Client refusing to pay $8,500 invoice - no signed contract, what are my options?

So basically i'm losing sleep over this. Did a full brand identity project for a startup - logo, brand guidelines, website mockups, the works. We agreed on $8,500 over email and phone calls, but I never got them to sign an actual contract (I know, I know...).

Delivered everything 6 weeks ago. They loved it, used my logo on their pitch deck to investors, and now they're ghosting me on payment. Emails go unanswered, phone goes to voicemail imo.

Do I have any legal recourse without a signed contract? What are my options here?

Yes! I have an email chain where the founder wrote "Sounds good, $8,500 for the full brand package works for us. Let's get started!" And later emails where they said "Love the logo!" and "Website mockups look great, exactly what we wanted."

I like the idea of a demand letter. Do I need a lawyer to write it, or can I do it myself? Any templates?

Wow, the copyright angle is something I hadn't considered. You're right - I never signed anything transferring rights. They're technically using my work without permission.

I'm going to:

1. Draft a demand letter using the templates here
2. Include the copyright angle - pay the agreed amount or face additional claims
3. Give them 10 days
4. If no response, file in small claims (I'm in Oregon, limit is $10,000)

Will update you all on how it goes.

Good plan. A few things to keep in mind on the copyright angle:

• Copyright infringement is a federal claim - small claims court can't hear it
• To get statutory damages, you'd need to register the copyright (you can do this now, but damages are limited if registration is after infringement)
• So use it as leverage in your demand letter, but your actual lawsuit should probably be breach of contract in small claims

Also - document everything going forward. Screenshot their website, any social media showing your logo, any pitch deck pages you can find. If they try to claim they stopped using it, you want dated proof they were.

Reviving this thread because I'm in an almost identical situation.

I have a client who owes me $6,200 for a web app I built. They've been "about to pay" for 3 months now. They're actively using my code in production but keep giving me the runaround. I've got email chains showing the agreed scope and price, but no signed contract.

Considering going the demand letter route but want to make sure I get the wording right the first time.

Real talk: just want to add some perspective from the collections side. I've worked in B2B collections for 8 years before going independent.

Timing matters a lot. The older the debt, the harder it is to collect. Industry stats show recovery rates drop significantly after 90 days. Amy got paid quickly partly because she acted fast - the project was only 6 weeks overdue when she started this thread.

3 months of excuses is already pushing it. Don't wait any longer. Send that demand letter this week sadly.

Also, for anyone reading this in the future: consider adding a late fee clause to your contracts (when you have them). 1.5% per month is standard. It gives clients incentive to pay on time AND increases what you can collect if they don't.

This thread is gold, bookmarking for future reference. I'm a UX designer and have been freelancing for 5 years - dealt with non-paying clients twice and both times the demand letter worked.

One thing I'd add: after getting burned the first time, I started requiring 50% upfront on all projects over $2k. Lost a few potential clients who "don't pay until work is complete" but honestly those are exactly the clients who don't pay AFTER work is complete either. Red flag filter.