Sucky customer of boyfriend

[iradney]

So, TTO runs his own programming and web-design company. If I may say so, he totally rocks at it - even if I am biased! :lol:

So, he has one client that he's doing a project for. Well, I should actually say HAD, since he fired them :)

This is why:

First, they come to him with a concept. He creates a site accordingly. Then they change their minds. So he changes it. They change their minds AGAIN, and he changes it again! Lather, rinse, repeat.

Every time he has to make a change, he charges them - it's more work for him to do, so he has to!

Eventually they run out of money. TTO is a soft-hearted person (which isn't obvious when you first clap eyes on him :) ), so he agrees to do the work for free.

Now, TTO has also contracted TBS (Tall Blonde Sister) who is a graphic designer to help out with some of the widgets on the site. So she has to get paid too, right? She agrees to donate her time as well.

The company carries on, making changes all the time etc etc, and TTO and TBS do it in the evenings. TBS has a day job, and TTO has paying customers to do work for, so obviously they get priority.

At their second last meeting, the company started making demands. No, they must NOT do the work in the evenings, they should give THEIR work priority. They still won't pay for it though.

But here's the kicker - the main guy of the company turns to TTO and asks him if HE can hired more programmers to work on the project. So not only is TTO doing it for free, he must now pay money for their project??!? :eek:

TTO decided, that's it. He's not doing work for them anymore - calls a meeting with them at the beginning of the week, and advises them accordingly. They then offer him money (from where?) to carry on, but he stood his ground and refused.

I still can't believe the gall of them - you're getting good quality work gratis, don't push your limits and make unreasonable demands!

[wagegoth]

Sadly, he's not alone:

http://www.clientcopia.com/

[digilight]

Sadly, he's not alone:

http://www.clientcopia.com/

Damnit why do I click on links that bring me to sites that will suck up more of my time. I love it by the way, it is a glitzomatic type site.

[CanadaGirl]

Sadly, those kinds of "customers" are quite common in the web designers world. :( People seem to think they can get that kind of work for free, just because it was done on a computer. Asses.

[tropicsgoddess]

CanadaGirl, you are so right. My fiance is a computer geek and there have been countless times where people try or did get him to work on their stuff for free (and it's quality work too!!). What's worse sometimes are the ones where he would help out with fixing their comp and they would get stubborn and act like they knew what they were doing.

[Pedersen]

What's worse sometimes are the ones where he would help out with fixing their comp and they would get stubborn and act like they knew what they were doing.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Even lost a "friend" over it. Basically, I was having an issue with a program he asked me to fix for him, was taking longer than he thought it should. He proceeded to tell me that I didn't know what I was doing, while he did.

I packed my things, and went home, without saying a word. He called me since there was still a problem. I walked him through removing the program. Once I heard he was running the way he was before I went over there, I hung up the phone, and refused to speak to him again.

No, this wasn't the first time he'd done this sort of thing. But it was the last time he did it to me.