Automan_Empire - 12:23 am on Sep 29, 2005 (gmt 0)

Talk to your accountant.. In most cases you can write off bad debt on your taxes and come out pretty well that way..

**Blanket disclaimer, check with your accountant and legal counsel**

Depending on your local laws, you may be able to file the amount of loss as income paid to the deadbeat.

Here in CA, my accountant was able to file an IRS form 1099 showing the debt as income to the crook. When they fail to declare this amount on their tax return, it may trigger an audit. I never heard anything from my two deadbeats, but the person who described this technique said that a very angry customer arrived out of the blue to pay the whole amount with interest!
This will take care of your problem privately, without the dirty laundry effect. IMO, returned checks under the counter glass at a bricks and mortar business, or a "hate mail" page on a "fun" website are acceptable, but building a deadbeat page onto a serious ecommerce site does sound like too much.
It is absolutely amazing how indignant a deadbeat can be with you when you sic the authorities on them, eh?
Good luck,
Automan