What Happens When a Client Doesn't Pay in Mozambique?

For most informal workers, the answer to this question has always been: nothing. No contract, no recourse, no way to enforce payment for work already completed. This single unsolved problem costs Mozambican workers real income every month.

The Traditional Reality

| Scenario | Traditional Outcome | |----------|-------------------------| | Client disappears after job | Worker absorbs the full loss | | Client disputes quality to avoid paying | No neutral party to review — worker usually loses | | Client pays less than agreed | Worker has no leverage to enforce the original price | | Repeat non-paying clients | No shared warning system between workers |

Why This Problem Is Bigger Than It Looks

Workers who've been burned once often demand cash upfront from new clients — which then makes clients less willing to hire someone they can't verify. This mutual distrust shrinks the whole market, not just individual transactions.

How Escrow Changes the Math

With escrow, the client's payment is locked in before work even starts. The worker knows the money exists and is committed — removing the single biggest fear in informal work: doing the job and getting nothing for it.

What Happens in a Genuine Dispute

If a client genuinely believes the work wasn't done to standard, a structured tribunal reviews evidence from both sides — a real process, not just whoever argues louder or walks away first.

Building a Track Record That Protects You

Every completed, paid job adds to a worker's verified history — meaning reliable clients can see your track record and non-paying clients can be flagged for others, rather than each worker discovering the same bad actor independently.

The Bottom Line

Getting paid for work you've already done shouldn't depend on luck or a client's goodwill. It should be built into how the platform works.