This is my opinion - take it or leave it.  Some people are suprised at what I say on this forum with "everyone supposively lurking."  Well have you noticed that I may discuss matters but I never name names in the forum.  There is a reason for that and I want you all to think about this.  I think it is bad for business to do so.  We all need to take individual responsibility for ourselves and our business to take precautions on who we take work from.  Anyone that we take on new we should always watch that an invoice does not go over thirty days - at the latest.  Anyone we have had as clients for years never let go over 40-45 days without calling.  Also, I may cut off a company for non-payment as I did some years ago but that may not mean that I will never work for them.  Companies do have periods of unstability and sometimes it might not have anything to do with money but with a terrible accountant and accounting system.  I believe this is the case of a company I am dealing with right now - that is actually known to several of you as good payers, although several of us had trouble with them over the years.  If I had in anyway demeaned this company, my ability to re-establish myself with a new relationship now that it is working towards cleaning up everything that got out of hand could never transpire in the future.  But since I chose to work with this company in helping them get old invoices to them and work with them in getting matters resolved, once the reason I stopped working for them is under control, I could discuss working for them again.  And this time, if they wanted to keep me as an abstractor, they will make sure I get paid.  Now I understand this is not for every situation.  Some companies look like they have been out there with deception from the get-go.  But I still believe it is our fault if the invoice balances get out of hand.  I truly cannot believe how out-of-hand some of you let your balances get - the most anyone has screwed me for is 50.00.