Villa Yara - Brazil

[glorybound]

Yeah, this guy is the guy who tries to get what he can for nothing. He also asked me to design him a logo to put on each sheet that he wants to approve and he also wants each one at three different sizes and each one with a little darker stucco. The problem is, I scheduled him for three eye level images and not with the birdseye's, which are harder to pull off. He told me Friday afternoon, saying that he has to print these Monday. I posted them yesterday, locked so he can't comment, and he replied today that he has many changes and needs to mark them up. What he doesn't get is, I charged for my time Friday and Saturday, because of his meeting Monday and not for another week of redlines. I don't work on Sunday, so I haven't even replied. I don't like to reply to emails when I am frustrated, anyway. I do have clients that I love working with and like you, many pay 100% upfront and they trust that I am giving them a good price, which I am.

[fixeighted]

LOL, he sounds like he'd get on extremely well with my bunch
I sent final approvals last week for a bunch of site images. All were approved - I rendered them all at full res - waited a week - they came back and changed all the brick, doors, windows. Fools.
A concurrent project is even funnier. They sent me crappy Sketchup elevations from 2014 and a couple of images of the almost finished site. I built the thing and when I finished was the the time when they sent me up to date drawings. I adjusted and rendered - sent for approval - they approved then literally when I finished the final they said that the glaringly obvious wall, bushes etc. were not actually there and have to be replaced by vague stuff I have no reference for.

I despair!

[glorybound]

How do you handle this? Do you just do what is asked of you or do you quote the changes? I have found that if you let them walk on you they will, so I make it very clear that changes will cost. Now, me actually charging them is another thing. Once I exercise my threat they instantly become very happy with things. I can guarantee they'll charge their client for change orders. I am learning that communication is key!

[fixeighted]

It all depends on how they've been. I rant about them in my spare time because I hate dishonourable conduct and lying about deadlines and stuff, also seemingly wilful stupidity - but I'm also too easy-going to get heavy with them really.
I do charge for changes but it's pretty minor as I suppose I've always been good at factoring that in in my quotes, so it all works out in the end.
I was going to charge for this latest extra stuff but didn't as it was actually simple enough to do - just render time. Ended up giving him an extra image that I was playing with. He was very happy, paid up and went off happily.
I've been very lucky in never having had to advertise, so it's all word of mouth and referrals - very varied stuff too so I'm happy - therefor have to keep them happy too, or they might go away
I've only once refused EVER to work with someone and that was immense fun to say/do. Sometimes there simply is no other choice if they are irredeemably an arse

Bottom line is yes, communication is the key and if your approach works then that's cool and I suppose just refine it as you go. Although some people seem never to listen, however perfectly you communicate

[glorybound]

I recently read that your per-hour fee for changes should be much higher than your normal per-hour, which helps to ward off changes. If I didn't have work I would love changes, however, I schedule projects back to back, so it just pisses off the next project.

[fixeighted]

Yeah that is definitely an issue. That is I guess one of my biggest complaints. Because I time-manage so efficiently it's crucial for them to stay focused or it can really stretch my ability to get everything done.
So saying, I do so but normally at the cost of my other personal plans. They are just lucky I'm dedicated I guess, otherwise bad things would happen I'm sure.
By some stroke of something or other, what looked like a total bloody mess has in fact worked out to be one thing dovetailing into the next quite nicely.

Aaaaand something tells me I should not have let that comment out into the wild.....

I go now from doing a few (what I endearingly call) Noddy houses, to replicating a series of hyperbaric chambers for a company which sells them for 30 grand a piece but is already bitching about costs. Hey-ho!

[glorybound]

I have three projects that were a rush and have been sitting there for a few weeks. I have continued to sell jobs, because I have a business to run, and they'll all pop up and want me to devote my full attention to them. My contract says that I'll have to reschedule, but they don't get that. I had one guy call me the end of December, pay in full, and I never heard from him again.

[fixeighted]

LOL, well we all need more customers like him!

Last year I did precisely 2 jobs....absolute rubbish...lots of enquiries but nothing came from them.
So it was getting a bit weird and I thought I'd go back to working in some studio and of course, as always happens, the work began in around November and it hasn't stopped since.
Impossible to imagine why that is but I won't complain

[glorybound]

Two jobs in a year? How did you survive? Unless, of course, they were big jobs. If I don't get 4-5 average jobs a month I would sink.

[fixeighted]

Well years ago I and my business partner basically did one job a year and it was a ton of cash, enough for both of us; working on the Pirelli calendar if you recall that. The client, incidentally was the guy I eventually disliked so intensely I
refused to work with him and walked away from the entire project.
The jobs I get now mostly are not as well paid or involved, so yeah, 2 is hard. But I have other means of making cash so am entirely overjoyed with life...and only work 3 days a week.
Well, not at the moment - more like 8 days a week due the sudden rush
Ah...also I'm decidedly single, which you are not, so all I earn is my own...and my life is charmed so I pay almost nothing for rent etc. Way to go I reckon! Life is great.

[glorybound]

I see. I am a 50-year-old married father of two. I am still paying on student loans, I have a mortgage on a 3000 square foot house, two car payments and all that comes with that. What's Pirelli calendar?

[fixeighted]

Still paying off your student loan? Wow!
Hehe, no I guess not but yes, generally kids = money sinks
I have zero kids, no mortgage, never learned to drive and am utterly content. Different strokes is all it is
The Pirelli calendar was a 'glamour' calendar, basically naked girls, later semi-naked movie stars and the like, made to publicise the Pirelli tyre company.
They stopped producing now due to changing times but whilst it was going, for around eight years we did the vfx/titles etc post production on a yearly short film about the 'making of ' the calendar.
Hard work and long but a lot of fun too. All looks dated now

[glorybound]

Yes, still paying on the student loans. I went to the school of architecture, but after 3+ years all the architect I was interning for said that it was a big mistake (long hours and no pay). I had the chance to lead the I.T. department of the architectural firm I was working for and instantly made more money than the senior architects were making, so I never finished school. At that firm, I was doing their renderings when I had the opportunity to run I.T (I still did the renderings) (I am talking early 90's). Long story short, after a couple deferments, I am about done paying off those loans.

[glorybound]

Still paying off your student loan? Wow!
never learned to drive

Where do you live that you never learned to drive? How about we do a little life swap for awhile ?

[fixeighted]

Well that's such a kind offer but let's see...how can I put this?....Never gonna happen! lol
All my friends have excellent kids, so I've not been starved of their company and pleasure over the years - but nice that they
are not actually my responsibility
I've always been either in London or Bath and one is too small for a car and the other is too big. Anyway I'd run someone over
due to me looking at other interesting stuff. Walking and buses are way more fun.