How do you tell a bad client gently that you want to break up with him?

[heni30]

I have this client who I took on a while back because things were slow and I needed the money.

 

He is basically a bad client; he doesn't pay very much; he pays late, he asks for a lot of whimsical changes. He's not a bad person - just a jerk when it comes to being a client, he helped me out when I needed it but now his low pay hassle-ridden work is cutting into my better paying enjoyable work.

 

I don't want to burn the bridge (may recommend me to someone) but I definitely do not want to continue to work for him. Plus he still owes me some money.

 

How do I let him down gently and tell him that our relationship isn't working and that I want to break up. I think in his mind everything is fine because basically I'm a nice guy.

[Dan Norfolk]

I'd just make myself scarce.

[heni30]

Aw, man - just checked invoices; six years. It's only been bearable because he hasn't been giving me a steady stream of work.

 

He always invites my family to a restaurant Thanksgiving dinner along with his other employees. He's very active in the community doing things like collecting toys for veteran's kid's during the holidays. I just feel guilty that he's going to be in a bind without my help.

[Scott Schroeder]

To paraphrase a great and wise man.

 

"Dear Client. Welcome to Dumpsville. Population: You."

-Homer Simpson

 

But seriously, I'd just own up to him. Tell him the facts. People don't respect you when you sidestep, BS them, or just plain disappear. Talk to him, man to man. But I wouldn't hold my breath from him to change. Like in any relationship, what you do early on sets the tone for the entire thing.

[Arnold Sher]

I have this client who I took on a while back because things were slow and I needed the money.

 

He is basically a bad client; he doesn't pay very much; he pays late, he asks for a lot of whimsical changes. He's not a bad person - just a jerk when it comes to being a client, he helped me out when I needed it but now his low pay hassle-ridden work is cutting into my better paying enjoyable work.

 

I don't want to burn the bridge (may recommend me to someone) but I definitely do not want to continue to work for him. Plus he still owes me some money.

 

How do I let him down gently and tell him that our relationship isn't working and that I want to break up. I think in his mind everything is fine because basically I'm a nice guy.

 

This is actually a fantastic topic as we have encountered rather a significant amount of bad clients. We believe that we have separated the good ones from the bad ones throughout the years however on an odd occasion we still bump into the one that needs coaching of how to behave around the studio and staff and on the very odd occasion when there is no hope we simply fire them. I do not feel bad and i do not loose a wink of sleep over it. Anyone that can disrespect my staff or me and do a performance in the studio (we had this one recently when she lost her marbles and started a performance that was non work related) gets an immediate pink slip where us i politely asked to collect her belongings and take herself back to the car and never come back. The funny thing being she phoned two weeks later and wanted to give us a new job... We politely declined... We also had a client who always had a rush job, usually wanted something within 24 hours, so the whole studio had to drop whatever they were doing and after that instead thanking us he would complain about the incorrect glass colour and then ask would us to submit an invoice to his clients that we have never met who ducked and dived from payment and would take months to settle. We solved that by withholding the last job we did for him and asked him to settle all the outstanding invoices including the last job. He went mad, settled and then we fired him. Sometimes it is just not worth it, no matter the amount. Our health and sanity is the most important thing and we now have clients who appreciate what we do and we know their families, hangout with them on an odd occasion and just get along. Anyway, that is my two cents worth... Be strong, do not take sh*t from no one and important thing is what you will have at the end of the day is respect for yourself and this all anyone can ask for.Best of luck

[notamondayfan]

I always think honesty is the best approach. Tell them you have lined up some other large jobs that will keep you very busy for a while and would struggle to accommodate his work. Perhaps even introduce him to another freelancer, maybe you know someone who's starting up and could really use the extra work? If you can help your client to move on then you can still keep their respect, but also cutting loose the work.

 

I think hiding from him, saying "no!" or other methods are rude, especially as there's nothing he's done that's been horrific. If you were still struggling you'd welcome his work.

 

It's such a small industry, and you don't want to give anyone a reason to give you a bad name.

 

Dean

[CliveG]

Put your price up....

 

You'd be surprised, you may put up with the work when it pays a bit better.

 

Unfortunately my experience is this doesn't actually work very well for a clean divorce. I slapped 35% on for a few clients that were "difficult" and they kept coming back, but at least I didn't feel as bad about it thereafter (other than kicking myself for not doing it earlier).

 

Ironically though, when they were paying me more they also treated me a bit better too.

 

Good Luck.

[M V]

I agree with the above, increase your fee and structure payments so there is a deposit and full payment before release of finals. Chances are they will just go away.

[nicholaspapageorgiou]

i totally dont agree with suddenly putting your price up and changing your payment structure! especially with a long term client, all be it a bad one. The design industry is a small world and behaivior like that wount go down well if he then speaks to his other industry colleges

 

to be honest, the best way of sorting him out is for you to get serious with your emails and your business. tell him you will only allow for a certian amount of amendments for the price, charge him if he changes the design mid way through or chooses a different chair suddenly.

 

seriously, if hes late with payments, say 'your accountant has advised you, that a late payment passed the statutory 31 days will incure daily interest' as per your terms and conditions. if you dont have terms, write some! and include them in your fee proposal at the beginning of the project.

 

I hope you learn from this though for future clients. If you begin disorganized and don't have a structure in place, clients will take advantage both with your time and money...you will get more respect if you act professionally from the start and be open about what you charge and what the client should expect

[M V]

I just had a situation with a client that gave me a bad vibe. I finished the job I was working on with him and then just told him it wasn't a good fit when he came back.

[Rwande]

Do the work for him even taking the sacrifice as you're part of the bad deal too. Then next time you raise the price by 50% or any big number that makes you well compensated and him making a tough decision. If he turns down, you saved a great deal of hustle if he's going for it, win situation because you can pass it over to china or have a decent budget for you convenience. Never go unreasonable or unprofessional, if you raise the price give him a good reason.

 

ps. theres just too many other clients out there in the world that is eager to work with you, don't need to stick to one source.

Edited August 4, 2013 by Rwande

[junglee]

In my opinion, you shouldn't be pick and choose the clients because of the way they work.

You are the who should give them a paramter and have them stay within the parameter.

If he is your old client, you send him an email stating your new rules and explain what your scope of services are based on the fees you charge.

And since he has worked with you long enough, he may ask for more and go over your parameter even after the notice. Then you tell him that such and such is going to be an additional service, thus will incur in additinal fee.

If he is professional enough, he will understand. You shouldn't feel bad.

 

And as for the late payment goes, it all depends on how late it is and what their accounting system is.

If they pay the sub-contractor (you) after they get paid from their client, this may take anywhere between 2~4 months depends on their billing system.

You should clearly ask what is causing the delay before anything else.

And if the delay is unexceptable, you simply reply him on his next RFP that you won't be able to render any service before oustanding invoice is paid. You tell him nicely that your time simply doesn't worth servicing him due to late payments.

 

You have to be professional and not to be scared to say the right things even if he is your old client.

Don't be afraid. In a service providing business, as long as your skill is good, clients will come. You don't need to hug everyone.

[miroslavhundak]

Though not arch-viz related, but still in the realm of CG, I've had a similar situation with a client that commissioned a series of visual effects. We agreed on a time-frame and price tag based on my rough estimates and, ultimately, their budget.

 

At first it seemed like a good deal, but as the project progressed further, the requirements for individual effects became increasingly more complex. They required more time to finish, use of specialized software, and at some point I was even asked to do the sound effects, which I did, even though I've never done that before.

 

I completed 1st series of effects and received payment for it as we agreed. When client asked if I wanted to take on more similar work I simply said that I'm not going to be available for unspecified amount of time due to other workload. This may seem like a crude and transparent lie, but it's still less offensive then outright refusing to work for the client any more (burning bridges).

 

I could have gone into lengthy discussion with the client about the price of work, costs of living, etc., but in my head that seemed more like arguing, which would serve no purpose at all, and might offend the client by insulting their intelligence. There was no hard feelings and the client said that I may contact them once my availability changes.

 

I'm not saying this is the right approach for everyone, but I hope my experience helps in some way.

 

About half a year later I received a new job offer from that same client. This time I was able to negotiate better terms. The client was satisfied with the final product, payed on time and overall it was a good working experience.

 

I also have a different client that owes me a non-negligible amount of money for quite some time (years). This is not a bad person, but is in financial trouble and simply cannot pay me. That said I would not take further work from this client, until a substantial part of the debt is settled, as a show of good faith.

[heni30]

I agree. A white lie is sometimes the best strategy.

 

Girlfriend or wife: "Honey, do these jeans make my ass look big?"