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Nicole -> Would you charge for this? (2/20/2007 6:23:41)
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My longest serving client is an organisation who's site I continue to maintain. I've redesigned their site twice previously and as it's a site I would like to showcase in my portfolio, and having learnt so much since previously redesigning their site, I've offered them a free redesign with the understanding that I do so in my spare time and I use their site to test out latest things that I learn.
Lately I haven't had much spare time, house moves, quoting for a few bigger jobs and a client or two whose jobs are now behind schedule, but the long standing client isn't complaining or anything.
But as mentioned I am suddenly very busy and am also maintaining their site, which has had a lot of updates of late, especially since the new acting General Manager knows the value of the web to his organisation and is sending me paid updates to his existing site two or three times weekly. Previously I'd earn roughly $100 to $200 per month for maintaining their site, with this new Acting GM I'm earning $400 to $500 so I'm not complaining.
But as other work slips behind, quotes remain unquoted, this client continues to send updates for his site with little regard to the structure of his site and that the current structure just can't handle all the latest updates to appear on the opening page in a prominent position. His instructions are very brief, very lacking in thought and very misleading at times and this morning, for the second time lately he asked me to put something on his site that is already there, just that he asked differently which made me think he wanted something different. This is the entire contents of one of his emails today in response to my 1 hour and 15 minutes at the keyboard typing an email to him explaining everything I felt necessary to get a particular message across:
quote:
Ok Nicole just put the flyer in word or you know what I mean
An email just two minutes later read:
quote:
Sorry Nicole I see it is already on the site
I write emails rather than call them most of the time because I'm out of town, or they're out of my town, and phone calls cost, but also to cover my back in case anything goes pear shaped and there's no documented evidence of what I've meant. This site has already met with it's share of mention in State Parliament and had parts removed after the State Opposition Leader demanded so, so I have to be careful with my involvement with it.
Anyway, I spent a good 2 - 3 hours this morning writing this email, thinking about it, changing it etc, at a time I can't really afford that time, for something flippant that the site owner didn't even realise was already on the site in another form.
Would you guys charge for this? I wouldn't have in the past but given the circumstances I think I might. In my monthly invoices to this client I particularise the work I've undertaken, would you include "email writing" (I'll try and word it better), or would you wrap it up as something else or include it as a contingency if indeed you'd charge for it at all.
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