Amount requested higher than Milestone Budget

[cintia_freelance]

Hi everyone!
I'm asking for your help again with this issue. As a beginner I'm so thankful I can always count on this community with great supportive members, otherwise I would be so lost!

Anyway the fact of the matter is that last month I started a contract (**Edited for Community Guidelines**) in which the client told me that he would set up a initial $100 budget for the first milestone (as this is an ongoing contract) but once I was done with the project I should submit the work on Dropbox, then ask for the milestone to be released with a higher budget amount considering the words and price per word. Basically he asked me to calculate the correct fee and modify the milestone budget myself, then ask for the correct amount, which is considerably higher than the amount he wrote.

I'm wondering...is this a good practice? Wouldn't it be easy and more clear for him to specify the right amount from the beginning? I'm a little confused about this, so If yoy could give me your honest opinion it would be nice.

Thank you

[g_vasilevski]

Hi Cintia,

Please keep in mind that unfunded milestones and promised funds are not covered under our fixed price protection. I would suggest to always make sure that the agreed budget is fully funded on your milestone.

To learn more about how to protect yourself, check out our Safety First section Here. Thank you.

[cintia_freelance]

Ok thank you Goran 😊

[feed_my_eyes · Accepted solution]

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Cintia S wrote:

Hi everyone!
I'm asking for your help again with this issue. As a beginner I'm so thankful I can always count on this community with great supportive members, otherwise I would be so lost!

Anyway the fact of the matter is that last month I started a contract (**Edited for Community Guidelines**) in which the client told me that he would set up a initial $100 budget for the first milestone (as this is an ongoing contract) but once I was done with the project I should submit the work on Dropbox, then ask for the milestone to be released with a higher budget amount considering the words and price per word. Basically he asked me to calculate the correct fee and modify the milestone budget myself, then ask for the correct amount, which is considerably higher than the amount he wrote.

I'm wondering...is this a good practice? Wouldn't it be easy and more clear for him to specify the right amount from the beginning? I'm a little confused about this, so If yoy could give me your honest opinion it would be nice.

Thank you

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No, it's not good practice. You should ask questions and determine a fair price for the project from the outset (surely you know better than the client how long this will take you, but it sounds like both of you are acknowledging that the final price will be higher than $100?). If the client only wants to fund $100, then you should only do $100 worth of work, then set up the next milestone before doing the rest. Or, if it's not possible to scope the project properly at this time, you could ask the client to switch this to an hourly project instead of fixed price.

[cintia_freelance]

Thank you so much for your helpful response. I will make sure I'm more cautious and protect myself next time.

[tlbp]

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Cintia S wrote:

Hi everyone!
I'm asking for your help again with this issue. As a beginner I'm so thankful I can always count on this community with great supportive members, otherwise I would be so lost!

Anyway the fact of the matter is that last month I started a contract (**Edited for Community Guidelines**) in which the client told me that he would set up a initial $100 budget for the first milestone (as this is an ongoing contract) but once I was done with the project I should submit the work on Dropbox, then ask for the milestone to be released with a higher budget amount considering the words and price per word. Basically he asked me to calculate the correct fee and modify the milestone budget myself, then ask for the correct amount, which is considerably higher than the amount he wrote.

I'm wondering...is this a good practice? Wouldn't it be easy and more clear for him to specify the right amount from the beginning? I'm a little confused about this, so If yoy could give me your honest opinion it would be nice.

Thank you

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Are you creating multiple pieces of content or a single piece for which you are uncertain of the total length? What are the chances you'll write a piece worth significantly more than the $100 in escrow? If you haven't pinned down an exact word count and you are charging per word, then either the client has to trust you by placing more than the anticipated value in escrow or you have the trust the client to pay any additional amounts if you go over budget. 

 

[cintia_freelance]

I'm creating a single piece in each new milestone and we are certain about the lenght but for some reason he kept asking me to recalculate the budget amount once I'm done with the project. And aswering your last question, there is every chance that the outcoming work will always be significantly more than the $100 in escrow, so that's the main reason I was confused...

Luckily for me he accepted my new requested amount when I submitted the work but it was difinitely so risky. I just got today a new project with the same client and I'm likely asking him to change this system. I appreciate your comments and all the help given. It's really nice to count on this community.

Thank you