Australian online retailer Power Retail (along with sister company ClickFrenzy) went into liquidation earlier this year, leaving a number of creditors without payment.
Including us. Over $10,000 worth.
We’d worked hard on the job including 2.5 days of filming and several days of editing, delivering 2 videos – one for the Shop Forward event at the RACV Club and one for the All Star Bash at Crown Palladium.
But just days after the events, the company went into liquidation and we’ve since been informed by the liquidator that no payment is likely to be forthcoming.
It’s interesting that these events went ahead, which must have cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in venue hire, set dressing, catering, audiovisual, photography, filming, not to mention employee wages and many other sundry expenses, yet ahead they went, in the midst of what must have already been a debt crisis.
This wasn’t a new client, I’d worked for them the previous year without issue, payment was made promptly and in full, and I therefore didn’t bother on this occasion to require a deposit payment. Now of course, I wish I had and will now always do so, especially for large jobs with new or relatively new clients.
I feel like we came through relatively unscathed compared to larger creditors and in particularly employees. Luckily I did all the work myself, the only costs being the hire of lens at the cost of around $400, and 2 days parking of around $80. Actually, I also bought a red bull. So the only real loss is my own labour. Yet I’m still angry about it, especially when I see the CEO on LinkedIn being consoled and patted on the back by friends and colleagues telling him “you’ll be right mate, you’ll get back on your feet.”
Fuck him getting back on his feet, where’s my money?