At one point in my life every job and every payment mattered. If I was expecting money on Friday and I didn’t get it, I had problems, sometimes very big problems.

Even once I was more established, there were times when a client owed me several thousand dollars. And although, I could still survive without it, for an un-wealthy person like myself, that’s too much money to just shrug off.

But as it goes in the world of freelancing, there have been cases, where I didn’t get a single penny from a client. I know I’m not the first freelancer to get screwed over and I won’t be the last.

But I think it’s a little too easy for clients to do freelancers dirty and move on without being held accountable. And there are too many freelancers out there that get shafted and are left feeling like there’s nothing they can do about it.

No more. It’s time to shed some light on the shade. And the Blast Community is just the place to do it.

If you did work but didn’t get paid, had a client use samples as commissioned work or a client did other dirty deeds, you do not have to suffer in silence. You can put ’em on blast.

What’s The Blast Community About?

The Blast Community has two primary goals:

• To give you a place to report bad business (and maybe get a resolution.)
• To provide a tool to vet clients so you can make wiser business decisions.

Here’s how the Blast Community works:

1) You report a problem with a client.

2) The reported issue becomes part of the Blast Community database.

3) If you provide an email address or social media handles, we’ll let the client know they were put on blast.

4) We post the issue on dedicated Facebook and Twitter pages and tag the client for additional exposure, if we have the info. People who want to jump onboard can show support and have their say.

4) In an ideal situation, the client will reach out to resolve the situation.

5) People who consider working with the client in the future can do a quick search and see past issues before deciding if, or how, they will proceed with a project.

More questions? Okay. Let’s get to them.

It says I can report anonymously but you ask for my name and email address. Why?

This is solely for admin. There are some instances where we may need to contact you. For example, if you put a company on blast for non-payment and they reach out to us wanting to resolve the issue, we’ll let you know. You can decide how to proceed from there.

We ABSOLUTELY will not reveal your identity or contact details without your permission.

Can I identify myself if I want to?

Sure. Just include your name in the details section. Add your email address or a social media account too if you want people to be able to reach you.

When you contact the company to say I put them on blast will you say who reported the issue?

Nope. Our lips are sealed.

Who can put a company on blast?

The short answer is freelancers and creative professionals. That includes writers, photographers, graphic designers, editors and even translators. There’s a lot of leeway here so we won’t try to make a list that includes or excludes everyone.

If I’m a staff writer/photographer etc. can I put a company on blast?

Absolutely. Fill us in about what goes on behind those walls.

How many times can I put a companies on blast?

You can only report a single incidence once. But you can report different incidents any time problems arise. That’s what we’re here for.

Can I put a company on blast any time?

If you’re dealing with a problem like non-payment, we ask that you don’t report until the payment is at least 21 days overdue.

In other words, if you were supposed to receive a Paypal payment on the 1^st, please wait until at least the 22^nd to put the client on blast.

If I report an issue and later it’s resolved, what should I do?

Contact us. There’s an “Issue Resolved” link especially for that.

What if I report a client then the client claims the issue is resolved but it’s not.

Don’t worry. We won’t let them get away with it. If the company contacts us claiming they’ve worked things out, we’ll verify it you.

So I can search and report as much as I like for free?

For now that’s deal. If it changes in the future, we’ll let you know.

You’ve Been Put On Blast And You Have Questions?

My company has been put on blast. What can I do to fix this?

We’re happy to see you want to resolve the issue. Contact us at [email protected] or via direct message on Facebook or Twitter. We’ll get back to you.

Once my company resolves an issue, can we have our name/report removed the list?

If you follow the resolution procedure, it’s possible to have the issue marked “Resolved.” That lets our community know you took the matter seriously and fixed it.

Any other questions? We’re happy to answer them. Contact us at [email protected].