61
votes
Dealing with "friend" who won't pay after delivery despite signed contracts
Is this a script from a soap opera?
There's far too much discussion taking place.
Business is business and not friendship. Ignore anything not directly related to the business. All the back and ...
- 17.4k
42
votes
How should I respond to requests to work "for exposure"?
This is one of the most prominent red flags which indicates a bad client, in my opinion.
It's really not that complicated.
Sorry, I do not work pro bono or without payment on request.
There's no ...
- 17.4k
23
votes
Judging sincerity of freelance job offers
What you are dealing with is known as a "Sales Pipeline." (Step through the Slideshow) And you are getting the steps out of order. That's what's causing your frustration.
As a tech person (like ...
- 470
21
votes
Dealing with "friend" who won't pay after delivery despite signed contracts
Your chain of emails is unprofessional, you fail yourself by dropping to your client's argumentative level. As well as this, instead of getting to the point you make jabs and petty points informally, ...
- 545
15
votes
Accepted
Judging sincerity of freelance job offers
Wasting a day hoping for work to arrive if you have other work lined up is on you.
Don't start any work before you have a signed contract. If they sign a contract, the likelihood that they are ...
- 266
14
votes
Accepted
Dealing with an Irate Client that wants Free Work
It's easy: Stop falling for the guilt trip and simply do as any professional would do in similar case.
That is, say yes and show a price list at the same time. And stick to this.
If the client sill ...
- 858
12
votes
Judging sincerity of freelance job offers
it could be that he is just under time pressure and while the change in commitments is unfortunate, future opportunities may make up for it
This is your statement from above. This tells me that you'...
- 5,303
12
votes
Accepted
How to handle interpersonal relationships and expectations from client's marketing department
The easiest way to handle the short-notice work is to set up a Service Level Agreement (SLA). You can document how much notice the client must give, and how soon you will act, with financial ...
- 1,030
11
votes
Accepted
An employee from my current client needs to stay at my house, can I charge?
I would never allow this under any circumstance.
The guy can sleep in his car... or the bus/train station for all I care.
Even if I charged and he's willing to pay, invading my home is way over the ...
- 17.4k
11
votes
Should I work for free if client's requirement changed
Absolutely not! If you have agreed on terms, and delivered, then you should expect him to deliver on his part of the arrangement.
Having said that...
Did you give him status updates with the ...
- 6,853
10
votes
Accepted
What to do about negligent clients
I'd just be "busy" myself and be unavailable.
This kind of interaction is a harbinger to how quickly he'll pay and how important he'll see any requests on your part to complete any projects.
One ...
- 17.4k
9
votes
How to find someone to handle customer/commercial relationships on my behalf? (I'm a programmer)
So much to address here... First off, NO. You don't need a PR person on full-time to help you. You need to deal with your own situation before you bring more people in. Freelancing should make you ...
- 6,853
9
votes
Client threatening legal action constantly
Life's too short..
You have 2 choices....
Invoice for the work you've completed. Wait until that invoice is paid. Then tell him you're done.
You'll package everything and prepare to deliver things ...
- 17.4k
9
votes
Accepted
Client wants manual for everything I do
Supply documentation for an additional fee. It's more work to track everything you do... you should be compensated for that work.
- 17.4k
9
votes
Accepted
What to do when a client cancels project 1 day before delivery?
First off, I'm sorry to hear of your endeavor and that you had to deal with a nightmare client like that. I think we've all been there at least twice. Now then, hindsight is 20/20, so let's be ...
9
votes
Accepted
How to effectively handle obsessive personal client calls during regular office hours
Bill him for the hours you spend on the phone. Those are consulting hours. No further work will proceed until the account is brought current. All future phone conversations will also be billed. I went ...
- 114
9
votes
How should I respond to requests to work "for exposure"?
It is really little that can be added to excellent @Scott's answer. I just wanted to add a simple tactic that helped me several times.
Due warning: I'm not aware about any academic research on this ...
- 2,023
8
votes
How to work with a micro-manage client
Sometimes the money is not worth it.
I offer discounted prices for well-behaved clients, and I overcharged the ones that are, well, no good people.
Here's how you've got to look at it, the client is ...
- 563
7
votes
Accepted
Rude and confusing client but possible important job
He said he wanted to talk about the website. We agreed to contact again the week after to fix a meeting date and hour.
This didn't exactly happen, did it? You drove across town, and back, to sit ...
- 5,303
7
votes
Client wants free and half-rate meetings
I think you know the answer to this, but may be a bit apprehensive about losing the client if you fail to attend these meetings. That's always a possibility.
It's your business. Your pricing and what ...
- 17.4k
7
votes
Accepted
Client ghosted after delivering results, no payment
If you have given everything away, there might be very little you can do.
All you can do now is hope that the client for some reason returns.
If that happens, you have some leverage you MUST use. This ...
- 3,822
7
votes
How to work with a micro-manage client
Generally, you cannot change clients; you can merely select the ones you want to work for and those you don't. The only factor where you are in full control is how you handle a client.
For some ...
- 3,822
6
votes
Can we charge "being late" penalties to the client?
To be honest, I work on everything simultaneously. But that may just be because my work allows that far more than yours.
If Client A is slow, I start Client B's project when scheduled, then I'll ...
- 17.4k
6
votes
Accepted
Complicated situation with client and an aggressive external company
Sounds like you have 2 problems:
Work environment changed suddenly and dramatically for the worse.
Client began considering looking elsewhere for your services.
For me, the second problem is the ...
- 176
6
votes
Judging sincerity of freelance job offers
Contracts and deposits. Deposit paid before any work starts.
If the work is too short for a contract, then payment in full before work starts. And still write a contract.
Rush work? There's no such ...
- 207
6
votes
Accepted
When is a job too small for meetings?
I like this question: I struggled with the exact same thing with meetings in general. Clients one hour away asking me to join in on a meeting. I usually ended up spending an afternoon with 2 hours ...
- 1,629
6
votes
Complicated situation with client and a never ending project
Why do you allow being treated like this? "Calling me every 2h and messaging every 15min + threatening" - WFT bro????
I would never, NEVER, N E V E R allow being treated like this.
Now, aside of ...
- 14.3k
6
votes
Accepted
Client refused to pay for maintenance but now asks for small tweeks
There are a number of common tactics to nudge your clients towards a more effective behavior:
Charge a minimum time, say 15 or 30 minutes always, no matter how small the task. Reason is that task-...
- 1,033
6
votes
Accepted
Client continuously asking for new logo concepts and he is not sure of what he wants. How do I deal with him?
You've done the work, a refund is not warranted in my opinion. It would be one thing if you failed to provide services. However, from what you've written, you have provided services.
Imagine you go ...
- 17.4k
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