Ghosting

[roketscience]

So my client hires me after a lengthy discussion, (it's important to understand what they want, after all)  and then "Ghosts" me.  It's been weeks. I think he was just window-shopping...

How can I end this job without harming my rating?

[petra_r]

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Michael S wrote:

So my client hires me after a lengthy discussion, (it's important to understand what they want, after all)  and then "Ghosts" me.  It's been weeks. I think he was just window-shopping...

How can I end this job without harming my rating?

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Fixed rate or hourly contract?

If fixed rate, request $ 1.00 of the Escrow funds.

If hourly, track 10 minutes of time writing to the client about the job.

Once you were paid, close the contract.

Make sure you do this before 2 months after being hired.

[prestonhunter]

Michael:

If a client actually hired you, he was not simply "window shopping."

He DID hire you.

If a client hires me, I do the work he hired me to do, and then I get paid for it.

I send information to him about what I'm doign. But if he doesn't respond, that is his choice.

As long as you are working on the work the client hired you to do, then don't worry so much about whether he replies to you.

[roketscience]

I can't really "start" working, since our discussions were about
illustrating certain concepts, (4D Geometry), and he never got specific
enough for me to proceed with the actual work.
But this is good advice in general for any clearly specified project, like
say, a logo animation or something. I'll be sure to remember it in the
future! Thanks!

[prestonhunter]

It sounds like you learned from this and won't make the same mistake again in the future.

Don't accept a fixed-price job until you have everything needed to finish it.

Don't accept an hourly job until you have everything necessary to work for at least 10 minutes on it.

[roketscience · Accepted solution]

Your right. He was wrong to hire me if he didn't really know what he
wanted, and I was wrong to accept it, hoping he would figure it out.
I won't make that mistake again.