I have a client who requested a hack cleanup which I performed, and is now refusing to pay. Can I name the client on my website and suggest others not to work with them?
Just put the hacks back in. 
They locked me out unfortunately. Although that still wouldn’t get me the money.
Was there any rationale offered for the refusal?
Naming and shaming them probably won’t get you the money either. It might get you a defamation lawsuit posted through your letterbox though 
It might also send the signals to potential clients that you do not respect client-vendor confidentiality, they will no doubt question your professionalism IMO.
Have you exhausted all standard legal procedures? i.e. letter by recorded delivery laying out your damend for payment with an official invoice, quoting your contract and all communications and paperwork/emails confirming that they hired you for the job for a specific fee? give them 30 days to pay up, one last 7 day warning, then take them to small claims court.
Then you’ll look like a hack developer who is angry at a client. What’s good about that?
Are they in the same country as you are? Sending a notice and taking legal action would only make sense when they are in the same country as you are.
This what I would have done, If dealing with a vendor outside my country (and having no work contract done except of the email exchange):
- Send them a reminder about the payment and asking if they faced any issue, because of which the payment has not been made.
- Send more reminders.
- After a month or so, email then again that this is a serious issue and with a attached notice to release payment within 7 days.
- If they never replied to any of my emails, before the end of the 7 days period, I’d tell them that Im going public with this information on complaint websites and forums. Just telling this, might make more than 50% of then send back an email.
Finally, actually posting about them is something Im not sure about, but at least I’d tell them: that Im going to.
Well first of all was this done through some job site / freelance website? If so, they usually have a dispute resolving mechanism in place where in you could mention that client has not paid up.
It has happened to me and if your complaint is genuine and you can prove usually if the site is good enough they would try to get the money or even ban the member.
Preferably never work without some / part money in escrow. Always create milestones and request payments immediately. If job is small it helps request 100% milestone escrow in advance to be released on completion of work.
Naming clients does not help. But if you have their email / contact number you could personally call - and record the conversation(if calling). Then you can tell the client you have recorded message and would take you to the courts for not making payment. If the business is registered business with say some business bureau you can also say you are lodging a formal complaint even there.
Send a final email reminder through the freelance site and though the business mail and then say that this is a final notice or the complaint would be registered across complaint forums. Hopefully it should solve your issue.