That 'quick scope' client cost me $600 in unpaid extras

I picked up a client from a referral last spring in Nashville. They wanted a simple website, nothing fancy. The guy said 'this is a small project, shouldn't take long' and I didn't push back on the scope. Big mistake. He kept adding things like a booking calendar and a photo gallery, and I kept doing them because I felt bad charging more. After six weeks I added up my hours and realized I had done about 30 hours of extra work. That was around $600 I just gave away for free. Now I write every single thing into the contract before I touch a single line of code. Has anyone else had a client who treated a flat fee like an all-you-can-eat buffet?

3 comments

3 Comments

zarag175d ago

I get what you're saying, but "a couple dinners out" isn't how most folks I know think about $600. That's a car payment or a month of insurance, not pocket change you just shrug off.

garcia.cameron6d ago

This whole "I lost $600" thing just doesn't hit me as hard as it seems to hit you. I mean, $600 over six weeks is a hundred bucks a week. That's like a couple dinners out, not exactly a life-ruining loss. You learned a lesson about writing a better contract, which is good, but you're acting like the guy stole your truck or something. Shrug it off and move on.

zarag176d ago

Nah, hold on. You're mixing up the timeline. It wasn't $600 over six weeks. It was $600 in one shot from a single bad deal. So it's more like losing a full paycheck for a week's worth of work, not spreading it out over a month and a half. That stings way different when you're running a small operation and that money was supposed to cover fuel or maintenance. Yeah, contracts matter and you learn from it, but don't downplay it like it's just pocket change. For a lot of people, that's groceries or a utility bill. You don't know their situation.