Hello,
I have just recently started my custom airbrushing business. So far, I have had two bad clients in a row. The first guy wanted me to airbrush T-shirts for a High School basketball team, the Waterloo Wildhawks. He sent me the initial $200 to start the project, then when I had completed the project and delivered the T-shirts to him, he handed me a check. Later, the check bounced. I have called his phone numbers numerous times. I have sent him e-mails as well. I have contacted his head coach at the University, who told me since it has 'nothing to do with the University' it has nothing to do with him. I have contacted the head of the Waterloo Wildhawks, who told me that both himself and the guy who bounced the check are 'very busy'. I suppose I could take the check to the bank where it was drawn to resubmit it, but that's in another city from me (I am in Hamilton, Ontario....he is in Waterloo, Ontario. This is an hour drive.)
This guy is obviously dodging me. It looks as though I will have to take him to court.
Then, I had someone who wanted me to do his motorcycle for him. He was rude and obnoxious from the start, demanding that I drop my price. When he asked me how long it took to do a motorcycle helmet, I told him it took two weeks. He told me 'You've got a week!' I spent all week on that project, spraying a coat of paint, drying with the heat gun, sanding it. After a week was over, he said if the helmet wasn't ready then he would take it to someone else to do it. I had the design he asked for done, but I couldn't get it clear-coated. I have to send the clear-coating out to someone else, and he just had a truck come in. The client told me that since I didn't have it clear-coated for him, that I wasn't a 'professional'. Therefore, he would not be paying me for the job I did....only $60 to cover the cost of paint. I was so upset, I took the money and just let him go...even though it cost me $150 in materials and 30 hours in labor to do that helmet....which was fine. I could show you photographs of it if you wanted to see them.
In any case, I have learned to NEVER accept checks from people. Also, I have learned to prepare an invoice for the materials that I use on a project, including the materials as well as (my) labor costs. I still have a problem being assertive with people.
Has anyone else had a problem with clients?
I have just recently started my custom airbrushing business. So far, I have had two bad clients in a row. The first guy wanted me to airbrush T-shirts for a High School basketball team, the Waterloo Wildhawks. He sent me the initial $200 to start the project, then when I had completed the project and delivered the T-shirts to him, he handed me a check. Later, the check bounced. I have called his phone numbers numerous times. I have sent him e-mails as well. I have contacted his head coach at the University, who told me since it has 'nothing to do with the University' it has nothing to do with him. I have contacted the head of the Waterloo Wildhawks, who told me that both himself and the guy who bounced the check are 'very busy'. I suppose I could take the check to the bank where it was drawn to resubmit it, but that's in another city from me (I am in Hamilton, Ontario....he is in Waterloo, Ontario. This is an hour drive.)
This guy is obviously dodging me. It looks as though I will have to take him to court.
Then, I had someone who wanted me to do his motorcycle for him. He was rude and obnoxious from the start, demanding that I drop my price. When he asked me how long it took to do a motorcycle helmet, I told him it took two weeks. He told me 'You've got a week!' I spent all week on that project, spraying a coat of paint, drying with the heat gun, sanding it. After a week was over, he said if the helmet wasn't ready then he would take it to someone else to do it. I had the design he asked for done, but I couldn't get it clear-coated. I have to send the clear-coating out to someone else, and he just had a truck come in. The client told me that since I didn't have it clear-coated for him, that I wasn't a 'professional'. Therefore, he would not be paying me for the job I did....only $60 to cover the cost of paint. I was so upset, I took the money and just let him go...even though it cost me $150 in materials and 30 hours in labor to do that helmet....which was fine. I could show you photographs of it if you wanted to see them.
In any case, I have learned to NEVER accept checks from people. Also, I have learned to prepare an invoice for the materials that I use on a project, including the materials as well as (my) labor costs. I still have a problem being assertive with people.
Has anyone else had a problem with clients?
posted by:
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Toronto
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Re: Bad clients
Mon, April 21, 2008 - 6:01 PMYou do any business long enough, you are going to get bad clients. Even plumbers get bad clients. Your best bet is to try and get your business dealings down pat so that you can deal with them better later on.
A university or any large institution is going to have an accounting department issuing Purchase Orders for any outside vendor doing work for them. If they don't have one, then consider that a red flag. If you are working with individuals or small companies, then give them a written quote and then have them send back a signed copy of it before starting work. If there are changes to the job, then have them sign off on that too. Basically what you want to have is a paper trail. That way if you have to take them to court or to a collection agency, you have a sign documents to back you up. (In your case, you can threaten to take them to the DA and file criminal charges. Since passing bad checks is technically fraud. )
Second, remember your dignity is not up for negotiation. If someone is acting like an ass, then that is a damn good reason to walk away from the deal. There is not rule that says you have to take every job that comes down the pike. The fact that this guy got you to lower your price without giving anything back, more or less guaranteed that he was going to try and stiff you in the end. Some people are jerks and the best way to deal with them is not to even begin.
Finally, if you can’t price your work to make a profit, then it doesn’t matter how good you are as an artist. You are a business and businesses have to make money. That is your job not your clients! (Their job is to try and get the best deal they can for themselves.) If you aren't pricing your work enough to support yourself, then you need to ask yourself, why not? You should have some sort of a business plan for how you plan to operate and make money from your art. Otherwise you are just setting yourself up for failure and when you do,t won’t be the fault of your “bad clients”.
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Re: Bad clients
Tue, April 22, 2008 - 3:40 AMI once did a website for a 'friend' of a friend. He told me he had scans of all his work that were clean and ready for the website. Once we agreed on a price he told me the images might need some cleanup work AFTER I SCAN THEM. I let him know there would be a charge PER SCAN and an HOURLY RATE for image cleanup. Jeezus, the whining:
"Cleanup takes more than an hour?"
"I need to see the images"
"Well, I'm looking at the slides now and they don't look like it would take more than 10 minutes to clean"
"I NEED TO SEE THE IMAGES"
At that point I think he asked if Photoshop has a filter or something to do it faster.
Things went on like this for a week or two before I told him it wasn't going to work out. -
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Re: Bad clients
Tue, April 22, 2008 - 6:58 AMJames, in the future, when someone is "rude and obnoxious from the start" remember that they will only continue to be that way. I know people who have what is affectionately called the PIA fee- for those who are obviously going to be a Pain In the Ass. Their fee can be higher- enough to make it worth your while, or they can take their rude behavior elsewhere.
If they're rude AND want a discount- smile, hold your ground and know with confidence they are not worth your time or effort.
:)
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