Unpopular opinion: flat rate for web dev is a trap, lost $3k on one site build

Took a flat rate job for a restaurant site back in March. $5k flat. Thought I was being smart. Client kept adding features. "Oh can we do online ordering too?" "What about a loyalty program?" Three months later I'm working weekends just to break even. Total time spent was about 180 hours. That's $27 an hour. I could have made more driving for DoorDash. Never again. Anyone else get burned by scope creep on a flat rate project?

3 comments

3 Comments

sam_cooper19d ago

That $27 an hour after all that extra work is brutal, I feel for you on that one.

lisas7819d ago

Did a friend of yours ever put in all that extra time and still get stuck with a crappy hourly rate? @sam_cooper, my buddy Mike did a 200-hour contract for $4,800 and ended up making less than the high school kid bagging groceries (which actually paid $16 an hour around here). He was so mad he almost quit the whole trade.

noahwood19d ago

180 hours for $5k is wild, I did the math on my last flat rate job and realized I was earning less per hour than my neighbor's kid makes babysitting.