Fixed price job based on a quote of 65 hours of work.

[bernardi_pedro]

I recently sent a proposal for a fixed price job in Upwork. the client asked me how long it would take me to complete the job. I sent a quote saying it would take 65 hours to complete the job with a base of 6 hours of work per day. Then he asked me for a fixed price to complete the job. I sent him a quote based on those 65 hours of work. the job would take approximately 2 weeks to deliver. the client decided to pause the job and in the meantime I did two other jobs for him. With a 5 star rating at the end of the contracts. When we resumed the first job, he started asking me for fixes in the project. I made the requested fixes and continue to make all the requested changes. the work that was I recently sent a proposal for a fixed price job in upwork. the client asked me how long it would take me to complete the job. I sent a quote saying it would take 65 hours to complete the job. with a base of 6 hours of work per day. then he asked me for a fixed price to complete the job. I sent him a quote based on those 65 hours of work. the job would take approximately 2 weeks to deliver. the client decided to pause the job and in the meantime I did two more independent jobs for him. when we resumed the first job, he started asking me for fixes in the project. I did the requested changes and continue to do all the requested fixes so far. The work that was supposed to last 2 weeks, is already stretching for more than 2 months, and the fixes keep coming. I have worked more than 120 hours so far and my hourly price ended up dropping dramatically, not worthing to me as a freelancer. I have told him that this is not fair and that I am not to blame for his and the client's lack of planning in relation to what they want for the project. He replied by saying that I should be prepared for this and that it is part of the process. The project consists of creating a 2D animation video for an explainer video with a duration of 4 minutes. As the fixes have been constant, I also ended being late for some milestone deadlines about 2 days approximately. I don't know how to proceed in this case. When I tell him that I won't do more than was hired, he replies by saying that I knew the conditions at the time of accepting the offer, and these constant changes were not explicit in the contract. I am feeling very frustrated because I have been working much more than quoted, and that makes my monthly earnings minimal.
I would like this community support to deal with this tough situation.

Thanks in advance.

[prestonhunter]

For future reference:

I recommend you do what I do:

Never agree to a large fixed-price contract with a client you don't know... a client you have not worked with before.

Instead, start with a small contract, for no more than one or two hours of work.

If the client demonstrates that she can be trusted with the fixed-price contract model, then you can agree to increasingly larger contracts.

If the client shows that she can not be trusted, then you have not invested so much time. You can walk away if necessary.

Even with a known, trusted client, I am not going to agree to a fixed-price contract worth 65 hours worth of work.

If I am working on a large project with a client, I will divide it into relatively small contracts. No more than a few hours per contract/milestone.

My fixed-price contracts ("milestones") are typically something that be finished in a single day. Often I will complete multiple fixed-price contracts for a single project (a single client) during a single week. Sometimes more than one in a single day.

This works well for BOTH parties.

Otherwise, it is an hourly contract.

[bernardi_pedro]

Thanks for your time Preston H.
Will do this next time.

[AveryO]

Hi Pedro, 

I'm sorry to learn about your experience with this client. If you think that it's better for your freelancing business to let go of this client, you have the option of ending the contract. If there is money in escrow and you believe that you should rightfully be paid for the scope of work you have completed, you may file an escrow dispute if the client refuses to release funds for a completed milestone. Escrowed funds won't be released back to the client unless you approve of their return or undergo dispute mediation. You may read more about it here.

I hope this issue with your client is resolved soon. 

[bernardi_pedro]

Thanks for your feedback Avery.

I want and will complete this task. But I'll be aware for the next projects and I will not accept such conditions. We learn from mistakes, right?
I want to complete this job. Serve the client well and end this phase.