You are right on Robert.  That is exactly what I was thinking as I read these posts, especially the one from Jessica.  She is fortunate she had on-the-spot leverage, not to mention an up to the minute grasp of his situation.          The rest of us receive work from a company, say, that has paid in the past, and we do exactly as you described and two months later, it is evident we have a problem.

Case in point is Trust Title.  They sent me a project last year that amounted to about 2K which they ultimately paid.    Then nothing for months.  Then they sent a bundle of work again for about 1K.  Would most abstractors have turned that away?  On what basis?   I have not received payment for that work and cannot reach anyone there.    I am by no means lax, nor gullible, nor stupid,    I did a batch of work for a company that had previously paid,  billed them for it at the end of the month and will probably never see payment.

BTW,  I am owed a mere $70 by Abstractors A Go-Go and after reading all of the emails above,  feel quite fortunate.   I am very sorry for everyone else whose loses are substantial and attribute no blame to them.    And it is true,  that when a company owes you,    you often think that to be firm and cut them off will result in them not having an incentive to pay you.  So it becomes a Catch-22. 

Thanks again Robert for your sensitive, logical and understanding take on this issue.

J