Arggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[CatintheHat1]

Just needed to vent. Thank you.

[CatintheHat1]

Just received an eMail from a client who has been dragging a book cover project on for almost TWO years or at least 18 months. He calls me Friday (I am closed on Fridays, but answer the phone in case it's a printer with a file problem) supper time. The fact I am closed on Friday is posted on my site, my agreement, etc. Now, I have developed a hearing problem..no big deal, since I'm on the net....and I only take instructions via eMail anyway (because what people THINK they say and what they say are rarely the same, so I want it in writing). Anyway, I cannot hear this man, and he has a verrrrry strong accent AND I honestly believe he was drunk. He ends up disconnecting us (he blamed me, but my line was still open), and right after he called the dentist called and I had to go out immediately (son's dentist wanted me to run over while son was having work done because it was more extensive than planned) AND THAT'S WHY I BOOK MY PERSONAL LIFE on Fridays - I don't work on Fridays!!

Anyway, when I check he wrote an eMail about me disonnecting him....and I responded saying I need to get the new instructions (he's changed this book cover at least 6 times) via eMail anyway. He writes back firing me (thank HEAVENs) and demands half his money back. I wrote him this:

"I will be unable to refund the $250 until the end of summer - if you think that's fair, considering the extra work I had to put in, and the terms of the agreement.... then I will do it. It will be transferred back via PayPal in August, unless I can arrange it sooner. Sorry about the phone conversation, but when you call some in who has a hearing impairment, it's pretty difficult to expect them to be able to have a fruitful conversation."

To which he responded:

"Wow. Unfortunately, you confirmed my suspicion regarding an appropriate level of professionalism.

Plain and simple the job is not finished. I asked for a red, white, and blue motif as evidenced by the various mock-ups I sent you.

How come you never brought up a hearing problem in our other discussions - and why would you play that guilt card now?

Again, throwing out another guilt card... "if you think it's fair..." I work with Photoshop and the job is not near as hard as you describe. My local guy has done my last four covers for less than what you charge with better results and signifac.."

The eMail was cut off, but followed by another one saying the money better be refunded by July (don't hold your breath, pal).

Yes, PhotoShop is so easy (he has a bunch of photos that need the background lifted off them, and wants an athlete running across the cover as he morphs into another type of athlete - all in 4 inches of space..hahahahahah with a Captian America colour scheme/theme and the book is for young WOMEN and their parents....lots of thought went into that marketing plan??!!?? And, if his other designer was so great...WHY did he darken my door, I ask??

ARGGGH, what a jerk. SYMPATHY from HIM??? He has MY sympathy. Man can't even finish a book cover in almost two years, then blames me. He approved one from the first series, then kept changing his mind....ARRRRGGGHHH

Sorry..just venting.

CatintheHat

[BlackBox]

it sounds like a well detailed contract would have solved some problems for both of you.

[CatintheHat1]

I have a well-detailed contract. It even specifies that if I don't hear from him in 21 day, I'll consider the project cancelled and that once he approves the front cover, full amount is due and it is not refundable at that time....I was stupid enough to be nice and patient with him in doing changes, big mistake!!!...it was THAT that I was referring to about the agreement. But, why bother fighting him over $250....he'll only go all over the net dissing me. If he can't read "we're open Monday to Thursday" chances are he's not with it enough to actually be able to comprehend the agreement.


Oh, and for the record, the cover he chose was greeen, yellow and blue. Not red white and blue....and it was completed because on March 3, 2004 he wrote:

Cat:

I like it!

I think the title "****************" kicks off the page better.

Did you prepare this one so it has no bleeds? Or does this cover bleed to the edge? I remember what you said about printer's centering it, so I am curious.

Can we make the tilted blue box a tad smaller so it fits at least within the white space surrounding the book instead of being cut off?

I think the type within the box is a hundred times easier to read - that looks good.

Since I have sold quite a few other books in the ********** and because my name seems too small in the area it is in, could we make it larger?

I will get to work on the back cover blurb and pricing, although I may ask you to sit on the cover for a month or so while I do some more writing. I want to get more of an idea what the final page count will be before deciding on a price which I want added to the ISBN.

I can send you the fianl payment whenever you need it, but as I said above I may need some authoring time before I can get you the final info for the back cover and the spine width.

You might want to start thinking about the next book cover I want you to design. This will be a re-write of a book I have already published, but is being updated. The book is titled, "******************." It was basically written for ***************************.

Keep up the good work!


and on May 10th, 2004, this:

Hey Cat:

Believe it or not, I am hard at work finishing the text. I had a rush of work finishing book 3 for my client, then i had to put together a ************* program to promote the book, then create an ***************** to hand out at ***************... yada yada yada.

Don't worry I have not forgotten you. Did I tell you I was changing the subtitle to: "********************************"

I am working on the back cover copy, hopefully that will be done this week.

I will get back to you.

[Keyare]

If you went to court, it wouldnt be clear if you owed him the money back at all. You could have kept it all and claimed it as time, and according to the law, you are entitled to be recompensated for every hour you spend. However, you have just agreed to give him half of his money back.

That in itself now becomes the new contract. Giving half his money back is more than fair. Your terms were that he would get it in August. Any court in the land would agree that those are acceptable terms. If he wants to stretch it out, get him to take you to court. Then he wouldn't see it for another year IF he actually won. And it sounds like you could claim more than $500 in time if it took two years to get where you are.

So, basically, ignore the "I'll huff and puff and blow your house down" cuz he can't do anything without making it worse for himself.

[CatintheHat1]

Oh, I have 100% rights to keep all the money. I'm just ticked off by his remarks.."sympathy"...uh..yeah....the agreement is the agreement, pal....not sympathy. Anyway, he's just a dumb twitter....not worth my fighting with....I just needed to vent.

Cat

[greyghost]

Some clients, eh?
Been there myself.

I've had clients that made me come up with happy daydreams of me shoving them out a very high window... or hanging them upside down by the necktie... yes I am violent when really pissed off. lol.

My contract permits no more than three proofs - the original, a rework or edits, and final changes. That's it. Anything more is subject to a hefty fee (either hourly, or per change - I have contracts either way - hourly is nice when someone is really getting overly elaborate with the changes).

I don't answer the phone on days off. If it's a printer, they can leave a message and I'll call them right back.

[defjoe]

I wouldn't give this ***** a dime back. screw him.

[Rocketpig]

I concur with DefJoe. Customers like that need to be told off. A few have tried pulling that "I found someone cheaper AND better" only to have them come crawling back to me once their project was done incorrectly by their 12 year old dyslexic niece who is legally blind, has an unhealthy love for red Comic Sans with a grey drop shadow, and is using Photoshop at 72dpi as a layout program(okay, maybe an exaggeration).

Anyway, screw 'im. Keep the money as a "moron customer" fee.

[CatintheHat1]

Nah, I made a decision when I first opened shop that "it's only money" and no one will ever be given a reason to say "booo" about me or my company when it comes to money and integrity...sure I may have to swallow a few bitter pills, but it's better than giving that jerk anything else to whine about. I'm sure he'll wake up and eventually read what the agreement says, and he might even have the eMails he sent me...for sure he'll have his neon yellow and green designs he things are red, white and blue..hahahahha...so let him have the knowledge that I sit here with smug self-satisfaction of what a twitter he is....and he knows I know. And I behaved like a perfect professional (well, save for this thread, but hey, we're all allowed our vices..hehehe).