Trials and Tribulations of a Freelance Web Developer

I always advise others never to discount their services. We have a certain skill set that has a value attached to it. I offer very discounted rates to a very few friends but I always invoice them the full amount less the discount – even if the discount is 90%. They then know the full value of what they’re getting.

Problems arise when discounts are given to clients unknown to yourself. I have a number of clients in a small area so when I was approached by one of their own, I offered a 10% site discount. THe quote was in November and the client only replied in March when the quote was well out of date. I could have requoted at a highert rate, particularly as the new year had started, but didn’t.

In addition to more than R1,000 off, I quoted only at 50% of the rate for a logo he wanted. Now, I hate doing logos. There’s no money in them and I made the cardinal mistake of not quoting an hourly rate.

This logo very quickly became two logos but I didn’t requote and it then did what all logo jobs do. It went back and forth. The client couldn’t make up his mind. They never can and after a couple of weeks and several drafts ended up pretty near where we were at the beginning of the job.

He also then wanted – an unquoted – business card. As I had done the logo, I did one. Then he wanted another just for himself. As the two were similar I did that too.

Complicating all of this was the inability of the client to express clearly what he wanted. Worse, he tried to give  long complicated instructions over the phone. This is a recipe for disaster and despite me cutting him off, the next call would again come with instructions.

The website itself went off with very few changes. Except the bloody photos.

Having asked for, and been given, and inserted photos, I was then told that a whole lot of new ones had been taken. A DVD appeared that not only had new pics but also all the old ones mixed up.

All of these things of course make an unpleasant job even longer and more frustrating. Half way through the job he asks “Now how are we with the brochure?” What brochure? It was never asked for nor quoted for but I agree to do a simple layout if I have the time.

Then we get to the hosting package. Yes he wants the package and he wants to transfer to my ISP. And already he has a list of substantial additions to the site. But first, when I tell him how much it will be monthly he asks if that’s the best I can do. I remind him that he’s had R1,000 off the the site, two logos for half the price of one, two free business cards and if I can, I’ll do a brochure draft – and you still want me to discount the hosting? At which point he he backs down.

He asks for a written invoice but before he gets that, the additions he wants arrive in the mail.

Hang on – the cart has just got in front of the horse. Pay first and transfer the site and then the addition – up to thirty minutes only

At this point, I write up a schedule of what actually the package consists of – including the 30 minutes only of attention to his website monthly.

Moral – NEVER discount your rate to a stranger.

I had an enquiry a few days ago for a website design. The prospect had a plain vanilla website a few years old. No SEO.

He requested that I put something together based on the existing content. I told him that I do not design on risk but the prospect told me to submit a quote and he would pay the 50% deposit.

He also told me that two other website designers were being considered and that deposits would be paid to them with the same request. One of them I was told had quoted twice as much as myself.

That would mean that the prospect paid around R15,000 to see what was offered. The chosen website designer would get the remainder of the payment and the additional content.

Still haven’t heard from them!

These things occur by the thousand – Register|Login. However, I don’t think that there is more than a tiny fraction of one percent that tells the visitor ‘Why?’

The absence of any indication that there may be some benefit to the visitor from registering leads to the suspicion that the only reason can be data harvesting.

A couple of years ago, Pick n Pay started their ‘Smart Shopper’ programme and I duly took a fanfold. There was absolutely nothing on it about any advantage. I looked at the application form and it required my cell number and email amongst other items. Pick n Pay ‘REQUIRED’ these details otherwise you couldn’t register.

In the absence of any advantage and because I have enough spam I chose to leave the thing. Eventually, of course, if you spent R500 you earned enough points to get a R2 discount. Whoopee. You’d do better shopping at Shoprite.

Where there is a ‘Full Content’ option or ‘Members’ Area’ I understand the Log in but without any incentive to do so, why bother? I think most Internet users have little or no idea of the importance of email addresses to businesses and that these ‘Register’ boxes are no more than email and personal details harvesting.

I have gone through the registration process a couple of times with no visible benefit from having done so. It seems contemptuous of websites to expect visitors to register without telling them why.