Client changed the scope 4 times, then asked why the invoice went up

I was at the Flying Star on Rio Grande last month, laptop open, finishing a website for a local shop owner. Over three weeks he asked me to add a gallery, then a booking form, then a whole new page for events, and finally he wanted a live chat widget. I updated the quote each time with a quick email, but he never replied to those, just kept saying 'sounds good' to the feature requests. When I sent the final invoice for $1,850, he called me angry asking why it was $600 more than the original estimate. I pulled up the email thread and read back his own 'sounds good' replies, and he went quiet for a sec. Then he said he thought those were part of the original deal because I never made a big deal about the price. I ended up splitting the difference and charging him $1,500, but I learned to make every single change a separate line item with a new total before I touch the code. Has anyone else dealt with clients who think extra features are free because you didn't send a formal change order?

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