Web designer Frank Jonen says he's not been paid by gym chain Fitness SF, and he's taking a stand. Specifically, he's hijacked Fitness SF's web site and replaced all its content with his own, tastefully typefaced protest page.
The new site begins, "Fitness SF preferred to ignore our invoices instead of paying them. As a result this website is no longer operational."
It goes on the take a stand on behalf of all freelancers who get stiffed on their bills by big corporate clients:
I am also writing this on the behalf of the tens of thousands of freelancers and small businesses out there facing larger corporations who can afford to starve them out.
... It’s people like this who cause company after company to go bankrupt. An injury to one is an injury to all of us. We need to make a stand against crooks like this.
The gym denies Jonen's claims, according to Ad Age:
"It got hacked," said one worker who answered the phone at the SOMA gym. "We are trying to fix it now." Said a manager who was handed the phone at that location: "The allegations are not true."
Here's the full front page of the site, which will doubtless disappear fairly soon:
Please follow Advertising on Twitter and Facebook.