Options To Consider When Your Client Is Driving You Mad
- 12 April 2010
- Articles
- This post was written exclusively for PV.M Garage by Davy Kestens
- Comments (25)»
I guess I would be speaking on your behalf when I say that I feel so grateful for my clients. After all, they put their trust in me and gladly compensate me for my efforts. I wouldn’t ask for more except that few clients, sometimes unintentionally, drive me mad. Here are some suggestions on how to handle them.
When Your Client Is Not A “Techie” And Expects You To Work Miracles
About two months ago, I started a new project with a prime client that was used to giving clear tasks, prompt payments, without fidgeting or idiotic requests. My task was to add a new functionality to a pre-existing project. To make a long story short, server problems and other issues that were entirely out of my hands were stacking up and I couldn’t finish the project within my proposed time span/budget.
Dealing with the problem
I called my client and informed him about this problem and that I would continue working on fixing errors and making it work as soon as possible. The extra hours would not be billed since at first, I promised to have it finished on deadline (which I was unable to).
I told my client about me not billing the extra hours and he was grateful for that. One week later, while I was working like a crazy man, mad amounts of daily hours I put into the project while earning nothing, I received a shouting-angry call from my client! He was complaining about the project not yet being finished, repeating the same points I already cleared out a week ago. Needless to say, this drove me mad!
What did I do?
I sent him a clear email the morning after stating the entire progress of the project bugs, errors and holdups. Most importantly, I made it crystal clear that it wasn’t my fault. At the end of the mail, I gave my client two options:
- Option A: If my client didn’t appreciate the great service I was giving him and could not refrain himself from making useless angry phone calls although I am completely dedicated to his project, then I would try to understand him, bill the hours I’ve been putting in the project in the past days, and say goodbye.
- Option B: I need to feel appreciated for the valuable service that I have been donating if he wants me to complete the project
Guess what, the angry client turned 180 degrees and I never faced this problem with him again!
When Your Client Gives You Unrealistic Requests
Again lack of technical knowledge is usually behind the unrealistic expectations that I notice with most clients. This time he wasn’t just a repeat client but a good friend as well. He gave me the impression that the world would come to an end if I didn’t finish a huge project in two weeks! Even worse, he put me in charge of finding other candidates to work with me in the project!
It didn’t take me long to realize that if somehow I managed not to sleep the whole project duration, I still wouldn’t finish half of it! So after a week of misery, I emailed him and explained to him why, in spite of all my sincere efforts, I can NOT finish the project on time. To my surprise, he was very understanding and encouraged to take my time and don’t compromise quantity over quality and so I did.
Deciding to let go
I know you think I’m insane to “fire” a client but wait until you hear the entire story. This client was very clever: she paid 50% in advance and as a result, I was so grateful and was fired up with enthusiasm to dedicate my entire time for her project. However, she bombarded with changes in requirements that meant starting from scratch all over again.
Changing requirements is unavoidable in almost all projects but this time she took it way too far: she requested changing the entire design, colour, layout, you name it, not once but twice.
Finally, I realized that this project was draining my energy and that I was dedicating at least two times the hours that I should. The advance payment was a trap she created to justify the sad fact that she hesitant as hell and doesn’t have the slightest idea what she wants.
After politely explaining that we didn’t agree on major change in requirements, she wasn’t appreciative at all. As a result, I gave her half her money and ended the damn project! You might wonder why did I pay her a penny after all, well we had common contacts and I didn’t want get any negative feedback from her that would hinder my chances of working with her contacts.
In all the above cases, I must admit that I do give the clients some excuse because of their lack of technical knowledge. That’s why, I strongly advise you to avoid using technical jargon with clients and use simple language instead. Still, you need to give him a clear idea about your exact task(s). Most of the time, effective communication will do the trick and you and your client will be happy at the end of the day. However, if worse comes to worst, you will have to “fire” your client…
What do you think?
I can’t wait to read your comments. Please share with me your own client-driving-me crazy story(s), if any.
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I agree that if a client doesn’t have technical knowledge, that’s ok and it’s not their fault (or a fault, at all), but that doesn’t mean they should also lack common sense, and in that way, it’s not an excuse. They might not know what goes into, say, changing the placement of a logotype (or any other number of things) but they should realize that telling someone to change something and send you a new file every few days isn’t acceptable.
On that note, I once had a client that would ask me to make tiny, insignificant changes every day. I couldn’t even seriously bill her for it because she would ask to make the font on her biz cards 1 point bigger or change the phone number, things like that, but all that opening up Illustrator, changing, saving, saving for web, emailing, etc took forever. I finally told her to think about all the changes she wants to make and send them all at the same time, and she apologized and said that’s the only way she can work, by seeing one change at a time.
Do you have some sort of revisions clause in your contract? If so, I wouldn’t have given her any money. If she bad mouths you, so what. If you do have the same circle of contacts, then those contacts should know you enough to know you wouldn’t stiff anyone. If not, then they weren’t important contacts anyways and you can go somewhere else to find clients. She can’t reach everyone.
The “working miracles” thing is something that I find particularly difficult. The analogy I love using is when a client wants Facebook for $150 in three days. They think with software and our familiarity with it we should be able to point and click such things into existence overnight, and it should be cheap. Trying to respectfully reveal to them that this isn’t how it works can often be delicate and even volatile, especially with impatient clients.
I agree with Amber in that you shouldn’t give any money back if it’s the client’s fault. As long as your contract is crystal clear and covers how many revisions she gets and all that, then you should be covered. If she does bad mouth you to your other clients, and it becomes a problem, you could explain that you stuck to the contract and she should have as well.
My first major project as a freelancer was pretty rough. The client insisted on seeing Photoshop mockups for every single page before signing off. I made – I am not kidding – 72 different mockups and versions for them. Oh I was so naive then. I finally told them we were way over budget and way behind schedule because they were drawing it out so much, and they listened.
Since then, I’ve specified my scope within my estimates in heavy detail. One line will go something like, “primary mockup (home page) – two versions plus minor revisions on the selected version” and stick to it. Any deviation from the scope and I point out that it’s a billable change, as they approved my estimate _and everything in it_ before the project started.
That was a crazy client. Glad I never found one like that.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
I understand giving the money back although it’s not something I’d recommend. But what is important is to know when to sack clients. Some clients are so bad they’re worse than no clients at all!
kinda reminds me of The Oatmeal’s “Design Hell” comic. Well said Davy
Be strong! You will never scare him :D
And, if nothing works… Kill him! \m/
I have a client right now who is refusing to put down a deposit. The thing that gets me is they are a medium size company that hires me for web design every now and then.
Last time, I told them the same exact thing (that I need the deposit). I had to put my foot down to get it. Now, they are starting again. It’s really pissing me off.
What would you guys do?
They write me an email that says, “We’ve known you too long to put down a deposit.”
Jen, I would reply and tell the client that, as a business owner, you have a contract that is used at the beginning of each project, and in order to start the project the business requires the deposit. It’s not a friendship, it’s business. It might also be they don’t have the entire deposit to send you up front. A bit dangerous, but would you work with them on the deposit ($xx per week as opposed to the entire amount up front)? I’d be interested in seeing how this resolves – good luck :)
Nice article.
Recently i had to “fire” a client cause he felt like he owned me and that he was doing me a favor hiring me. He was always calling me in moments normal people wouldnt and always asking more than he was paying for. And he was always giving terrible ideas and was extremely annoying in the way he spoke. I was so relieved when I told him to find other designer cause we weren’t getting along =]
A nice read! And boy, do I understand how that feels. But I guess it comes with the territory – also makes those few, special clients all the more saintly! :D
But through years of trial and error, my contract covers me for the most part. What I would give to have had it when I first started!
I think we all encounter clients that wind us up so much we cut our loses and drop them but they can be a good learning curve in avoiding potential headaches in the future
I think it makes a world of a difference if you state on your contract or agreement that project cost includes 2 revisions, and any further revision will be charged additionally.
Of course, you have to let know your client somehow when revisions are being done and when their gone. Maybe an email or an invoice.
What do you reckon?
Great post, great advice. Cheers
Great article! I have a client that is similar, and they eat chunks of time that I could spend with other clients. For the time being I’ve decided a face-to-face meeting is necessary after May (they’re seasonal with the school year) and let the owner know what’s going on, how it’s going and what may need to change – including my rate and time frames.
Hi all, thank you for your comments! Some of these replies inspired me to create some great & helpful articles!
I guess in these situations you have to let the client know straight away that they are being unrealistic in what they want, and back up your argument by letting them know that their dream design is too unclear, and across the board. Clients should put trust towards you as the designer, its the only way projects get done. But that seems to be the ongoing battle, clients have the hardest time trusting someone with creating the design they imagined. The client see’s it differently in their head, and if its not like what they imagined, then it starts to get ugly. That’s when you pull the plug and fire them!
You were very clever giving half her money back! Congrats!
There are a lot of strange comments on here. People must be using SCRAPEBOXLIST.COM
do you apply my reply?
nd across the board. Clients should put trust towards you as the
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