WHEN A PROJECT IS COMPLETED - IT'S OVER!!!! CONTRACTS COVER SERVICES UNDER THAT CONTRACT ONLY

I had the most ridiculous thing happen this afternoon … I was going along with my day and playing with our new puppy and I glanced down on my phone and saw the rudest comment on Instagram from a client I designed a website for 3+ years ago!

I went to the comment, read it, and then erased it … brought the conversation to a PRIVATE place, where it belonged … found my client’s email address … emailed her and then followed up with an Instagram message.

Now, keep in mind: the last correspondence this person and I had was in November 2019 … and it was me responding to an email where she had a question and her saying basically ‘ok cool - thank you’ … and we left it at that. Her website was launched … I have emails from her saying she loves it … she was thrilled … and life continued for both of us.

Now, a quick thing … my contract covers website design and the time DURING THE TIME I AM DESIGNING … I make zero promises to be there for anyone after I am done. I have designed over 175 websites … do you think I have time to email every single one of those clients and keep up with all their questions on unpaid time? No, I don’t. Sorry if that offends you or turns you off, but if you are in the wedding industry, can you imagine if after the wedding day ALL YOUR BRIDES AND GROOMS kept emailing you and insisting that you figure stuff out for them? I am one person … and I do a damn great job at designing websites … but I can’t keep helping people who haven’t paid to keep me on retainer or help past clients who haven’t hired me for hourly help! Sorry, not sorry.

So, back to the story … the client is FURIOUS … furious enough to leave an awful comment on my Instagram feed for people to read …. so, as I stated, I reached out via email and IG messaging … this person insists she emailed me in January of this year … I can’t find it … I tell her, I am sorry but I don’t have it … she ‘attacks me’ stating I need to take care of my clients and not just “steal their money” …

Now, let’s take that statement: STEAL MONEY … did I??? Does her paying me for a website in 2018 and me DESIGNING that website in 2018 … and launching that website … and her USING THAT WEBSITE for her business define: STEALING her MONEY??? No, it doesn’t. Does her emailing me and for whatever reason me not receiving that email, so therefore not responding, define: STEALING HER MONEY??? No, it does not.

I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it:

CLIENTS ARE PEOPLE AND PEOPLE CAN BE UNREASONABLE.

This particular client is being VERY UNREASONABLE … and I suspect taking her frustrations from the past year out on me … well, I’m not a doormat and I won’t accept that. This year has been sh*tty … YES … we are all hurting and sad and confused and frustrated and tired of it all … we all need life to return to what it was … but to attack someone publicly over something you don’t even know if they did on purpose before you have a private discussion with them to understand the situation from their side?? Well, that’s just messed up.

I will bend over backwards for my clients during and after their projects with me and I do offer to help my clients on unpaid time … I do it all the time in fact! But I am certainly not under contract to do so and if I am unable to help a client who isn't paying me and who had her time with me and I did the job I was paid to do and I can’t respond to something … I’m well within my rights not to. Period.

XO~ Heather