being used for brains

e1234

Wed, Jul 20 2011, 8:00 am

I am a web developer with many years of experience

I have a client now that comes to me with his ideas - picks my brains (meaning I give him more good ideas) - has me tell him how I would do it and then goes to some cheap indians to get it done

he then comes to me with a mess - check that everything is there
(and he hasn't yet finished a project)

I have no problem taking over a project in the middle but the fact that he keeps coming to me and then taking my ideas and my help and getting it cheaply done and then expecting me to review all the code - is really starting to bother me.
I am billing him for the hours that I spend but I still feel used
I'd rather spend the time just working for someone straight -- especially as he hasn't even gotten a completed project and then wants me to explain to them in coding what is wrong.

what would you do?
I think I should be paid double if I am being a overlooker

(but he has a tight budget so this would never happen)

maybe I should just say goodbye and tell him I can't do it.

am I wrong???

1Life2Live

Wed, Jul 20 2011, 8:31 am

sounds like you're being used. I'd say "good-bye" unless you really need the money. Your efforts will be better spent elsewhere. If he is serious about using you from beginning to end, maybe give him a chance with one project and see how it goes.

Mrs.K

Wed, Jul 20 2011, 8:39 am

It's understandable to feel that way. I think you should just explain that when you work with a client you don't feel comfortable with taking your ideas elsewhere and then having to clean up the mess. Explain, nicely, that it's either all or nothing.

Simple1

Wed, Jul 20 2011, 8:44 am

I don't know your field, but I'm wondering if you can significantly raise your fee for consulting, (and give customers who follow through the whole project, a break on this fee). So either 1. he will still come and it will be worth it for you monetarily, or 2. he'll stop coming because it's too expensive.

shalhevet

Wed, Jul 20 2011, 8:47 am

I would drop him if you can possibly afford to. You don't have to tell him directly - just tell him when he comes with the next mess that you only do complete projects. If he comes first to pick your brains, say you don't have time to discuss it unless he wants to book (and pay in advance) for the project.

Every business has a variation on this theme - for me it's agencies who get someone to translate for peanuts, then want you to "edit" the finished project or "just check it against the original". Sorry, but no. Not even if I don't have any other work. It takes me longer than translating from scratch to clear up the mess and they want to pay me a third of the price. And at the end of the day, it's all your responsibility because you got it in the end. Not worth it.

I know someone who is an electrician and also will not pick up jobs done by someone who doesn't know what they're doing who left a mess. Because it willl take just as long and they expect to pay half.

You need to educate your clients that they have a choice - a cheap, shoddy job or a good, expensive one. Their choice.

e1234

Wed, Jul 20 2011, 8:47 am

so I did and he said he can't afford me to do the whole thing

(somehow I think his projects would be finished if he just had them done - instead of months of back and forth)

I feel like maybe it's wrong - he is paying me for the time but I do have other work and I just get a bad feeling with it. -- I always look to save my clients money and will suggest to hire other people for example if there is data entry involved - - but here I don't think he's saving money in the long run and I feel used - I tried telling him this - not sure how else to tell it.

Mrs.K

Wed, Jul 20 2011, 8:58 am

I really don't think he's being fair. Using someone that has years of experience and is an expert in their field comes with a price. There's always the option of using a student or someone just starting out. Would he go to a top attorney, get his advice, then say he can't pay for it? Of course not. You get what you pay for (as can be seen by the botched Indian jobs...)

Using your ideas and not paying for them is taking advantage of you.

bigsis144

Wed, Jul 20 2011, 9:02 am

shalhevet wrote:

My father has a speech for his clients: "Good, Now, Cheap -- Pick TWO."

If it's an excellent product finished quickly, in ain't gonna come cheap.
If you want it now and for cheap, well, sorry, but the quality will suffer.
If you want a good product for cheap, it'll take time to finish, no shortcuts.

amother

Wed, Jul 20 2011, 9:27 am

Mrs.K wrote:

Actually....

I'm an attorney at a top firm. We have a smallish client who really can't afford to pay our rates for most of its deals (generally $5-15 million deals). So they call us for structuring and tax advice, have a smaller firm generate the deal documents, and sometimes (but not always) ask us to review. I actually like that client because I hate creating routine documents. On the other hand, their smaller firms have frequently messed up.

e1234

Wed, Jul 20 2011, 9:44 am

thanks guys
I think you are right

I hate turning away work but I don't really have so much extra time now - and it's so annoying to give all the advice and then be given back the files and say - check that I have everything as I don't trust them -- it's the kind of work I enjoy the least - trying to look and make sense of someone elses mess.