small claim proof

[netphlex]

i live in nj and created a web site for a customer through a barter
he had nothing that i needed to barter for so i decided to do the site for him in good faith
after the first layout he did not like it and wanted me to change things to it
2 months later and 4 creations still was not what he was looking for
now within the 2 months of working on the site we would talk back and forth and he would state in "im which i have a copy of the convo" that he did not think that it was going to take this long in doing a site and that my cost would be factored into his business proposal.
all in all i stated to him that without sum kind of deposit i would not be able to work on the site anymore and that all the work that i have done would be coming down within the week if there were no arangements made.
he stated in a email that i would get paid for my time it might not be much but it would be something
i am still waiting and i have sent a number of emails in regards to it.
in total all the time and work i have done in reality comes out to about $2000
if i could get $500-$1000 i would be happy but now he will not even answer my emails
is it worth it to take him to small claims court or do i forget it
please email me responses at [email protected] or respond here

 

[Dandy Don]

Does your name or company logo appear on the website as webmaster or creator of the site?

It's going to be your word against his in the court, but you will probably lose since you made the mistake of not having a written agreement/contract to do the work. Next time ask for a deposit and get a contract signed by both parties so you have legal recourse to get your money.

 

[netphlex]

i have all the written text that we spoke about from my trillian program so it can be his word against mind since i have all the details on what was said