Charged for R & D time by developer

[64c82ac7]

Hello, 

I hired someone to do website setup and editing for 2 wordpress sites. On one site I am selling a workshop and I have a PayPal button for customers to purchase the workshop. I asked to have a place for customers to enter a coupon code for 50% off the workshop. The developer charged me R&D time for her to figure out how to do this. Is this standard practice that I would be charged for this? 

Thank you!

[firescue17]

In my opinion, it really depends upon the scope of work discussions held between yourself and the freelancer during negotiations prior to entering into a contract.

When it comes to freelancing, I don't believe in on-the-job training. My personal approach is to not charge for learning general skills which benefit my personal skillset more than the client's project (i.e. stuff I should know, stuff I used to know but forgot, or stuff I didn't keep up with current trends and standards in the industry).

Considering only the details in the original post, I probably would have charged. Integrating a PayPal button custom to your request is dependent upon a number of factors specific to your project: the WordPress theme, shopping cart utility, compatability with other plug-ins, etc.

Putting a PayPal button on your site may not be the same as putting a PayPal button on another site. The two are not (necessarily) equal.

But... that's me. My skillset is CRM integrations. I don't market myself as an e-commerce wizard. Given that, had a potential client broached the topic of a PayPal button, I would have disclosed up front "I need to figure it out and I'm figuring it out solely for your project."

[64c82ac7]

Thank you so much for your feedback. I appreciate it!

[prestonhunter]

re: "Is this standard practice that I would be charged for this?"

It is standard practice for THIS particular freelancer to charge for this.

Had I been the client, I would have assumed I would be charged for this.

Because, according to your description of events, you hired a freelancer to do Task X (website set-up and editing)...

...And then you asked that same freelancer to do Task Y (create a coupon code for a discount).

If you had hired a specialist whose profile specified that they were skilled in setting up coupon codes, then I can assure you - you would NOT have been charged for R & D time figuring out how to do that task. But the particular freelancer you hired did not claim to be a coupon code specialist, and your original descriiption of the project did not indicate that you would be setting up coupon codes for discounts.

Keep in mind that setting up a coupon code to be used with a PayPal button is NOT an inherent aspect of setting up and editing WordPress websites. There is no reason to assume that a WordPress developer would know anything about this.

Had the amount of time required for research on this topic been significant relative to the overall time spent on the project, this freelancer would have notified you beforehand that this task would require research, and asked you if you wanted to hire another freelancer - a specialist - to perform this task. But because the time spent researching the topic was relatively small, this freelancer did not bother to ask you about it beforehand.

[petra_r · Accepted solution]

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@Preston H wrote:

Had the amount of time required for research on this topic been significant relative to the overall time spent on the project, this freelancer would have notified you beforehand that this task would require research, and asked you if you wanted to hire another freelancer - a specialist - to perform this task. But because the time spent researching the topic was relatively small, this freelancer did not bother to ask you about it beforehand.

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 How do you know it was "relatively small" and how do you know the freelancer "would have notified you beforehand that this task would require research, and asked you if you wanted to hire another freelancer - a specialist - to perform this task"

?

[xynhost]

I think that is not the usual way and quite unprofessional as well, to make you pay for the learning process. And to answer your question: No, this is not the standard practice. I can tell you, being in the Freelancing field since 2005, that the clients don't have to and can refuse all such offers where they get charged for the R & D. 

[64c82ac7]

Thank you so much Rashid! I appreciate your time and feedback.