Hell Client
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- joyride0
hehe... yeah, be classy about it.
There was a site a while ago that had a pic of a tow truck repossessing a car. With some text that said, your site has been repossessed, it was pretty funny. But the high road will be better for now.
- Mimio0
If you fuck with someone's business they're always going to take you to court. You might be justified in taking down the update you did, but the previous deliverable to the webserver is leagally hers I think. Good luck with whatever you decide, it's a tough situation.
- doesnotexist0
yeah i should change the wording. she hasnt paid shit for anything this year yet, so, im not leaving what she had up there. it's still up there, just not the index anymore.
she has no power to go to court anyways as you have to try and settle out of court first. she is fucking with my business as well, as it was done through my LLC.
- doesnotexist0
and seriously, the amount of the bill is not worty going to court over. it would be small claims court if anything. and meeting somewhere between nyc and michigan (which has to be done...right?) would be costly for both of us.
- blaw0
you never said if she was hot or not. some farm girls are pretty hot.
- doesnotexist0
hahaha no, she's not hot! okay! are you satisfied?! SHE'S NOT HOT! she's a 'professional' engineer hello.
- blaw0
i prefer to only meet with my clients by telephone. that way, ALL the ladies are hot.
then if we do meet and they say, "you're not at all like i pictured you," then i know they were playing the same game.
- Amp0
Stories like this, where the designer has to play hardball, are funny/tragic. Though we never hear the stories like "i completed the project and the client held up their end of the contract! Isn't that amazing?"
- flavorful0
Break her patellas.
- Mimio0
That's business, there's lots of sectors where this is the norm as well. It takes good judgement.
- doesnotexist0
yep, i hear you. was just doing the mom's friend a favor, wont do that again!
- ItTango0
There are definately clients who pay up. They have a certain amout of integrity that says: A contract is a contract, end of story. Then there are those others who simply don't value abilities outside of their own skill set. Even going into it, if you pay close attention you can see they are skeptical of EVERY COST. Then BOOM. Here come the questions that you thought you answered long ago, while rent money hangs in the balance!
- doesnotexist0
youve summed it up, ItTango, very nicely.
- RoomFive0
Hey, just wondering... What do you guys do when setting out on a new project... Do you ever ask for money up front, say 25/50% and remainder on completion?
- ItTango0
Absolutely! Often half for the projects that have a clear end in site. For other stuff i calculate (read: sit in my favorite coffee shop and make something up) a retainer fee.
- doesnotexist0
yeah usually it's 50%. sometimes though 25-50-25 is more appropriate and even a retainer fee if they dont want to stick to strict deadlines.
ive had clients drag projects on, so include shit about fees being applied if they dick you around for more than week or two.
- RoomFive0
Yeah cheers good idea. I've never asked for money up-front, but people keep telling me to do it. But I'm worried it might scare them off.
But I've been dicked about so many times now! And it seems from this thread I'm not alone!
...Everyone wants something cool designing, but very few are prepared to pay for it!
- joyride0
I do 50-25-25. and in the contract I've got it so either them or me can cancel the contract. Work done is paid, if any monies are left over I return it. of course no monies are ever left over. =)
- ItTango0
I've never given a discount to anyone who didn't turn out to be a pain later. The "can i get a discount" new clients are a red flag for me. The answer is now "When American Xpress gives me one". Exceptions are long time clients or occasionally those who really love what u do and tell you upfront "this is my budget. what can u do 4 me?" Occasionally...
- ETM0
I get a third down and then depending on the project size a third halfway and then the remaining after completion and usually BEFORE posting.
If it's a smaller project, I just get the last two thirds at the end.