owed me a lot of money: Almost RM10,000. I had spent months being ignored. Now they were contacting me because they needed something from me.
That’s when it occurred to me: This was my chance to get paid.
Payment plus 10% and then we talk
I replied carefully. I didn’t threaten them, confess to anything, or claim any responsibility for the website going down. I messaged back telling them that until I was paid in full, I was not willing to discuss the website or anything else. they called immediately.
During the conversation, I explained that I still had access to the website’s backend and Google Analytics. I could see the revenue the website had generated during the six-month commission period. I told them exactly what I was owed under our original agreement: Fifteen percent of the relevant gross revenue.
Then I added something that had never been part of our original agreement: A 10% late-payment penalty.
I hadn’t included a late-payment clause when we first made the deal because, frankly, I was young and inexperienced. I had never thought I would need one.
Now, after months of being ignored while the client continued making money from a website I had built, I decided I wanted an additional 10% for the privilege of finally being paid.
They paid in full and paid some more
I sent the final invoice, covering the unpaid commissions I was owed under our original agreement, plus the additional 10% late-payment penalty I had demanded. The money was transferred immediately. I received a screenshot confirming the payment, checked my bank balance and confirmed I had the money.
Then they asked me to restore or enable the website. I couldn’t because I had never disabled it, and I didn’t know what was wrong with it either. But I had already been paid. I was sitting there with a jaw-aching grin on my face as I sent her one final message:
“Thank you for making payment on the outstanding invoice, including the late payment surcharge. I had nothing to do with your website crashing. Perhaps talk to your web hosting provider. This concludes our business arrangement. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.”
Then I blocked them.
Getting paid is another job entirely
Freelancers get screwed regularly, especially when we’re starting out. When you’re young and inexperienced, you don’t have much leverage. You don’t have a reputation or influence. Sometimes you don’t even have much of a portfolio.
You just need the work. So you take the job. You trust the client to be honest. Then you learn that getting the job was the easy part. Getting paid is another job in itself. Sometimes, even having a detailed contract covering payment terms and the scope of work isn’t enough to make someone pay you voluntarily.
This was one of the first times I learned that being a freelancer isn’t just about being good at what you do. You also have to learn to protect yourself because nobody teaches you that part.
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Read also: ‘I gave up my family to pursue my dreams’ Shares 34 YO M’sian woman – In Real Life
https://inreallife.my/i-gave-up-my-family-to-pursue-my-dreams-shares-34-yo-msian-woman/
‘I gave up my family to pursue my dreams’ Shares 34 YO M’sian woman
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