Sunday, November 27, 2011

Day 26 of My Money Challenge: The Audacity Edition

Today (actually yesterday--the internet went down in the afternoon and I wasn't able to make this post so I had to wait until today today but anyway...) for my money challenge I did something audacious...
It is getting towards the end of my money challenge and I am still a little ways away from the $1000 I wanted to make this month so I started thinking.  I started wondering if there was anyone who owed me money that I could collect from.  Then I remembered a client from more than a year ago.
I had a client who I made a website for over a year ago.  We didn't get on well from the beginning (he asked if I could make a one page site for his business and I said I could put a basic site up and then I would be on vacation and unable to work on it until I returned three weeks later, he said fine, I put up a simple site, then he proceeded to call and email me every day of my vacation about making this change and that...definitely not a good start).  When I returned from vacation we worked on the site and he kept wanting to add more and more stuff and in the end the project got way out of hand (this is when I learned about getting signed contracts with all of the nitty gritty details written down) and then he kept saying he didn't like it, and then he quit calling me, and then I figured he would have someone else do a site for him since he seemed to hate my work and although I billed him, he never paid me and I didn't keep on him to get paid because I figure if a client doesn't like my work, they shouldn't have to pay for it. 
Fast forward to now when I checked his website and found that not only is he still using the complete site that I made him, he had even had someone update it for this year with new dates.  Then, being more or less prodded by this challenge, I thought it was only fair that I be paid something for a product of mine that he has been using for over a year.  So I emailed him and, as politely as I could, requested some sort of payment as that being only fair for using my work.  While I am not holding my breath to get paid by the guy, if it wasn't for this challenge I wouldn't have made such a bold move.  I still don't know if what I did was the right thing to do.  Ayayay

6 comments:

  1. Hmm.. Can't say that I'd have been brave enough what you did! However, if he's using the work you did for him, he can't hate it that much!! Update when you hear back please, good luck!! :)

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  2. If it wasn't for this challenge I wouldn't have done that but when I saw that he was still using the site it reminded me of a restaurant--if you try the food and don't like it you shouldnt have to pay but if you eat the entire meal, you should pay. Then I decided to stand up for myself. Eekkk

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  3. How can it be right for him to get all the work you did for free? Some people change their minds and trash the work they receive hoping to get it for free. I applaud you for standing up for yourself. He owes you something.

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  4. Thanks Anon! Actually I wouldnt have even known he was still using it if a friend hadn't called and asked if I knew of anyone who offered his specific service. I was going to email her a link to his new website but was suprised to see it was his old website!

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  5. Did you hear from the former client? And were you actually going to refer someone to his business? Wow, you are generous! ha

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  6. Hope, never heard from the former client. And yes, when she asked, I was going to send her a link to the client because if a client doesn't like my work, I don't take it personally (in creative things, people dont always see eye to eye...that's just the way it goes sometimes). However, I was under the impression he wasn't using the website (I had never checked but figurered if he didn't like it he wouldn't use it). So, after finding the link and being very displeased with his business ethics, I decided against sending my friend the link. I instead sent her links to other similar businesses that I had heard good things about.

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