I have a client that I created an entire website for. I did a heavy banner graphic with flash, a high-tech navigation menu graphic, animated gifs, and I created his company logo. The website was 6 pages. He paid me $300.00 for the entire thing. He never even knew what his content was until it was time for the project to be over. I created the site exactly as he asked, but noe he says I should have consulted on his site and that I should have done research and found more content for his site. I spent a total of 40 hours on his site going back and forth with his repeated changes and requests and now he wants more. How should I respond to someone like this?

Throughout this entire project he would e-mail me up to 10 times a day, and he called me repeatedly everyday. Not only did he call me everyday, but he would call me on my mobile at 9pm or 10pm at night, and he continued to call me after working hours, even after I told him not to call after 5pm. He would e-mail me and in the e-mail he would say "call me as soon as you get this". And when I called him it was never anything of any importance that couldn't have been e-mailed to me. In one e-mail he went so far as to refer to me as "cutie", which I found totally disturbing and at that point had to force myself even to continue working with him.

Now he says he's not happy because I did not do any consulting for his site. Am I supposed to just hours and hours of work to make him happy for free? How should I respond to him?

whiners and babies should be sent that way ---------------------------------->

[tell him you did what he needed, and for the amount of time you have spent, you should have charged 10x. Then forget about him ]

Probably not much help now to you now, but there's nothing more helpful in this situation than a formal requirements document. I had exactly the same problem with a client in the past. He kept wanting new features in a script I developed for him, then once I'd developed them, he decided he no longer wanted them any more.

Before you start write a document that says exactly what you will do and for what price. Set out the cost of extras (for example, you will add/edit content a maximum of 20 times, then charge $10 each time after that). For any extras etc. you can negotiate a fair price.

If you don't have a document such as this, see if you've got any e-mails etc. that stipulate what work you were willing to do for what price. Then you can go back to him and say 'I'll do this job for $X extra' as you have met your obligations from the contract.

If the worst comes to the worst I would, as AhmedF says, tell him you've done what you were requested to, and if he kicks up a major fuss about it, just give him the site for free and put it down to experience....

I would say that you should cut your loses with this client right now. Tell him that the project is complete and you will no longer accept any calls or emails regarding it.

For future projects I would ensure that you put in your contract every possible detail. Go over with the client and establish exactly what they want before the contract is even signed. Stipulate in your contract exactly what your fees are for after hours work and consulting (remember, discussing site changes on the phone at 9p.m. is after hours consulting) and most importantly, stick to what you say you will do and charge in your contract.

That way, if the client calls you up at night or sends you emails wanting to discuss the site you can remind them of what your hourly charge is to do this and I'm sure soon you will see that their calls and emails will diminish.

Here's a little info that could help with your next job. Some sample documentation for estimates and more importantly, contracts!

http://www.orion-hitek.com/ContractWeb.htm

$300.00 is not a lot of money.
You have sold your services too cheaply and have been treated cheaply.
It is one for experience as David said - but it will toughen your approach to deadwood like this client...once bitten and all that.
Best of luck with him

good link prissed thx