Dealing with Awkward Customers & Time Wasters at 17:39

In the design industry, it's very easy to come across time wasters. They're people who make what they want very unclear, ask for something then decide they want something else, place order then decide they don't want the work done anymore or even have you create a new design only to decide that they no longer need one! - it can become very frustrating trying to deal with these clients. Some people just can't be pleased. I was unfortunate enough to run into such a person quite recently. I wont disclose any names of course, but he was very awkward indeed. He placed an order, requesting that I changed the font on his site's logo - but he liked the background, so he wanted to keep it. I quote - "I like the background of the one on the site but I thought the text looked cheesy....I want the text font to be professional, but you can also play with it a bit to give it a little edge" Now, that's a completely reasonable request. I was happy to change the font to something less "cheesy", receive payment and be on my way , and that's exactly what I did. I took the logo, removed the text then added it again with a more professional, 'edgy' font and sent it to him. I quite received a reply a short while later - "cant you make like the "M" and "A" look cooler or something...like give it some design or something...." - Alright, a little vague, but I'll do it. So, as requested, I changed the M and the A to something a little more interesting and sent it off to him. Finally, I'm done! But wait, a reply - "I can simply change the fonts myself....that's all you're doing, I thought youd be able to design something." - Well yes actually, I am just changing the fonts because thats what you asked me to do.. in-fact, you specifically requested that I left the background alone! After slamming my face in my desk a few times I sent him a reply: "All of my other customers have been pleased with my work. You asked for  a font change - you wanted the background to be kept the same. I can create designs from scratch, but you asked for a new font - not a new design. If you can already do the work your asking for, there's no need to contact a graphic designer. I did as you asked. If you aren't happy, don't pay." Ok, now that I have him out of my hair, I can get on with work from another client - hold on, another response! "Ok, sorry. Just design one from scratch." Why he didn't just say that in the first place is completely beyond me. This is a classic example of a time waster/awkward client. He asked for a font change and got it, only to state "All you're doing is changing the font. I could do that myself, do a design from scratch."


Dealing with this type of client is a real headache, so it's best that you have a 'No BS' policy in place. Writing this policy is up to you, but I'll give you some tips. Firstly, if you find yourself with a customer who wants you to make an irrational amount of revisions to a perfectly good piece of work, you need to either drop the work - most of the time, the price isn't worth how much time you end up wasting - or tell them that you'll only make 1 or 2 more revisions before you start charging them for the extra time. Secondly, make sure that your client gives you as many details as possible about what they want done, including but not limited to: color schemes, images they want included, text, fonts, style (glossy, vintage etc), dimensions, their target audience, what the logo is being used for etc etc. The more details you have, the easier it'll be to satisfy a customer - if you don't get all of the details, there's a good chance they'll want you to make revisions, so get ALL of them the first time round. Thirdly, when you find yourself dealing with such a person, you need to assess whether or not the amount of time you're going to end up spending on one piece of work is worth the payment you'll receive when you're finished. If you're doing a small banner for $5, for example, it really isn't worth spending a good hour or two just doing revisions. If it isn't worth it, just tell the client that you'll make no more revisions - if they don't pay then at least you haven't wasted more time than you had to, you can move onto your next job. Keep these tips in mind if you end up in a situation similar to the one I mentioned above - they'll ensure that you don't spend hours working for next to nothing. Remember to be firm without being impolite.


Til' Next Time,
-Andy