client issues
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- dconstrukt
hey guys...
i'm working with this pain in the ass client....
never again will i give a discount. never.
so he is trying to get me to give him the psd files for the site i'm working on when its done and he wants to have the main graphical interface with 2 color schemes.
This isn't part of the package I provide, and I'd like to show him if possible that designers don't just give clients the psd files....
this is a section of the email exchange:
I had emailed him saying: "With your latest email, you're requesting another batch of changes -- along with two color schemes and PSD formats. This
request falls outside of the terms agreed within the package."--
Client responds:Again, to be very honest, you have not mentioned anywhere that you won't give the psd files of the work done for your clients. But I accepted what you say inspite of the fact that in the industry, if you go for a designer for ,let's say for a banner image, you get complete set of files including the finished image, flash files or photoshop files. Can you show me a single email you've sent to me before I order stating that you won't be providing me the psd files..
And let me show you something: on your main sales letter, you have mentioned: "A blank "spare" template... Do with it what you want. Its yours. " Now if you are not providing a psd file along with your work
then why you have displayed this line on your website.Because until and unless you provide a psd along with your work, nobody can modify the template and put the text ot images on their own or do whatever s/he wants to do with it.
---
I'm thinking duh, you're not supposed to do that stuff on your own.
I just want something intelligent to come back to this guy with.....something concrete.
I gave him a discount, $100 off....then he tells me he likes a certain graphic, then i work on the layout with it, then he likes the other verion i did before....so i need to use that...then he tells me to change the background.....
its like never ending with this guy....
THEN he wants the psd file i use for the graphic, AND 2 versions of the color scheme.
i'm on the verge of sending him his money back.
D
- MrDinky0
if its not in the contract, dont give it
- meok0
Just give him the damn PSD..
after you flattened the layers!
- MrDinky0
wow thats just mean
ass
- DutchBoy0
you should mention ALL these things in the contract really. it's sad these days, contracts have to comprise at least 4 pages... :/
goodluck, man!
- blaw0
My clients do not get the .PSDs, .PNGs, etc.
If there were a special case I would provide the option of purchasing them for a negotiated fee.
Of course, fonts would be their responsibility to purchase.
Bowing out now and returning his money would not be in your best interest in this word-of-mouth type of business. Sorting out the issues would be the best long term solution.
- fingercore0
There was a discussion of this on a 3D forum. The client wanted the files along with the completed project.
I think the discussion concluded with something on the lines of: In the future just be more specific with your contracts.
But for the time being, you can try to argue that the PSD is the means to the end, not the final product. Or you can say you do all your work on one-layer JPEGS.
- stewart0
if you write your hours and he's paying them, nothing wrong there, isn't it?
- Mimio0
Sounds like bullshit to me. Respectfully disagree with the files being included in the price of the deliverable.
- Mimio0
Get a better contract/agreement too. That should be spelled out far clearer.
- dconstrukt0
its not just the psds.
its a commbination of everything.
hes making more work for me than neccessary.
i told him which one was better he chose the one i didn't then i do work on that one and he then changes his mind again.
i just like keeping this shit simple...this is exactly what happens when you give someone a discount.
- dconstrukt0
i need to send out an email when they order to explain to them exactly what they are NOT getting.
this is stupid mini site work....
the package is like $300.....i gave it to him for $200.
i can knock these out within 6 hours, thus a $50/ hr rate....
but this guys thing is taking me longer than ANY other project I've ever had as far as these type of sites go.
no clients ever asked for a psd file.
nor have they asked for 2 color versions. he paid for 1 minisite...and thats more work to do 2 images.
- DutchBoy0
As a photographer i learned never to give away the originals (negatives/slides) unless agreed otherwise, and if so, the client usually pays quite a big fee on top of it to acquire these.
same goes for design, imo.
- dconstrukt0
duchboy,
i TOTALLY agree with you. i've never had this come up...its been a non issue till this guy.
i'd like to show him PROOF of where this is TRUE.....maybe on some design site or something.
- meok0
Why waste that much time and energy for 200$? Just drop him.
- dconstrukt0
its a small niche market and I dont want the bad/neg publicity....
but still, i need to train this guy....
maybe AIGA site has the info about raw files?
- sputnik0
flatten 50% of the layers and send him. lol
- dconstrukt0
I was going to flatten everything but the copy on the images and send that!
but still its more work for me and he should pay for it.
he took me saying that he will get a blank template as me offering the psd files.
DUH, i'm the designer, if i was offering the psd's then don't you think i would have said that?
- dconstrukt0
heres what I just sent the client:
I want you to be 100% happy with the work, that goes without question. I can't put
my name on something that neither I nor the client doesn't like.After all, at the end of the day the work traces back to me and if it sucks, then it reflects on me.
I want you to be happy with the end result, and I'm sure you will be. I've never had a client not like the end result.
Deep, between you and me, I know you're fully committed to making yourself a success
with this, I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt because I can read it in your emails....
I respect that and appreciate that 100%...we're a lot alike. We're both really committed
to making things we do a success.Normally, with virtually every client I have ever dealt with, and keep in mind, my clients range from lee benson, to john reese, to tony blake, armand morin, simon grabowski (soon)
and alex mandossian.You have something in common with the people I just named.
You're passionate about what you're doing...just like them.
However, none of these guys asked for psd files....they were all easy to work with and trusted my design skills 100%.
If there was any changes, they were done and shown and things kept progressing
forward.We seem to be going in a circle, changing this, going back to that etc. I want to avoid that.
I like working efficiently and I'm not doing that with you right now.Keep in mind, even in my design business (offline) when a client approves something, then
the process goes forward. If we have to go backwards, the client is billed accordingly because
there was work done after the client made the change. Its like working on a whole site, client
likes everything, then at the end when its almost done, the client wants you to go back and change everything. Thats double the work, and it ends up costing you money.Keeping in mind deep, we bill based on time. Time is our asset. I based the minisite package based on the amount of time it takes me to do not to mention the fact that you were given a discount.
Had I known it would have taken this amount of time, I would have not given it to you.
So you stole one from me..you're a good salesman. :)
The website never mentions psd or working files. A blank spare template isn't the same thing
as psd files. Since I'm a designer if I was to offer the psd files knowing how valuable they are I would specify that on the site however I didn't.Any designer, photographer software programmer will tell you the same thing. You pay for the end result, not the work, and if the client wants the raw files there is an additional fee involved. That holds true in any design firm big or small. I'm not sure whom you're dealing with thats just giving away their
intellectual property like that. I do in my offline design business but there are additional fee's involved.Keep in mind, you're paying for the minisite, not the underlying work. Its like paying someone to develop the software and then asking them for the code that went along with it. You are going to have a hard time getting the code without coughing up some additional money.
I'm sure in the future on the next project It will be easier because we've been thru the process before...then we can laugh about it after....the good ol' days. :)
I'd like to work with you on future projects, however I can tell that you're not used to working with a professional based on the issues that have come up, so I'm going to have to spend some time educating you, which is ok... because it will help you in the long run. :)
But for now, lets keep things progressing forward so we can get this site done for you and
start impressing the hell out of people with it so you can make some money with this!I need to finish up some work today for another client so I will not be able to get to your site
till tomorrow since I was working on it yesterday all day.however i will get the changes you asked for done tomorrow morning and send them over
for your approval.Fair enough?
Dave
- Tara0
jesus christ, that's what you wrote back to him? sorry but i would just delete an e-mail that long.
- meok0
Man I would have charged 200$ to come up with that email.
"my clients range from lee benson, to john reese, to tony blake, armand morin, simon grabowski (soon)
and alex mandossian."hehe Who?