Hello! I have some problems with a client and I don't know how to go about it.
I interviewed with a client for a video editing job that did not fit my skills and I told her upfront about that. She instead offered me another contract for a video that was "easier" to do. She mentioned that she did not have a big budget for it and suggested a $40 rate for it - it was agreed, offer sent and accepted.
Over the next 2 days I had put over 6 hours of work into it, with multiple changes coming from her and then she went unresponsive for a week.
I wrote her a message to see what's going on with the video and whether there is anything else I could do for her. She replied saying that in the meantime her team decided to take the video in another direction, rendering what I did, basically, useless. Again, offered to help - no reply.
Today I hit "Submit work for payment" because in my opinion, I was mid-editing when she stopped replying, the project was 90% done, just needed her final approval. She got back to me, sounding a little shocked and saying that she appreciates my work but she is only willing to pay 50%. Why should I receive 50% when at the time, I did do the work that she needed? Had she paid me right away, ended the contract and then decided the video's no longer good, she would've still paid me the $40.
Now, the thing is I don't even know how this works, would I have to refund her $20? That means I would lose my rising talent badge and perhaps in the long run affect my JSS. Could someone please advise me how to do this?
Thank you!
