Had a client tell me my invoices were too vague after they ghosted me on a $1200 web design project in Atlanta last fall

They said I needed to itemize every single revision and phone call, so now I break down every 15 minute block on the invoice and I haven't had a late payment since, has anyone else had to get that detailed to get paid?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael80313d ago

Got burned the same way a few years back on a logo project. Started breaking down every single tweak and email response into 10 minute chunks, and I felt ridiculous doing it. But you know what, it stopped the arguments cold and the checks came in regular after that.

gracej9912d ago

And I bet it felt weird at first, right? That's the thing though, once you actually put a price tag on every little back and forth, clients start thinking twice before asking for "one more tiny tweak." I do the same thing now, I round up to 15 minute blocks just to cover my tail. It really does kill the endless revision cycle when they see every single change has a dollar sign on it.

danielowens12d ago

Yeah, 'one more tiny tweak' hits different when it shows up on an invoice, right? That part about rounding up to 15 minute blocks is smart, I gotta try that. I had a buddy who did freelance illustration and he told me he started billing in 30 minute increments after a client asked him to redo an entire character design like five times for free. He said it felt super awkward at first sending those itemized bills, but it did exactly what you're saying - made the client stop and actually think before asking for changes. He's still doing it now and says it's the only way he stays sane with revisions.