who is right

huskies1 · #1 (**permalink**) 01-13-2008, 02:30 AM

If someone paid you to write articles and you were only able to finish 1/2 the job because you had a family emergency, should the person pay you for the work you did complete? If they do not pay you for the work, can you use the articles and resell them. This would be if someone gave you general topics but you did all the research and writing on your own.

Surreal · #2 (**permalink**) 01-13-2008, 12:54 PM

Well, considering you wrote them and the contract (if any) was broken, you are the official copyright holder of those articles. If they didn't pay you then I would ask them to remove those articles that you wrote so you can resell them. However if they pay you for what you wrote, then I would avoid making a situation and leave it alone.

hwang · #3 (**permalink**) 01-13-2008, 03:03 PM

Actually the person has the right not to pay you for a half complete job. Instead of sending the half done article to him, just tell him the actual reason causing your delay and then offer another date to submit a complete one to him. I think the guy would gladly understand your problem.

huskies1 · #4 (**permalink**) 01-13-2008, 06:36 PM

This happened a long time ago and I was just curious about it. Actually I was more than 1/2 done and it was a comprehensive job. He paid a portion upfront and was to pay the rest at the end. I refunded him his deposit and asked him to send me what he thought was fair. He said he would not pay me anything nor extend the deadline. This is not something I would normally due but there had been a serious problem and I even offered documentation to prove it wasn't just some excuse.

titaniumhijau · #5 (**permalink**) 01-13-2008, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huskies1

If someone paid you to write articles and you were only able to finish 1/2 the job because you had a family emergency, should the person pay you for the work you did complete? If they do not pay you for the work, can you use the articles and resell them. This would be if someone gave you general topics but you did all the research and writing on your own.

Nope. If i'm the person paying you, i don't think i will paid. My rule, if your job done and its good. I will paying you. If not, sorry.

Actually, if he can wait for that emergency case, its fine. If not, you just broke the rule.

huskies1 · #6 (**permalink**) 01-14-2008, 07:04 PM

I guess what I feel is wrong about the situation is that he didn't pay me but used the 3/4 of the work that I did do. Since he would not give me an exension he still ended up getting 75% of the job for free.

Even if you work somewhere and you have a project to do for your boss,there are extinuating circumstances in which you are granted and extensions such as an ilness.

I had actually been hospitalized and was not allowed to work from my hospital bed. So in this case it wasn't something I could have helped. I just felt that if he was going to use the work I did completed he could have compensated me for that work at least even if only a fraction of what I would have orginally been paid.

Surreal · #7 (**permalink**) 01-15-2008, 07:25 AM

Remember both parties have rights and responsibilities. His responsibility was to pay you and your responsibility was to complete the work. I would have expected an extension if it was an illness (or even compensation), however that is life.

hwang · #8 (**permalink**) 01-15-2008, 03:27 PM

The guys should be more understanding and to be fair to you, he should extend your deadline if you provided valid reasons. The way you explain is very important to make him understand.

huskies1 · #9 (**permalink**) 01-16-2008, 02:17 AM

I again would like to thank everyone for their input. I had just wondered what everyone's view would be as it was an unusual circumstance. By him using my work and not paying at all, I feel that I was taken advantage of to a point.

Surreal · #10 (**permalink**) 01-16-2008, 07:46 AM

It does seem unfair to a point, however, he probably had a deadline for his website to be online or updated. But, since we are talking about articles, I would have assumed he would have paid you for the ones you had written. Lesson learned; I would say that you should ask for a payment on an article by article basis rather then them as a whole.

hwang · #11 (**permalink**) 01-16-2008, 02:28 PM

Sometimes a deal has to be mentioned properly before starting a service. In this case, I could not say which one is right or wrong but obviously both parties didn't mention the terms of the deal clearly.