OT: Vendor/Client Relationship in the Real World

Why do WE have to put up with all this...crap? No one else does.






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That is classic.

I now going to rethink my career choice I made 20 years ago and see what I was on that made me overlook that aspect of our business.

WE don't...at least I don't. I will pass on the project rather than deal with "Used Car Haggling" for my rates.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

But you have been in this situation though, right? People asking to get more for less. I don't do this anymore (learned a hard lesson), but clients still try to pull this crap all the time.

Don't get sucked into it. Those are the worse clients and they will NOT stop taking advantage. Do you think THEY take less? They don't. They buy BMWs.


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ONCE...back when I first got out of school in '98. A guy named John Anderson (the name still gives me the willies - knowing that I was STARVING, fresh out of school, unemployed and my Wife just had our son 7 months prior) commissioned me to do a project - I did it for $300 and an autographed version of my work by the stars. I was so grateful for the chance. THEN he came back to me on Christmas week and wanted me to do something else...for FREE. He threw it up in my face that he "gave me work previously and I kinda owe him". When I stood my ground and refused, I never heard from him again. That was my "AHA MOMENT" in dealing with cheapskate manipulative opportunistic clients - never happened again.

The people represented in that video...if I hear a conversation turning in that direction...I will excuse myself and leave. Not worth the second hand on my watch.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

You were lucky to learn it early on. I didn't until two years ago. NEVER give up a master tape until you are paid in full. PERIOD.


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Quote

Why do WE have to put up with all this...crap? No one else does.

If only that were true. About twenty years ago, right out of college, I spent several years working in print. It's the same story there. The fixed costs are higher ? paper and ink aren't free ? but the clients want all the creative for nothing. I guess it's because they think it's easy, that it's just pushing buttons.

I'm reminded of a story that's probably apocryphal. Apparently there was this old Evans and Sutherland engineer who knew everything there was to know about big image-generation systems. One day a client called him in to fix a broken IG, and said they'd pay whatever he wanted, just to name his price. So he went down to the facility and spent a few hours tracing circuits and stuff, finally clipping and replacing a single resistor. He sent them a bill for $50,000.

A few days later the accounts payable department called him and said, "We have no problem paying this invoice, but all our invoices have to be itemized. Can you just send us an itemized one?"

He sent them an invoice that said

ONE RESISTOR: $0.05

KNOWING WHICH RESISTOR TO REPLACE: $49,999.95

They paid promptly, and in full.

Many years ago I had a air conditioner company-
One summer I did work for 2 preacher a month or so apart-

After the work was done they both expected me to do the
work for Free-- because they were preachers --

I got my money and Never worked for a preacher again --Jay--

A couple of years ago i had a situation that a guy i've made a video for a real estate did want to pay me after 90 days of the conclusion.
Also someone later tould me that this gentleman was not give my trust on him. He was skipping payments to a lot of people.
Anyway the dealine was near the end and i gave him the Master Tape without getting my money back. The guy was smilling all the way until he played the tape at the demo.
He called me asking why the video had a Burn-In Window in the middle of the screen with a sentence saying " Este trabalho não foi pago e está em dívida" which stands for in english:

"This work wasn't payed and it must be payed"

The next day i had all my money and the client a brand new tape

Rui Barros
Editor Colorist Trainer
Lisbon, Portugal
RTP Post-Production
Apple Certified Trainer FCP 7
Apple Certified Pro FCP 7

I think that's a little on the nose, Rui, but I've long ago gotten into the habit of putting a "PROPERTY OF" burn-in on anything that I send out that's not a finished deliverable. Whether a client gets the deliverable before they're paid in full or not is the sort of question that has to be answered on a case-by-case basis, but a few times I've had to use the phrase "I'm not your bank, I can't give you a line of credit."