Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
I'm in a bit of a funk this week. I think it's a combination of being maybe just a BIT too busy (I know, I know, that's a good thing), and the fact I've been having a little trouble with a client.
This client refused to pay his bill the DAY before I was supposed to turn everything in and finish the job....saying they didn't like the design and that they're now not obligated to pay. Keep in mind this was after 2.5 months of work for me and more then 3x as much effort on my part because if their numerous requests. Even though up till now, I've recieved nothing but good comments from the project manager & I've had numerous happy face-to-face visits to their office, I was told she was just trying not to hurt my feelings and that they didn't like it all along.
Apparently what they wanted to hire was a psychic designer who was supposed to automatically know that they didn't like the work, all the while they've been saying they did. O....K.
Frankly, you know what it is? They just don't want to pay their bill. /sigh.
So I've asked other professionals if I did anything wrong....I've even asked some other designers who've had 20 years in this field if I did anything wrong, and so far they all agree this is bullshit.
Folks....if you hire a designer, you're obligated to pay his time just as you would be if you hired for any other service professional like an accountant, programmer, or lawyer. Yes, the designer should ethically try to do something you want and try to rework it as often as you want, but not at his or her expense. Getting sticker shock on work performed is no excuse either... I was shocked by how much my accountant charged me this year for my taxes, it doesn't mean I don't have to pay the bill.
Anyway, this is full of shit. I've got a lawyer working on this. If my contract doesn't hold water, the worse that can happen here is I get no money for my lost time. I got nothing to lose and everything to gain by pursuing this because my time has already been lost....
In the search for solutions to this problem, I stumbled across the following site that lists the "11 Clients You Need to Fire Right Now". The very first example is almost EXACTLY like what I'm dealing with here. Summammabeetch.
A word of advice to any of you getting into a career in design. 90% of your working experience will be dealing with people.... only 10% of your time is actually doing the work. You may think it's easy at first while you're working primarily with friends and family who are pretty much the easiest clients you'll ever find, but you'll soon realize it can get very frustrating at times.
It's funny...in college they may teach you accounting, help you improve your design skills, even help you with your business planning. But there's never a course about customer relationships & dispute resolution. This is just stuff that comes with jumping in head first and dealing with it.
Beyond that, I shouldn't have much to complain about, business is steady and I'm getting married very soon.... but I'm just in a pissy mood altogether. I feel like wringing somebody's condescending little neck. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
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