Payment
Acceptance and 'client satisfaction' payment traps
Tying payment to whether the client feels 'satisfied' hands them an open-ended excuse to withhold money, because satisfaction is subjective and never expires. Objective acceptance against the agreed spec, plus a rule that silence past a deadline counts as acceptance, closes that gap. It keeps sign-off about the work meeting the brief, not the client's mood.
What to look for
Whether payment or sign-off depends on the client's subjective 'satisfaction' rather than an objective acceptance test, and whether there is a deemed-acceptance backstop if the client goes silent.
How Clause rates it
RedPayment is due only when the client is 'satisfied' or 'happy' with no objective standard and no deadline, so the client can withhold payment indefinitely by simply never signing off.
AmberThere is an acceptance step but the criteria are vague, or there is no deemed-acceptance clause if the client fails to respond within a set time.
GreenAcceptance is judged against the agreed specification, and work is deemed accepted (and payable) if the client does not raise specified defects within a set review window.
Wording you can ask for
Suggested redline
Deliverables are accepted if they materially meet the agreed specification. The Client has [7] days to notify specific defects in writing; if none are notified within that period, the deliverables are deemed accepted and payable. Acceptance may not be withheld on the basis of subjective preference.
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