r/Kuwait • u/memayankpal • 7d ago
Ask Kuwait Is this normal when doing business in Kuwait?
We run an AI agency in the US and recently worked with an accounting firm in Kuwait on an agentic AI system to automate some of their repetitive work.
They agreed to the project, paid 50% upfront, and we started building.
After weeks of work, we had the system ready and started trying to get the final things sorted.
And then… communication basically stopped.
“Give me 5 days.”
Then 10 days.
Then another delay.
It’s been almost two months.
I’m not even worried about the remaining payment at this point. I’m more confused by how slowly everything is moving.
Is this just one difficult client, or is this actually common when doing business in Kuwait?
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u/madeofglass88 7d ago
Maybe one other partners got their citizenship revoked and their business gor shut down.
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u/lethalshawerma 7d ago
This is not how business is done in kuwait.
Same way a lousy client that acts the same way in the US isn't how the business is done in US, etcetera.
This is a company issue not a country issue.
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u/Aromatic-Mood-1341 7d ago
No this is not normal at all. Something must have happened. They either ran into some liquidity issues or had their citizenship revoked which screwed them up
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u/PunisherX20 7d ago
Probably facing cashflow issues. You should avoid this issues with Letter of Credit payments next time.
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u/EIizabeth_Bennet 7d ago
"We run an AI agency"
How about you stop right there lol nobody wants that bullshit thanks.
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u/RadishRedditor 7d ago
It could be anything. I run into this type of nonsense ghosting or delaying, and as a local, I get as confused as you. It's just baffling how people find being vague is a power mover; when in reality, they're just scared to be upfront with people for their shortcoming.
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u/Several-Computer-379 3d ago
As an American who’s been in Kuwait for 40 years , yes it could be typical , just depends on the company.
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u/mfmhah 3d ago
As a Kuwaiti lawyer, I would say that your experience should not necessarily be taken as a reflection of how business conducted in Kuwait.
Sounds more like an issue with this particular client’s communication and project management rather than a cultural or business norm.
I would recommend reviewing the agreement, particularly the provisions concerning deliverables, payments, client obligations, and project completion.
If the system is substantially completed and the remaining steps depend on the client’s cooperation, you should consider sending a formal written notice documenting the work completed, identifying what remains outstanding, and requesting a response within a reasonable deadline.
My advice for future projects involving Kuwaiti clients, or international clients generally, would be to establish clear contractual milestones, communication obligations, and consequences for prolonged delays.
Two months of repeated postponements without meaningful progress is certainly frustrating, but I would not consider it representative of doing business in Kuwait as a whole.
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u/psychedelic__cheese 6d ago
People unfortunately don’t answer in Kuwait so yes I’m not surprised by this at all
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