That one client who ghosted me after I finished their whole website

I spent 3 weeks building a full ecommerce site for a guy in Austin who seemed super excited. He paid the first deposit fine but after I sent the final files he just vanished. No reply to emails, calls, nothing. It stuck with me because I had even turned down other work to rush his project. Has anyone else had a client disappear after delivery like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

sagejackson1d ago

The deposit is basically the honeymoon phase, isn't it... they're all smiles until the real work is done and the final number pops up. @the_robin nailed it - the excitement always fades when the actual bill comes around. I had a "client" once pay me half for a logo, then claim the colors "made their eyes bleed" after I sent the final vector files. Some people just want the cheap version of a product and think ghosting is a free refund policy. At least now you know that "enthusiastic" usually translates to "will bail at the finish line" faster than a toddler in a candy store.

the_robin3d ago

Oh man. "He paid the first deposit fine" - that's the hook right there. They always seem so excited until the bill comes due.

patricia_hill603d ago

My neighbor did the same thing with a used car. He was so proud of the low monthly payment until the transmission went out three months later. It seems like people only look at the first number and forget about everything that comes after.