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Dealing with bullying big corporations and unfair amends requests
Hi guys
I posted here as there is this job in after effects I did that is getting out of hand. I was given a brief of a few headline and stock footage. I quoted and now that turn into flying trough planets, writing on chalkboards… So 100 times more complicated than the brief.The animation is all text headlines and I spent triple the time allocated. Yet the client keeps asking for text changes even though I finished on time and there s no time left to spare.
When I said this is extra she bluntly told me that she would report me to the “team”
I really have it with this major corporations is one of the major hardware companies in the world …
I can ask them to give me the fastest workstation for 10% of price so why would they want me to work for free? -
4 Replies
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Sounds like you have nothing to lose not working for them.
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Trough Kale but I guess they won’t pay me so is all time waisted. How many changes do you include in your quote? But also if someone gives you a brief than triple the requirements do you just say sorry I can’t do that for this price?
I did and they play like being a big brand etc awful -
I do two relatively minor revision rounds at the original fee, after which I charge an hourly fee for extra changes. If the job turns out to be something completely different, I renegotiate before continuing.
You can still send them a bill, if you delivered what they originally asked for and you have the original brief in writing.
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Tough love to follow — please don’t take any of this personally!
Not all clients think in hours. Many expect to buy a product, not a process.
When you go to a restaurant and order a steak, you know the price. It’s right on the menu. If the steak comes out cooked rare and you wanted it cooked medium, you’ll send it back to the kitchen, and you will not expect an extra charge for the additional heat.
If you are dealing with a client who is not media- or production-savvy, you must assume that they do not understand the process and how that leads to a product. If you want to work within a specific process, you will have to spend time educating them on that process.
You think you are the victim and your client is the bully — but from their perspective, they think that THEY are the victim and YOU are the bully. They’re trying to buy something from you. You told them one charge, and now you’re demanding more money for the same thing they originally wanted!
Think about the whole exchange from the client’s perspective. Constantly maintain the link between scope and fee. Maximize review and approval. Minimize surprise.
Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive | RenderBreak [blog] | Profile [LinkedIn]
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