Red Flags
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- wetterink
I think I am having some major red flags coming up with a new client. =)
They contacted me to redesign their ugly ass logo (somecompany to do with helping people sleep better). I ask some basic questions to get an idea of what they want. Turns out one partner loves the logo (some cheap pc font with a bevel, a picture of a moon and two stars) and just wants it "cleaned up". Turns out by "cleaned up" he wants me to take it and make it vector (guess some printer gave him a graphics lesson).
I tell them I can do that ($$$) and ask where they got the image of the moon. Turns out the dude's wife did it in corel draw and just jacked the image from the web. A 72dpi...copywrite protected image. I told them that won't work for printing and is illegal. She said "oh, just thought if it was on the internet i could use it".
They want it done "ASAP" and when I asked about the budget she said (this is the best part):
"The highest quality for the least amount, of course. What are your prices?"
I gave them a quote and then got an email saying "stop working on the logo...my husband and his partner want to disucss it."
I told her no problem seeing that I never start any work with out the proper contracts signed.
now...tell me this isn't a bad client waiting to happen.
- mayo0
run, my friend. run.
they will try to push any little thing along with excuses like, "Well we haven't gotten in trouble yet for that [illegal] image yet" or they'll throw in respectful lines like "Well, we'll have someone else do that. you charge too much" or "it can't possibly take more than a few seconds to do ----, --- and ----. So why did you charge me so much?"
- wetterink0
that is the same thing my magic eight ball said.
question: will these be great clients to work with?
shake.shake.
answer: not fucking likely
- davey_g0
yes, bad client...end it.
- mayo0
oh the wise Magic8 ball.
If you do go through with it, I'd make sure you explain the contract and basic process to them like the idiots they probably are. They'll try to weasel out of things anyway (ahhhh, the benefit of the doubt) but it helps to make sure they know the process up front. I just dealt with a client who demanded half of their money back because a vendor we used "messed up". No they didn't, the client just didn't understand how "things work."
- wetterink0
how do you end a relationship without sounding liek a dick?
- wetterink0
"like"
i burnt my index finger this morning on the stove and my typing is crap
- digilee0
just tell that it's not a project that will allow you to project a professional image.
That'll confuse them!
- mayo0
it was really hard for my boss because his wife works for the client. So we're eating the loss and seeing what the vendor might do to help ease the pain.
I think he's going to try one more time to explain how things work and then say something like, "Maybe we're too close as friends and it's getting in the way"
- wetterink0
what happened exactly mayo?
- mayo0
they wanted postcards for a big weekend sale/event mailed out to clients at least 2 weeks ahead, but didn't finalize copy until the saturday two weeks before (yes, she sent me an approval on saturday and expected it to count as friday because it wasn't the new week yet). In the interim of her deciding on whether to use "of" or "on" (i shit you not) I was working with the printer to get us slotted and all that as well as the mailing house to prep them for a 24 hour turn around when they usually require 72 hours to turn around. the mailing house and I also worked to clean up the client's customer database because at least 4,000 of the 11,000 had their addresses in the database entered incorrectly (email addys where city and state should be). well, we got the files printed and to the mail house on the thursday after approval (we also got the ok from the client that 1 week should be enough notice for the customers). The mail house got it ready, but Monday was Columbus Day and so the post office was closed and they didn't get mailed out until Tuesday.
Well in reno, the city is small enough that if you are mailing in-town the person receives it the next day (wednesday, *maybe* thursday). Supposedly only half of the amount of people expected showed up and that clients were coming in on Monday "morning" saying they got them too late. Well, if it's monday morning, then they would have gotten it Saturday and known about it. Anyway, since only half of the projected crowd came to the sale (it's a garden nursery) they only want to pay half. according to them the mail house should have known that monday was a post office holiday and accounted for it accordingly.
- kyl30
I'm sure the nursery usually does great biz in november, assuming this all happened recently//
- mayo0
just last month.