the small business trap

[Koharski]

I was asked in febuary to design a website for some bed and breakfast somwere by a distant reletave. Sure! I said.

so we meet at a local internet cafe and I show her some possible designs and stuff like that, and then I get to work. I have been emailing her occasional prograss reports and about 25 hours of work later I try to call her and show her what i've done and see if she wants anything changed.
no reply.
I call her about three of four times after that.
no reply.
eventually I just give up and assume she realised that this wasn't going to be a "pay 20 bux and get a cool website" kind of job. It has been 5 months since then, and I recieve an email in my inbox asking what happened to the website, blah blah, we are paying you and we expect a service. I reply back saying that I had finished the website and she dropped out on me etc. this is the reply I get today.

Dear [koharski]:
I can't imagine whose email (brendin has been checking his daily) or who you contacted or what images you received beyond those we worked on together at the java garden, in future please ensure that you leave a message on my phone line toll free from US and Canada [phone numbers], we may not be checking email regularly in future. I would think that as you have all our information that you could fairly quickly put the text we worked on around the collage photo or leave it as is if necessary and upload it to the web. Please try to do this as soon as possible with whatever phone calls you need to make in an effort to complete this (in whatever rough but visible form online this will take temporarily) or email our work back if you can do nothing else. Thanks for your limited effort to complete this task.
Sincerely
Rosanna


fine, I doubt i'm still getting payed for this. What would you so in this situation? My family expects me do do this persons site, so it would be hard to drop out. I'm also out of town and I doubt I have the old work.

but seriously, thanks for your limited effort?!? wtf

 

[IceBergSLiM]

i usually like to get some payment once they ahve signed off on the design before I do any further work. When they have a monetary commitment they are more likely to be responsive and take interest. Design template explain to them that this is the template and if they sign off on it you will proceed with the remainder of the work once they have put up at least 1/3 of the project cost. if they dont want to agree with that tell them to f*ck off and stop wasting your time.

 

[Garet Jax]

Is she paying you?

If so, then you should have contacted your family to get a good number for her rather than lettng it drop.

If not, then reply "Thanks for the limited payment for this task."

 

[VTHodge]

If you haven't gotten any money, then just walk away. You don't need this in your life. If you get family pressue, then put together a 10-minute Frontpage homepage with a title and some pictures and call it a freebie.

 

[iamme]

what a rude response. :thumbsdown:

five months and she just now contacts you? she wants a website for her business but, "we may not be checking email regularly in future." solid business plan there.

i say finish the site and send her a bill for the 25 hours of work. then make the mental note of having a deposit before you start work.

 

[PingSpike]

I would demand full payment at this point.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: PingSpike
I would demand full payment at this point.

I don't know about full payment, but at the very least 50%. However, I also wouldn't put the full site online until I had the full payment.

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: PingSpike
I would demand full payment at this point.

I don't know about full payment, but at the very least 50%. However, I also wouldn't put the full site online until I had the full payment.

no doubt. don't hand over the keys to the completed site until you've got the money in your hands.

 

[QED]

Originally posted by: Garet Jax
Is she paying you?

If so, then you should have contacted your family to get a good number for her rather than lettng it drop.

If not, then reply "Thanks for the limited payment for this task."

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: PingSpike
I would demand full payment at this point.

I don't know about full payment, but at the very least 50%. However, I also wouldn't put the full site online until I had the full payment.

Yeah, it might be a good idea to squeeze whatever money you can out of it for the time you've put in. Her tone suggests she's likely to stiff the OP. But if you have the business domain name registered and have control over it you have a bit of leverage.

 

[JS80]

I like the full payment = put up full site, no payment = put up 1 page with 1 pic saying "Welcome to our Bed and Breakfast, Address, Phone number" idea the best.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: PingSpike
I would demand full payment at this point.

I don't know about full payment, but at the very least 50%. However, I also wouldn't put the full site online until I had the full payment.

Yeah, it might be a good idea to squeeze whatever money you can out of it for the time you've put in. Her tone suggests she's likely to stiff the OP. But if you have the business domain name registered and have control over it you have a bit of leverage.

:thumbsup:

 

[Fern]

have been emailing her occasional prograss reports and about 25 hours of work later I try to call her and show her what i've done and see if she wants anything changed.
no reply.

Forward her those old emails to prove you did the work, but she/they dropped the ball.

I'm also out of town and I doubt I have the old work.

Tell her you're out of town. When you get back you can check to make sure that you either do or don't have it.

If you do, she gets it.

If you don't, consider at that time whether you re-do it, or they have someone else do it.

Fern

 

[Koharski]

allright, I shot off an email with all of the things I sent off before, as well as the hours of work put into it. In case she can't multiply, I put in the cost too. we'll see what she says.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: Koharski
but seriously, thanks for your limited effort?!? wtf

I think you misread that last sentence. Let me translate it for you:

"Thank you for putting in just a little bit more effort to complete this task."

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: Koharski
but seriously, thanks for your limited effort?!? wtf

I think you misread that last sentence. Let me translate it for you:

"Thank you for putting in just a little bit more effort to complete this task."

I think it can be interpreted either way. I find the tone of the sentence condescending nonetheless.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: MrChad

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: Koharski
but seriously, thanks for your limited effort?!? wtf

I think you misread that last sentence. Let me translate it for you:

"Thank you for putting in just a little bit more effort to complete this task."

I think it can be interpreted either way. I find the tone of the sentence condescending nonetheless.

The whole e-mail is a slap in the face to the OP.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: Koharski
but seriously, thanks for your limited effort?!? wtf

I think you misread that last sentence. Let me translate it for you:

"Thank you for putting in just a little bit more effort to complete this task."

If that is what she intended to convey, she phrased it very poorly. Furthermore, the rest of the email leads be to believe that that isn't what she was trying to say.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: PingSpike
Furthermore, the rest of the email leads be to believe that that isn't what she was trying to say.

The rest of the sentence "to complete this task" makes it seem 99% likely that my translation was her intent. She is admitting there was a problem, and wants to let the OP know that it is just a bit more work to finish the deal.

 

[Mermaidman]

Originally posted by: Koharski
allright, I shot off an email with all of the things I sent off before, as well as the hours of work put into it. In case she can't multiply, I put in the cost too. we'll see what she says.

Another e-mail? I would fax or mail a paper invoice.

 

[waggy]

I think the OP did a really unprofessional job. he just emailed them and continued to email when he did not receive a confirmation that it was what they wanted or not. though the email that was sent was pretty bad also.

big question is WTF did you email it back to them? get a paper trail sheesh.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: waggy
big question is WTF did you email it back to them?

That answer is obvious. They clearly said twice to call and once to NOT send email in that last correspondence. Thus, the only clear route is for Koharski to email. I mean, what else can he do?

 

[tfinch2]

Where's the paper trail/signed agreements, etc? I never do any type of consulting work without documentation and SOWs.

The blame falls on both the OP and the small business for not covering their bases.

 

[thomsbrain]

tell them the site is done and you are waiting for them to pay you, it's as simple as that.