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Nicole
Posts: 2850
Joined: 9/15/2004
From: Nambucca / Kempsey, Australia
Status: online
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Client Meetings - 2/24/2005 21:06:10
I’d like your opinions on what you’d have done in this situation that happened to me yesterday.
I did a website for my employer some years ago, I was paid separately to my income and there was no contract. I continued to maintain the site after leaving my employment there, and started my own web design business. I wrote a very detailed contract dealing with every aspect of the web design business I could think of, it was a generic contract which I alter slightly to fit with different clients. I asked them to sign the contract which they refused to do, so I managed to have them sign a maintenance agreement. That maintenance agreement mentions points within the contract, so I gave them a blank copy of the contract so they can refer to it if need be. (i.e. the maintenance agreement might say “….as per section 17 of the contract”…, they’d be able to look up what section 17 was)
That contract mentions that I’ll be paid to attend any meeting or to visit the client’s premises. Except for meetings during the course of designing a site or immediately following site completion which are free.
The client contacts me late last year asking if I could attend some meetings as they’d like the website redesigned. I attend the meetings and bill the client as part of my maintenance invoices, they pay those invoices, following those 2 meetings I submit a quote which they agree to and we sign the redesign contract yesterday (the same contract almost, that they refused to sign this time last year).
During yesterday’s contract signing I was questioned, well not really questioned but “told” I shouldn’t have billed them for meetings dealing with redesigning the site, that it should either be considered free or rolled into my quote. I allowed the client to be right, so I said to her that I’ll take her advice on board, but I did also manage to put my viewpoint across which is:
That I had an existing client contact me and want to attend a few meetings. I would never charge, or try and back charge a new client i was trying to sell my services to.
So maybe I should’ve rolled these charges into my quote, but I don’t do quotes that way, I itemize my quotes so the client can see exactly what I’m doing for them, and also as a safeguard designed to reduce scope creep.
So, if an existing client contacts you to attend a meeting would you charge them for it? If not, would you roll it into your quote or do you attend meetings for free?
It’s no big deal really, the contract was signed, but I would like to know if my business ethics are a bit off skew?
Nicole
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Mojo
Posts: 2441
From: Chicago
Status: offline
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RE: Client Meetings - 2/24/2005 21:41:29
I agree with the client. I have never billed for a meeting with a client that I have a contract with. I always include a buffer in my fees that cover these things. In fact, I go the other direction - I have bought clients pro football tickets, paid for vacations, toss in extra services etc. That stuff never comes out of my pocket.
I am also not a fan of detailed contracts. I bid per the project with specific milestones, but never include things like # of pages, site copy etc...
I have also noticed that the smaller the contract, the more the client expects.
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dpf
Posts: 7126
Joined: 11/12/2003
From: India-napolis
Status: offline
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RE: Client Meetings - 2/25/2005 10:13:38
i have 3 maintainance contracts that are hourly and I do bill for meetings. i give them a break and dont charge travel time (which is 1/2 hour each way). my hourly rate is fairly low ($30() so I dont have any fat in there. Recently, one of the contacts reviewed a draft of some extensive page changes and sent me a detailed email. I dont charge for reading that per se (i am a very fast reader) but she insisted that she call me to "discuss". I reluctantly agreed altho 1. I hate telephone calls 2. i hate being read to - which is what she did..she read her email to me - gggrrrrrrr. it gobbled 1/2 hour of my time she was so plodding so I billed her!!!!!
Nicole, in hindsight I would say you should not have billed for that time altho I see how it seemed natural. why not? (she asks) - because it really wasnt a meeting to lay out work for you to do under the existing contract - it really was sort of a bidders conference if you will - and you did get the new redesign work.
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Dan
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erinatkins
Posts: 3072
From: Mechanicsville VA USA
Status: offline
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RE: Client Meetings - 3/18/2005 9:40:08
I think everyone has good points here. Since you had the contract & meetings were mentioned - you had the right to charge.
However since meeting was to discuss new work - I would not have charged.
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Mojo
Posts: 2441
From: Chicago
Status: offline
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RE: Client Meetings - 3/19/2005 12:59:15
quote:
I have also noticed that the smaller the contract, the more the client expects
Amen!
The greater the percieved cost, the more angst the client will have - and more demands to make sure his dollar is being put to good use.
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