How would you handle this?

Beck · 07-02-2006, 03:27 PM

Ok, here's the thing. A client wanted me to digitally add furniture to a house that he's selling. The house is empty and we both feel that adding furniture digitally will help to better market the place. There are 6-8 photos and I originally gave him an estimate of $35/photo which totalled $210-280. He told me his budget only allowed $200, so I agreed to cut him some slack and do it for that much (this project could lead to further projects of this kind).

I did a walkthrough of the house with him and we discussed what kind of furniture style would be best for the type of house it is. We both agreed on more antique furniture with a modern flare. Warm colors - no black. So he paid me a 50% deposit then supplied the photos (which he took with a wide angle camera lens) and I started to add furniture based on the specs we discussed. I didn't spend hours and hours of time doing color correction or detailing the crops, etc. I want to make sure the guy's fine with the furniture in the first place.

Well, I just received my second email from him criticizing the lack of color correction and wanting me to redo the entire bunch of pictures. I've already spent at least 2 hours per photo just looking for images that would fit the distorted angle in the first place, not to mention match the description he supplied. Now, suddenly, he's changing the "antique" choice to "sleek and modern." He only paid me $200. Granted, I agreed to work for that much. However, he's being way pickier than my clients who pay me for what I'm worth and I don't know how to professionally tell him to stop being so damn fussy and realize that a green couch vs. an olive couch isn't going to make a bit of difference in selling the house.

How would you approach the situation? At this point, I don't want to just walk away with my $100 and call it done. Like I said, there's potential for future clients through this project. At the same time, I can't keep spending hours on end trying to make this guy happy. He didn't pay me to make him happy, he paid me to furnish the rooms.

Schmitty · 07-02-2006, 04:59 PM

People who arent in the design industry have no idea the time it takes. Id make him happy, grab my $200 and have a great referal of a job well done. If this will lead to just a few other jobs it would be worth it to make him happy.

PrintDriver · 07-02-2006, 05:59 PM

What specifically does your contract say?
A redirection is usually cause for a change order.
As for the color correction, obviously it doesn't matter as he is trying to get you to change the look (and the scope of work) for nothing. That is just a simple explanation to the client that you wanted to be sure you are going in the right direction for the look and the pretty stuff comes laer.

ecsyle · 07-02-2006, 06:11 PM

I would model and render the room in Autodesk VIZ. It shouldn't be hard. Simpel camera matching a still image, then reproducing the lighting. That's a bit harder.

Of course. I would charge a shit load for it

urstwile · 07-02-2006, 06:12 PM

Are the other jobs it's possibly going to lead to also going to be paying you on a similar scale? If so, it's not worth it, IMO.

Beck · 07-02-2006, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrintDriver

What specifically does your contract say?

It basically said that I would digitally add furniture to 6-8 rooms. Trust me, that was the first thing that came to mind, but I pretty much screwed myself over on that one. It sucks, but I'll chalk it up to lesson learned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by urstwile

Are the other jobs it's possibly going to lead to also going to be paying you on a similar scale?

Nope. I'm not going to do it for so little next time. This is the first project like this that I've done and am quickly learning from my mistakes.

What I had in mind was telling him I'd redo maybe 3 or 4 more rooms according to his specs. For the remaining rooms (that matched what he asked for in the first place), I'm thinking of telling him that we either run with what I provided or I can start charging hourly. Too harsh? Unprofessional? I want to be fair. He didn't pay me much, but he DID pay me and I agreed to do this service for him. However, I just don't know where to draw the line.

urstwile · 07-02-2006, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beck

What I had in mind was telling him I'd redo maybe 3 or 4 more rooms according to his specs. For the remaining rooms (that matched what he asked for in the first place), I'm thinking of telling him that we either run with what I provided or I can start charging hourly. Too harsh? Unprofessional? I want to be fair. He didn't pay me much, but he DID pay me and I agreed to do this service for him. However, I just don't know where to draw the line.

You seem to realize that you made some mistakes handling the original deal, so good for you in that lesson learned.

In terms of it being unprofessional or harsh, I don't think so, unless he's completely unaware that he's getting your services for quite a bit less than what is fair market value for what you're doing. If he is, then that could perhaps jack up your potential for other jobs of this nature, unless you're using the results of what you're doing for him for a portfolio, I guess.

Beck · 07-03-2006, 04:00 AM

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

I emailed the guy and "laid down the law," without being rude. I essentially told him that even though I agreed to meet his budget on this project, and fully intend to provide a final product he's satisfied with, I can't keep redoing the photos. I offered to change a couple of them, but suggested he leave a couple the same. That's a reasonable compromise, right?

I do want him to put in a good word for me, but not at this cost. My time is valuable, and I'm not willing to give it away for free. (At least, not anymore.) I can use his images in my portfolio and I can target this market myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by urstwile

You seem to realize that you made some mistakes handling the original deal, so good for you in that lesson learned.

Yep. School of Hard Knocks, baby.