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wang-victoria
Community Member

Client keeps asking for edits after paying milestone

I have a client who hired me to create 6 months of lesson content for an educational toy that's being designed. I finished the 6 months, submitted the work for payment, and was paid.

 

Now, the client is just looking over the work and is asking me to go back and make edits. That's no problem - there were a couple of errors, and I'm happy to do that. However, she is also asking me to go through all 6 months and format/prepare the lessons for progamming (typing out every single dialogue and response of the toy). This was not specified in the contract, and I was under the impression I was asked to complete the content. There were lessons where I did type everything out because it was required for clarification in creating the content, but there were many where I had all the elements, but just didn't meticulously type it all out.

 

I'm feeling frustrated because this would take hours to go through all six months, and our milestones have already been approved and paid. I had finished these about two weeks ago, and now she's asking me to do hours and hours more of work. I've had a good relationship with this client, and we've been able to communicate well, so I don't want to burn any bridges or tarnish that relationship.

 

What would you guys do? And am I in the wrong for feeling this way?

6 REPLIES 6
petra_r
Community Member


Victoria W wrote:

I have a client who hired me to create 6 months of lesson content for an educational toy that's being designed. I finished the 6 months, submitted the work for payment, and was paid.

 

Now, the client is just looking over the work and is asking me to go back and make edits. That's no problem - there were a couple of errors, and I'm happy to do that. However, she is also asking me to go through all 6 months and format/prepare the lessons for progamming (typing out every single dialogue and response of the toy). This was not specified in the contract, and I was under the impression I was asked to complete the content. There were lessons where I did type everything out because it was required for clarification in creating the content, but there were many where I had all the elements, but just didn't meticulously type it all out.

 

I'm feeling frustrated because this would take hours to go through all six months, and our milestones have already been approved and paid. I had finished these about two weeks ago, and now she's asking me to do hours and hours more of work. I've had a good relationship with this client, and we've been able to communicate well, so I don't want to burn any bridges or tarnish that relationship.

 

What would you guys do? And am I in the wrong for feeling this way?


You were right to fix the errors.

 

Additional work, however, is not part of fixing errors.

 

If it is absolutely clear from the milestone specification that the work the client is now asking for is outside the scope of the milestone you did, you could approach the client nicely and tell him you'd be pleased to do the extra work, and that you would suggest a price of $ XXX for the additional work.

 

See what the client says.


If it is not clear whether the extra work should or should not have been included you're on thinner ice because the client can still dispute.

It's not 100% clear, but it was not specified that all of this work needed to be included for programming preparation, as I had been hired for lesson content and creation. So it's kind of a nitpicky detail that I wasn't told mattered, and now after the fact, I'm being asked to do all of it.

 

I've already helped the client out extra - each day has 4 lessons, and when I was hired, she asked me to just do the first two. As she saw more of my work and liked it, she then asked me to do the rest, essentially doubling the work. 

 

Overall, it's been more of a casual work relationship, which I'm usually fine with, but now I feel like she has just been asking me to do more and more, and it's moving past the point of doing favors for a client that I like to free labor.

martina_plaschka
Community Member


Victoria W wrote:

I have a client who hired me to create 6 months of lesson content for an educational toy that's being designed. I finished the 6 months, submitted the work for payment, and was paid.

 

Now, the client is just looking over the work and is asking me to go back and make edits. That's no problem - there were a couple of errors, and I'm happy to do that. However, she is also asking me to go through all 6 months and format/prepare the lessons for progamming (typing out every single dialogue and response of the toy). This was not specified in the contract, and I was under the impression I was asked to complete the content. There were lessons where I did type everything out because it was required for clarification in creating the content, but there were many where I had all the elements, but just didn't meticulously type it all out.

 

I'm feeling frustrated because this would take hours to go through all six months, and our milestones have already been approved and paid. I had finished these about two weeks ago, and now she's asking me to do hours and hours more of work. I've had a good relationship with this client, and we've been able to communicate well, so I don't want to burn any bridges or tarnish that relationship.

 

What would you guys do? And am I in the wrong for feeling this way?


Sorry, but the word that stuck out to me was errors. The client surely expected flawless content for an educational toy? So he might be a bit annoyed at this point, understandably. 

If you don't want to do the additional work, don't. You already received payment and feedback, so nobody can force you to talk to this client. 

What I would not do is insist on an additional contract, you open yourself up to not so favorable feedback this time. 

The contract has not been closed yet - only the milestones.

You should be open and honest.  It may even help to get this client on the phone.  Sometimes emailing or communication via Upwork can be miscontrued.  

 

Definitely fix the errors and mention you've completed everything that was initially agreed upon.  It's a sticky situation and you need to be careful since the contract is still open.  

 

Good luck!


Martina P wrote:

If you don't want to do the additional work, don't. You already received payment and feedback, so nobody can force you to talk to this client. 

 


You are terribly wrong, and would be even if the contract was closed, (which it is not.). If she just ignores the client she could find herself with a dispute at best and an account suspension at worst. 100% guarantee of bad feedback, too.

The contract is still open, to ignore the client and not even talk to them would be a horrible, horrible idea.

 

I agree with Robin that the best way to sort this out would be a phone conversation and to be open, honest and really professional.

 

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