Some guy is trying to screw me on a job, what would you do?

[Injury]

Originally posted by: doze
Maybe the guy just took a vacation for a few weeks or one of his projects got really jacked up and he hasn't had the time to deal with the website. Call his office or partners and see whats up.

Yeah, I'm wondering the exact time frame of first contact, last contact, how long you've been trying to get in touch with him, and stuff. Sh!t happens. If we're talking a couple of weeks, don't feel screwed yet. You have $400 and some lunches for what amounts to less than two days work for hourly employees.

I feel the same way... I was on a co-op with a company who needed a new website. I started it in November, had the design and everything finished... I went in two days a week for a few hours just to sit there and play solitaire while waiting for the copy... for a 6 page website!!! At the end of the co-op (in January), I told them that as soon as they finish up the copy to email it to me and I'll get it up right away. I was done with the design of the site and everything in about 3 weeks... and sat there two days a week for two months for NOTHING... because in the past few of weeks they finally decided to get moving on it. When they contacted their web hosts to figure out their FTP passwords and such, they talked them into designing the site.

Now they have the site up, with the copy... WITH MY F'ING DESIGN, CREDITED TO THE WEB HOST!!!!!

They even decompiled the flash stuff I made to edit it. If I didn't get paid for all the days I sat there doing nothing, I'd be pissed enough to have a cease and desist sent to them.

 

[DaiShan]

How can he or you be considered ethical when you stole a client from your company? FWIW when I was interning at a law firm they were representing someone who was arrested for theft of trade secrets for stealing clients from the company for which he worked. (I say stealing, but he did the same thing that you did, talked to a potential client of his employer and offered him a better deal on the side. I think he got off with probation and like 120 hours community service or something. Food for thought.

 

[Alienwho]

Originally posted by: DaiShan
How can he or you be considered ethical when you stole a client from your company? FWIW when I was interning at a law firm they were representing someone who was arrested for theft of trade secrets for stealing clients from the company for which he worked. (I say stealing, but he did the same thing that you did, talked to a potential client of his employer and offered him a better deal on the side. I think he got off with probation and like 120 hours community service or something. Food for thought.

Please read entire thread.

 

[siameseplease]

Originally posted by: QED

Originally posted by: Fritzo
I thought this was going to be a sexual harrasment story

And you were hoping for some pictures, right?

typical ATOTer...

 

[Eeezee]

I wouldn't stress out too much about it, you have all of his website stuff basically held for ransom. Maybe some day he'll show up again and be like "so is it ready?"

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: QED

Originally posted by: Fritzo
I thought this was going to be a sexual harrasment story

And you were hoping for some pictures, right?

Well.....yeah!!! Nothing funnier than a guy trying to avoid man secks

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: DaiShan
How can he or you be considered ethical when you stole a client from your company? FWIW when I was interning at a law firm they were representing someone who was arrested for theft of trade secrets for stealing clients from the company for which he worked. (I say stealing, but he did the same thing that you did, talked to a potential client of his employer and offered him a better deal on the side. I think he got off with probation and like 120 hours community service or something. Food for thought.

Yeah, I thought the same... pretty unethical to poach clients from your employer.

 

[olds]

You went to lunch a couple of times and now he wants to screw you? Who paid for lunch? If he did, you should put out.

 

[TG2]

Change the domain names to www.hisdomainname-sucks.com and then push them live

 

[HomeAppraiser]

Isn't $30 to $40 per hour a standard rate for web design?

Next time get a written contract first.

 

[Alienwho]

This is totally off topic. But I have noticed the growing trend lately that generally speaking, the "Senior Members" and possibly "Golden Members" are the most helpful, mature and well behaved member of these forums.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: Alienwho
This is totally off topic. But I have noticed the growing trend lately that generally speaking, the "Senior Members" and possibly "Golden Members" are the most helpful, mature and well behaved member of these forums.

That makes me want to cry.

On topic: You are screwed and should probably chalk it up to a learning experence. In the US (IANAL, AFAIK) a verbal contract is only valid if < $1000 and < 1 year.

I would keep bugging him until forever though, just out of principle.

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: Alienwho
This is totally off topic. But I have noticed the growing trend lately that generally speaking, the "Senior Members" and possibly "Golden Members" are the most helpful, mature and well behaved member of these forums.

that's because there are more of them

 

[Kelemvor]

Setup the sites with the domain names but put up your own site that just has a page that says:

"This website is designed but won't be shown because the owner of this company has refused to honor the verbal agreement he had with the web designer. Please patronize other establishments"

 

[lokiju]

I'd with hold the sites from his access and keep them down also.

If he wants them he'll contact you and pay up, if not then it was a waste of your time but you could use it on your resume.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: mugs
Which he doesn't own because he didn't have a contract with the OP. It's nice how that works both ways.

A verbal agreement is a contract, especially where both work and (partial) payment has already begun. What law school did you attend (or flunk out of)? I don't know where people get the incorrect idea that contracts can never be verbal. That idea cost Texaco $3 billion in the 1980's when it interfered with Pennzoil's acquisition of Getty Oil. Some background.

Getting back to the OP, yes, you have a legally enforceable contract, but good luck getting payment on it. It's just enough money to irritate you, but not enough to hire a lawyer over, especially considering your client is overseas. Even if you got a judgment in a U.S. court (you're in the U.S., right?), the guy is essentially beyond your reach. As others have said, this is one of life's lessons. At least you got something, and didn't invest much, other than your time.

 

[crystal]

Originally posted by: KillerAngel

Originally posted by: Alienwho

Originally posted by: Modular
Ummm, OK. I'm sure he got wealthy by shelling out boni to every client that did work for him. This had "I'm going to take you for everything" written all over it. I'm sorry it happened. But as a business owner (assuming that when you say "my company" in the OP that means it's yours) you should have known better.

I'm sure he's grateful for his $400 website.

Well that's the thing, he's not even using the website. If he was I could easily F him royally. Everything is in my name and all my passwords. I was waiting to push the website live because I still needed just a little bit more content from him. I mean this guy gave me all sorts of hardcopy's and floorplans and stuff for his condo's, there was just another specific one I was waiting on. Well i waited...and waited...and waited...and it just kind of stopped.

Maybe I should just look at it as a $400 payoff and about $100 worth of free food for the 13 hours of work I put into his sites.

You were gonna get $2k plus a vacation for 13 hours of work? Yowza.

More than likely, the guy realizes he paid too much and went with someone else.