Had a client in Austin who went from weekly check-ins to silent for 6 months

I was managing a website redesign for a small law firm back in February, and they wanted updates every Tuesday without fail. Then around April they just stopped replying to emails and I figured they hated the work, but they called me last week asking why the new blog feature wasn't live yet. Anyone else have a client go completely silent and then pop back up expecting you to read their mind?

4 comments

4 Comments

troyc1714d ago

Yeah but I gotta push back a little on calling it "6 months" from February to now when the original post says they went silent in April. February was just when they started the weekly check ins, so the gap is actually more like late April to October, which is still crazy don't get me wrong. Seems like a lot of people are mixing up when the silence actually started and that changes how aggressive you should be with them about the timeline.

torres.riley14d ago

Has anyone else noticed that when clients ghost you, it’s almost always because something weird happened in their personal life (like a partner got sick or they switched offices entirely)? I had a guy vanish for four months once, came back acting like nothing happened, turned out he had been dealing with a messy divorce and just didn't want to talk about it. So maybe check in with a low-key "hey, just checking if everything's okay" before you jump into business mode, it can save you a lot of frustration later.

dianawilson14d ago

February 15th was the last time you heard from them? That's a 6 month gap, not a few weeks. I'm calling it out gently, but a website redesign for a law firm usually has a written scope of work or contract that spells out what happens if communication drops off. They probably stopped replying because they got busy with cases, not because they hated your work. When they called back, your first move should be to check that original agreement for any pause clauses or deadlines that got missed. Most lawyers would respect a clear ask like "hey, per section 4, I need a written go-ahead before I can pick this back up.

kelly_rivera14d ago

Oh, I've been there. That "few weeks" thing is a huge red flag, you're right to call it out. I've had clients vanish for months like that, and when they come back it's always because some emergency popped up. The first thing I'd do if I were you is send a simple email asking for written confirmation before touching anything. Something like "I need you to email me saying the project is a go again, and we should also discuss if the old timeline still works." That way you've got a paper trail if they try to claim you were late later. Also, don't start any work until they pay something toward the old balance if you were working on it before the gap. Lawyers will respect you more if you treat it like a business deal from the start. Just make sure you get that go ahead in writing before you spend any more time on it.