Validate's answer:
Validate was created in 2012 out of sheer frustration. At the time I owned a contracting business and had just finished a big job. Like most contractors, I got a payment up front to start and then effectively "extended credit" to the customer until the job was done to receive the final payment. The problem was the customer had no intention of giving me the final payment- OR the other 5 contractors he had also hired; which I did not know at the time.
I was out $15,000 and the customer stopped returning phone calls, emails, and was "never home" when I went to the door for payment. There was nothing wrong with my work, or the schedule it was completed, or any discrepancy in the total due. I was at a roadblock, and I needed something to get his attention to tell him I was serious about getting paid. I started looking into options, and nothing was looking too promising.
I could have put a lien on his house; but that is only effective if I hire a lawyer to foreclose in court. I would probably spend close to that on legal fees, and I would be the last one in line to get paid- after the banks and all the other creditors who had a claim to his property. Chances are I could go into debt on this one, and I would be waiting a year or more for my money, not really an option. I could have taken him to small claims court, but that's only good up to $5k in most states, and he owed me three times that! That option was out. I looked into collections, but most had start up fees of $100 or more and they took up to 40% of what they collected, with no guarantee of collecting anything. I was quickly running out of viable options and my bills still needed to be paid.
I needed something that was inexpensive, quick, and powerful to compel this customer to pay. I was not finding it, and being part Italian, my mind quickly went to a blacklist. I wanted everyone in town to know he was a deadbeat and not to work for him. I quickly discovered this was not the most legal thing to do, despite it being the thing this guy needed to compel him to pay, and the thing I needed to feel like I could take back control of my business and not be at the whim of crooked customers. As it turns out the law isn't so keen on blacklisting customers, that little thing about defamation. However, there is this book of law that allows businesses to report consumers that do not pay to a national database, provided they follow specific guidelines. Sounded close enough to a blacklist to me.
So, I set out to create this "blacklist" based on the federal law. It took many years of research, development, legal guidance, coding, and compliance audits and Validate was born. A business forward platform that gives small and medium sized businesses the power to hold consumers accountable on a national platform. Additionally, I achieved the goals that I sought when I was looking for the solution to my problem. Validate is inexpensive at just $35.00 a month with no hidden fees, no additional fees, and you keep 100% of what you collect paid directly to you. It's quick, letting you report consumers in as little as 60 seconds, on your time, wherever you are and manage your delinquent customers on your personal dashboard, Finally, it's powerful! Reported consumers have 14 days to pay or they are listed on a national database for seven years. No more “the check is in the mail”, I forgot to pay, I'll pay when I can, or the myriads of other excuses we get as small business owners. Fourteen days, period. See how compelling a countdown to being listed on a national database is for your customer- you will be getting paid in days.
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