Client Driving Me Nuts!

[kellyc1212]

:confused:
I am currently designing numerous brochures, posters, logos, business cards, and lables for a husband/wife real estate/contracting team. Each brochure contains the front elevation of a particular house and the main and upper level plans, alongside contact info, the new logo, living area specs...blah blah blah.

I started working on this job 3 weeks ago. I was given a 4 day deadline for all roughs of the brochures to be completed. Yep. 4 days. And I took the job. I am kicking myself now. I was given 1 disk with the architect's renderings. The crappy j-pegs were not constrained to say the least, and I had to try to make them workable.

But, a miracle did happen and I completed the job. Well, of course, I was sent dozens of revisions that made no sense, but I did them to please the customer. 5 revisions later, they were finally pleased and I put all of the designs on CD for them as requested in various formats.

Now, 1 week after completing the brochures, and attempting to complete the posters (after numerous revision requests) I get a call. "We're having problems with this CD. Give me a call."

I call her back, and she tells me that they are not happy with the size of the main and upper plans. (I have changed the freaking size of these floorplans for them so many times that I have lost count.) And they need to add ann additional email address to the brochures, and add several more sentences.

I think I may go insane before this is over. I gave an up-front price per design job, and now I don't know if I should say, "From now on, all revisions will cost this amount if there is nothing drastically wrong with the design." Or something like, "After the job has been approved by you, I'm sorry, but I can't make any more revisions." Or should I just keep my mouth shut and allow these people to become a parasitic entity for the rest of my adult life?"

Any suggestions?

[marshdesign]

yeah good idea in your contract to include after so many revisions I am charging $x.xx per hour, otherwise this will happen ALL the time. They will abuse the fact that you dont charge for additional revisions and will have no problem having you revise it a million times before they are happy.

I learned this through a very simlier way a few months ago. I try to explain it while giving them there project quote so there are no suprizes!
But yeah sounds like you deserve a lot more money than what they are going to give you for your efforts.

[mojoprime]

yeah, i have a rule about three sets of revisions and then you're charged an hourly rate. you might be able to get them to understand, but i doubt it. chalk it up to a learning experience and remember to make sure that's agreed upon beforehand.

[kellyc1212]

You are sooo right. I could kick myself for not implementing a contract with these people. I don't typically do design for other people. I own my own business and design for myself. This agency had seen my website and wanted to know who designed it. When I told her I did it myself, she hired me on the spot, before I had even really agreed to do it. Ha!

To say the least, they are not the most pleasant clients to work for.

Oh, and I totally forgot about this. I had used Zapfino 1 for the headings in the brochures. Well, of course, the clients don't have Macs and wanted to know why they didn't have that font on their computer. Now they're all ticked because they can't go in and have matching fonts when they want to add things to the brochure themselves, such as updated pricing. I attempted to tell then that they would have to purchase that font through linotype and install it on their computer. I was going to assist them in doing this, but when they discovered they were going to have to buy the font, they are considering having me redesign every brochure with a different font!!:eek:

[CkretAjint]

If you have in your emails "we love it, send us a CD with the files" line in it. That would mean the job is complete. If the files on the CD are giving them issues, reburn/resend the CD, but don't make more changes. Those aren't issues with the files, those are changes!!!

I would tell them about how the job was completed and now another invoice will be sent out for additional changes.

[CkretAjint]

...but when they discovered they were going to have to buy the font, they are considering having me redesign every brochure with a different font!!:eek:

Not all that bad, assuming they pay you accordingly. *shrugs*

[kellyc1212]

I don't know. They are paying me quite well, but at this point, I'm getting to that point where the money just isn't important anymore. My sanity, on the other hand, is. :)

[kellyc1212]

Email from client last week concerning brochures--

Hi Kelly, Everything in this emaiil is a go.

Is the CD at the office. I was so covered up with family over the
weekend that i didn't get to my email till now.


I think this constitutes a completed job, no?

[CkretAjint]

Yep, to me that is job completed and approved.

[mojoprime]

yep, i would agree. and did you design the brochures in software they have on their machines, like *shudder* publisher or something? *crosses fingers*

[DesignVHL]

Look, they are a difficult client, you've mentioned this. And you have learned a valuable lesson to use a contract. That being said. Next time they come back with a change, or "revision", you say to them, that it will cost you $x/hr and it will take me Xhrs to do that. Would you like me to proceed? They will either say, no I don't want to pay for the revision, or YEs, please do so.

it is possible they may complain about the change, and you can simply state that this project has been considered completed (and refer back to email and cd delivery). Any changes you have after final delivery will cost you more, as it costs me valuable time. Make them realize how valuable your time is. You can be nice about it, and if they are a decent enough client they will understand, if not, move on and don't let it stress you out. There will always be good clients, and bad clients.

[kellyc1212]

I filled those CDs up with so many file conversions, there is bound to be something they can open. Ha! :)