Clients Who Change Their Minds
I've been designing websites since 1999 and yet 2008 seems to be the year that I've had to deal with clients who change their minds - after a legally binding contract is signed and the work is completed.
My latest client, who lets me know that she does read this blog, is simply a client who cannot be pleased. We had an agreement to re-design her site with a content management system (CMS) and an e-commerce database that would allow updates to her various products. As is standard practice, she paid 50% upfront and a balance of 50% is due upon completion. The project was completed on schedule but she wasn't satisfied because the layout was different.
I explained to her the trade-offs of a CMS and a fixed layout. The explanation was to no avail and she e-mailed me a PDF of the layout she wanted. I reviewed it and agreed to do re-do the site in a different content managent system using the layout she designed. Before I could implement the new CMS, she decided that she didn't want that either.
The new CMS would have given her the complete control she wanted; however, she would have to learm some HTML to manage the site. The original solution did not require knowledge of HTML and the products would be managed through a database.
Nevertheless, in an effort to please this client, I agreed to modify her existing product page. This too posed stumbling blocks because although I corrrected the product alignment, text wrappping, and Add To Cart placement issues, the client was not satisifed . I changed the width of the products and explainded that this was to give unformity to the sizing and placement of all products. Lastly, she complained that the layout did not have grid lines. The grid lines were removed to be uniform with the other product pages that had no gridlines.
The client, still unpleased, ask what was fair at this point. She felt that she had paid money for services that did not meet her needs. I felt that I met the terms of the original agreement and have been quite tolerant of the additonal changes knowing that I would not receive the remainining 50% due since she is not pleased.
Then the client then asks for meta tags. This was the first time this topic came up and was never included in the original agreement. Although I agreed to do this, now I've changed my mind.
My latest client, who lets me know that she does read this blog, is simply a client who cannot be pleased. We had an agreement to re-design her site with a content management system (CMS) and an e-commerce database that would allow updates to her various products. As is standard practice, she paid 50% upfront and a balance of 50% is due upon completion. The project was completed on schedule but she wasn't satisfied because the layout was different.
I explained to her the trade-offs of a CMS and a fixed layout. The explanation was to no avail and she e-mailed me a PDF of the layout she wanted. I reviewed it and agreed to do re-do the site in a different content managent system using the layout she designed. Before I could implement the new CMS, she decided that she didn't want that either.
The new CMS would have given her the complete control she wanted; however, she would have to learm some HTML to manage the site. The original solution did not require knowledge of HTML and the products would be managed through a database.
Nevertheless, in an effort to please this client, I agreed to modify her existing product page. This too posed stumbling blocks because although I corrrected the product alignment, text wrappping, and Add To Cart placement issues, the client was not satisifed . I changed the width of the products and explainded that this was to give unformity to the sizing and placement of all products. Lastly, she complained that the layout did not have grid lines. The grid lines were removed to be uniform with the other product pages that had no gridlines.
The client, still unpleased, ask what was fair at this point. She felt that she had paid money for services that did not meet her needs. I felt that I met the terms of the original agreement and have been quite tolerant of the additonal changes knowing that I would not receive the remainining 50% due since she is not pleased.
Then the client then asks for meta tags. This was the first time this topic came up and was never included in the original agreement. Although I agreed to do this, now I've changed my mind.
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