When I am working on a project for a client, I welcome communication. In fact, I send status updates to my clients all the time to let them know how their project is coming along, if the deadline is on target and yadda blah. It pisses me right off when they won't afford you with the courtesy of a response. I hate this! I really, really hate this. Did I mention how much I don't like this? It's especially unnerving when you have multiple files to send them and they won't ever acknowledge receipt of any of them, even though you specifically asked them to "kindly confirm that it was received." What gives? Why do some buyers pretend to be deaf, blind and mute when it comes to communication?
I totally disagree. As a freelance, I prefer to use some kind of systems that shows the status of the work instead of emailing the client. I hate clients who keep asking useless questions or send unneeded emails. What's the point really?
I think it's tacky and unprofessional not to respond to queries. Does it really take that much time from their day to send "Received"? Seriously? My clients pay upfront and I send updates and such as a courtesy for them. If I paid for something in advance, I would want to know the status of things and that my project is being worked on - not sitting at the bottom of someone's queue. If "some kind of system" refers to Google Docs - pass. I have never used that and never will.
Yep totally agree. I've got some clients that are really communicative, and I find it really help things along. Even if you know you are producing decent work for someone, it can feel a bit like you are not being appreciated for what you are doing. Sometimes I get asked to put some work together pretty quickly and despite the fact that I work night and day to make sure that my client meets his own deadline, I don't even get an acknowledgement which really pi55es me off sometimes! Maybe I should just get on with it, but it does seem to be a nicer way to go about things if you can be civil. I think that people think that because the internet can be quite faceless, there is no need for courtesy. Maybe they are right, but I always do what I can to keep the lines of communication open. Google docs can be useful but don't bother trying to write in it - it's useless! Word is the only way... A simple thank you can go a hell of a long way sometimes.
You're lucky, I've only ever been paid up front once!! I have a mix of clients, some of which give me one word answers (which I prefer ) and another one took 80 emails back and forth for a paltry $20 a month job (there is method in my madness though as this client has 100s of sites and I'm going to be involved in all of the writing). The one thing I hate more than lack of communication is lack of payment. This year I have spent more time chasing payments than actually writing the stuff. I have four clients (regulars too) which are late at the moment.
I am just new to this site and I was able to work with few clients. I am able to get two regular ones which I really appreciate for they communicate and give feedbacks when I update them with what I am doing. I also encounter a client who don't respond at all to my updates and when I sent him the finished product, his reply was just "paid, thanks". I annoys me sometimes especially when I am not so sure if I am doing the project the way the client wants it to be. Communication is really essential in online jobs. By the way, can you suggest what to do if a client didn't pay for a completed task? I had a client, weeks ago, whom didn't pay the amount that is due for my service. It isn't that big though.
Oh, they don't all offer to. Believe me. Some do, tho. I won't write for people without getting paid beforehand. If it's a balance of $100 or more, I'll let them do 1/2 up front then 1/2 on delivery - if they choose not to do it all up front. Less than $100 and it's all due before I start. If they can't pay me up front, they likely can't (won't?) pay me later either. So I politely refuse their project.
1. Remind him that you retain the copyright to all your work until you have been paid. 2. If he's using your work on a website and still has not paid, send him a C&D notice. (see link below for a form one you can complete with your own info) 3. Tell him you're also sending a copy to his web hosting provider - and follow through with that if the one you sent him gets no response. To avoid this in the future - demand payment up front. In advance. Before you start. Always, always, always. C&D Form letter
I don't mean having long conversations about the project during the time I'm working on it. I don't care if I get 1 word replies or even a grunt to let me know they are alive. Just some acknowledgement that, hey -I got the files you sent. Email is a screwy thing and sometimes, stuff doesn't go through. So if I delete these files (as I always do after they confirm receipt) before you told me you have them, you're SOL.
I've just read about a writer who places all of his written work on his website but does not make the content live. If no payment is issued, he makes it live then adds in affiliate links/Adsense and makes money that way. Free KW research and a showcase of work. I'm still chasing down $1500 from one client, which is demoralizing to say the least. If I was a nasty person, I could quite easily take down a site/set up scam pages etc to ruin the company, but that is a last resort and not something people in this industry should really have to waste their time doing.
Some clients talk to much and others don't talk enough. I like em right in the middle. Actually, even though I hate it when a client is continually asking for updates on a project that isn't due for quite some time, I prefer that more than a client that doesn't respond to emails within 24 hours.
Not that I use eZine, but surely they should have a 'Flag' button. Contact them, explain yourself and let the client know they run the risk of losing their eZine account. True, they can make a new one but in the meantime you can upload that particular article under your own name as a sample of your work. Good luck.
If you present your problem appropriately, they will get back to you with a solution. I was cheated of a good sum by someone who used articles created by me and posted them under his name on Ezine. The problem was resolved within 10 days and all those articles removed. One of my articles on Ezine carries details about this.
I cope with savvy internet customers. As a rule, if the say something like "Hello xxx" or "Dear xxx", that´s because they´re about to ask for something that´s out of the scope of the service. Otherwise, they reply to my messages without saying hello, don´t aknowledged receipt, and don´t leave any message if they´re satisfied with the job done. They usually come up three years later and say "remember me!?!?, you did a logo for me four years ago, we love it....could you please..."
Oh my, this is one of my biggest pet peeves evur! It is tacky and unprofessional, not to mention just plain rude!!! It is very ironic that in an era when everyone is walking around with some type of communication device like a bunch of mindless goons, that they do not have the decency to shoot a quick reply. Many times these are the same folks who want to "communicate" via email verses over the phone.This baffles me because I am generally producing visual materials that are very important to them! It can make one feel invisible and very unimportant if one lets it! The other pet peeve, is when a design project is finally near approval despite already having too many decision makers involved, one of the key decision makers asks their spouse for an opinion and we revise again due to their input! Mind you, this person does not work for the company or have any design experience!!! Thank you for reading my rant!