I'll start -

Clients - feel free to hit back at us designers and coders!

1. Say it's urgent - wants your assurance of priority but communication once project has started is slow
   (example: client I met insisted the project will go to one who can offer priority so I rescheduled a few things and promptly provided a logo draft and layout - she liked it but she hasn't provided any content and it has been 2 weeks by which they come back to me with half the content then go away for another 10 days and come back and all of a sudden this project isn't as lucrative and at times you cannot offer priority because of the new jobs you have and they get annoyed for this!?). Someone get me Adam Sandler's remote control.
2. Clients thinking they're designers
   I'm very open to input and revisions but some of the stuff I hear is rather audacious.
   
   Comments like "I don't like the blue - can you try something purple" is understandable and expected
   
   but comments along the lines of "Uncle Frank the barber thinks you should do this and Katie my hair stylist says to do that - oh and you should do XY because Z is the reason as I read an article and it says so"
   
   
3. Using a mickey mouse competitor to get a lower price from you
   I've nothing against price comparisons and I do this myself but if you're going to try and get a few hundred pounds discounted because another designer has offered you the same service for half the price then fine, I will knock off 10-30% on price difference if I need to and if the competiton is good but if I find that the competitor has a maximum of 3 and a half websites completed on their portfolio and that they're a full time ice cream man and do 'professional web design' in the evening then I can only wish you the best of luck and will offer you a reduced rate should you require rebranding and corrections in 6 months time.

I'll add more in the coming days...

but she hasn't provided any content and it has been 2 weeks

Only two weeks!

I had one client who wanted a website URGENTLY, so he gets charged the £300 for for the initial setup and drafts, I get the site draft done, he looks at it changes a few images and Ok'ed it with dummy content, promising to get some real content in about a fortnight, month at tops. That was THREE YEARS AGO!!

I'm expecting a phone call one day to ask if it's ready!

Styla I hope you do add more in the coming days, nice way to start the day off with a few laughs. It's not funny at the time, but what can I say, that's people for you.

Three good reasons why...my client work is almost non-existent...
Sanity is better than money....

(And I have neither).....

Originally Posted by chrishirst

Only two weeks!

I had one client who wanted a website URGENTLY, so he gets charged the £300 for for the initial setup and drafts, I get the site draft done, he looks at it changes a few images and Ok'ed it with dummy content, promising to get some real content in about a fortnight, month at tops. That was THREE YEARS AGO!!

I'm expecting a phone call one day to ask if it's ready!

What's terrible is that they will most likely think they will have some life-time voucher with you and get back to you in a few years when your rates have upped by 200% and if they don't like it, they will request a refund!!

I don't think some people understand what the upfront payment is for!

Originally Posted by Giselle

Styla I hope you do add more in the coming days, nice way to start the day off with a few laughs. It's not funny at the time, but what can I say, that's people for you.

lol I have more but just holding back to see what others have experienced because surely I'm not the only one!? (or am I?)

Originally Posted by Jim Gillum

Three good reasons why...my client work is almost non-existent...
Sanity is better than money....

(And I have neither).....

Neither do I with the added bonus of stressful clients

What I do when client do harsh play, I brb and lol'd at them while returns the money

Haha.. I get the same things here!

Many times we will juggle several projects then BAM! They all want it done at the same time when they fail to communicate with you for the past weeks/months before.

Deadlines tend to be a facade... most people want it done yesterday but when you need the input, it gets put to the side until the last minute.

Yeah that's really true have also experience about it. Clients always try to take a lot of work from freelancers.

Originally Posted by BBPNow

Deadlines tend to be a facade... most people want it done yesterday but when you need the input, it gets put to the side until the last minute.

Completely agree - Just 2 days ago a client requested a website to be done by next week so I quoted her and now 2 days into the project she said I can take my time because it's not needed until 3 weeks time.

*shakes head*


Okaayyyy... number FOUR!

.4 Pays you in installments of whatever they like
I always tell clients 50% upfront - 50% upon completion (sometimes 25 50 25) but nevertheless - had a client in 2011 who decided to pay in about 8 different installments over 3 months - I do my own accounts so it was extra work and confusing as payments were mixing with other projects!

I'm glad to say I've cut all ties with the client although at the cost of a few hundred - but worth it in the long run


.5 Claims industry standard against the work you do in order to get more out of you.
This one truly bugs me and was such a horrible experience. So I design a login membership area which grants access to a user to view private content. Pretty standard stuff right? Well, after I signed off and requested final payment - the client then demands that I incorporate a statistic monitoring system so he can see how many sign ups / by month / day / year and export facility. I told him it will cost X amount but he said this is industry standard and that I must incorporate it otherwise he wants a refund. I kept insisting otherwise and referred to an email where the requirements were stated (no mention of stats!) - his response was that he didn't need to because it was industry standard.

Leason learned: Itemise everything and state overtime on anything that is requested that isn't within the itemised invoice/project spec.

More to follow...

1. They make deadlines that I make but they can't seem to make.
2. Poor communication.
3. They want to make changes every second - They never seem to just email a whole list.

Have a look at http://www.squidoo.com/web-designer-versus-client se if it rings any bells

and for anyone that hasn't seen it yet http://clientsfromhell.net/

keep calling me and asking things to change over and over......

Originally Posted by zelllibin

keep calling me and asking things to change over and over......

.... A year after the site has been handed over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


That was yesterdays phone call, he got quoted £125 up front. He'll either pay it or stop asking and I'm not fussed either way.

That "contact person" at the company you are dealing with changes 3 times so you have to rehash the same design arguments you had with person A, again with persons B and C.

Originally Posted by TWD

That "contact person" at the company you are dealing with changes 3 times so you have to rehash the same design arguments you had with person A, again with persons B and C.

And I thought that was just me

Now I know this is my own stupid fault because I helped him out with a five minute fix a couple of months ago. But one client, hosting only because somebody else built the site after he decided we were too expensive, seems to have decided that we are now looking after all his websites updates (no CMS) as well, so he has taken to sending his new gig dates to us then sending a "when will it be done email a day later".

Well he's in for a surprise when he gets an invoice for five hours work of trawling through somebody else's code and setting up new pages and adding the new links to all the other pages.
He'll be wishing he had paid £450 for a CMS solution!!!!!

It's arse slapping time as it's known in the trade!!!

All true..
Good thing, we always required our client to pay us full amount upfront. At first there are some hesitations but after we've given all the details and proof that w can accomplish their requirements, they have decided to lease and pay the agreed amount.

Originally Posted by TWD

That "contact person" at the company you are dealing with changes 3 times so you have to rehash the same design arguments you had with person A, again with persons B and C.

And the number of replacements seen is directly proportional to the amount of knowledge and understanding the latest person has.

True reason for aware of the fake clients.they will get thier word done in hurry and once you give him the work.he will never appear for payments.