Ridiculous client experiences

L

LouTheDesigner

New Member
Hi everyone,

So I was frustrated the other day over a clients shenanigans so I searched google and found this site:

http://clientsfromhell.net/

I can't tell you how much I laughed as it preoccupied my time for about 2 hours.

I thought I'd ask, what is your most ridiculous client experience? It would be great for new designers to know, so that they aren't too shocked when they run into someone who's insane.

Here's mine:

I had a client who was very old. I sent him an e-mail saying that his site would be up within 5-6 days. I receive 3 missed calls the next morning, all within 15 minutes before 8AM, all with voicemails saying "I'd like to know when we can get this site up? I'm desperate, and I didn't give you a deposit so that you can fall asleep on me!"

I called him back and asked if he checked his e-mail. He said "No, I can't see the screen." (he's close to blind). I explained what I said in the e-mail and he settled his rage a bit.

Fast forward 5 days, where I show him the site on my web space. He says to me, "Why is my name in black & white?" I replied, "Your first name is written in red, and your last name is written in white." Then he went off on a "Don't call me a liar, I know what I'm seeing" rant. Finally, about 5 minutes later, I said "What page are you looking at?" He said page 5 / 8. I thought, oh god, and asked him if he was looking at the site on the screen. He said no, he had his secretary print out the website pages for him on a black & white printer so that he can see them with his poor vision.

I was amazed. Share your stories!

-Lou
 
anna

anna

New Member
That is one of my FAVORITE websites... So true!!

I photographed a motivational speaking event in Palm Springs a few years ago and what a nightmare!!!

They didn't want to pay me until I sent the photos and I'm not a total idiot (by the way, they were breaching the contract by refusing to pay until they had the pics) so hard feelings developed. They finally paid me, after I sent half the pictures, but told me they weren't crazy about the pics. THEN they posted the pictures (that they didn't like) all over their website and refused to give me credit. When I called and politely asked for credit or a link to my site, they had their "attorney" contact me and tell me that "technically they owned the copyright to the photos since they paid for them". I laughed at him and told him to go ahead and send a check for about $20,000 then they could have the copyright. They refused to remove the pictures until I sent them a cease and desist letter threatening a copyright infringement lawsuit.

They finally removed the pics (all I wanted was some credit!!) and we went our separate ways. I am bummed that the situation turned out that way but the moral of the story is know the copyright laws, and don't be bullied.

It was one of my first professional gigs and I really wanted it to go well but not at the expense of my artistic integrity...
 
L

LouTheDesigner

New Member
anna said:
That is one of my FAVORITE websites... So true!!
Click to expand...

anna you're awesome.

Anyway, I was wondering if people can post experiences that they've had so that newbies can learn from them, or as you say -- not to get bullied (it was required that I take an Intellectual Property Rights class at my Uni, for a good reason).

I was bullied once or twice, I admit. I just want new designers to know that they aren't alone. We all face these absurd client deals... it's the way we handle them that helps us along the way.

About 3 or 4 times, when the client would stop answering my calls and e-mails, I called my lawyer and had an invoice sent certified mail and they see at the bottom CC: (Lawyer's name), ESQ. After that, they shit their pants, calling me constantly saying quite literally "I forgot I owed you $4,500."

I guess the point of the discussion was to be very humorous to many designers, but also a sort of wake-up call for new designers that are just emerging. They need to be armed, so to speak, with the knowledge to not be bullied around. There's an amazing book called "How to Be a Web Designer Without Selling Your Soul"... I recommend it to all.

But the humor still stands. Clients using their cd-rom drive as a coffee-cup holder is not just a rumor! My mother dealt with technical support when she was working for the NYC Department of Education, and I told her that story, and she said she had experienced it 4 or 5 times.

It's the humor that I find wonderful. Like when I ask a client "What web browser are you using?" and they say "Dell." -- That was actually a student at Texas Tech, quite shocking.

"If people never did silly things nothing intelligent would ever get done. " - Ludwig Wittgenstein (greatest philosopher of all time).

-Lou
 
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