SLTA
Structural
- Aug 11, 2008
- 1,641
ok folks, Merry Christmas!
I have a client for whom I did an investigation and wrote a report on the structural status of a house. He and I talked extensively before meeting about the two levels of investigation I could do - one just telling him general problems and recommendations with no design or calcs or specifics, and a level up where I would design specific fixes for what I found. He insisted that the first report would be enough. At the house, he was also adamant that he and his builder buddy could handle the specifics - he just wanted suggestions from me.
Fast forward to his response to my report, where he's all mad that I didn't give him specific repair instructions and calcs. I reminded him of our conversations about what the report he was buying would get him, and that he signed the contract for the more general report, but he said the report is useless to him and now, he doesn't want to pay me what his signed contract agreed to. He calls it all a misunderstanding and miscommunication and has asked me to charge him "what I feel is fair".
I'm considering two sides - charging him half fee, because I don't like having a grumpy customer, or charging him full fee because we did talk about exactly how much detail would be in the report, and he did sign the contract.
How much would you charge him? Full or half? Keep in mind the overall fee is under $500, that I'm not likely to have him as a client again anyway (my projects tend to be one-shot deals), but that he has a builder friend who recommended me and could potentially pass me work, and that my company is relatively new.
*whew* Thanks!
I have a client for whom I did an investigation and wrote a report on the structural status of a house. He and I talked extensively before meeting about the two levels of investigation I could do - one just telling him general problems and recommendations with no design or calcs or specifics, and a level up where I would design specific fixes for what I found. He insisted that the first report would be enough. At the house, he was also adamant that he and his builder buddy could handle the specifics - he just wanted suggestions from me.
Fast forward to his response to my report, where he's all mad that I didn't give him specific repair instructions and calcs. I reminded him of our conversations about what the report he was buying would get him, and that he signed the contract for the more general report, but he said the report is useless to him and now, he doesn't want to pay me what his signed contract agreed to. He calls it all a misunderstanding and miscommunication and has asked me to charge him "what I feel is fair".
I'm considering two sides - charging him half fee, because I don't like having a grumpy customer, or charging him full fee because we did talk about exactly how much detail would be in the report, and he did sign the contract.
How much would you charge him? Full or half? Keep in mind the overall fee is under $500, that I'm not likely to have him as a client again anyway (my projects tend to be one-shot deals), but that he has a builder friend who recommended me and could potentially pass me work, and that my company is relatively new.
*whew* Thanks!