Can we talk about the $600 retainer I wasted on a flaky copywriter?

I paid a copywriter a $600 retainer to handle blog posts for my handyman business. She sent two drafts in three weeks, both riddled with typos about plumbing that made no sense. I ended up rewriting everything myself and losing a month of time. Has anyone else thrown money at a freelancer who just couldn't deliver?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim_davis4d ago

I get where you're coming from, but I've gotta play the other side here. When you say "paid for the privilege of doing her job," I'd argue that maybe the problem was on you from the start. Handyman blogs need real knowledge, like how to fix a leaky pipe or what kind of sealant to use. If you hired someone with zero clue about plumbing, that's on you for not checking their background first. I've hired people before for painting jobs and gotten stuff that looked like a kid did it, but I learned to ask for samples and talk specifics upfront. Yeah, she messed up, but you handed over 600 bucks without testing her skills on a small project first. That's a lesson, not a waste.

tessap974d ago

Sounds like you paid for the privilege of doing her job.

ryan_hart384d ago

Whoa, I gotta disagree a little bit here. I mean, sometimes people hire someone for their expertise and then realize they actually enjoy the hands-on parts too. Maybe she was just excited to learn something new instead of sitting back. I've seen folks get into a project because the pro made it look fun and creative, not because they were doing her a favor. It's not always about someone slacking off... sometimes it's just sharing the work.