Overheard a junior freelancer brag about never using contracts at a coffee shop downtown

I was grabbing a latte near the courthouse last Thursday and heard this kid at the next table telling his friend he never bothers with written agreements. He said it saves time and builds trust. I had to bite my tongue because back in 2018, a handshake deal cost me a $2,400 web design project when the client ghosted. Now I wonder how many of us learned that lesson the hard way. Has anyone else had a deal go south without a contract?

3 comments

3 Comments

mason_murray81d ago

Oh man, that coffee shop kid is in for a rude awakening. I actually had a similar thing happen not with a web project but with a small painting job I took on the side a few years back. A friend of a friend wanted their living room done, and I figured since we knew each other through people, a handshake would be fine. Well, we agreed on a color and a price, and after I finished, they said the color wasn't what they wanted (even though it was exactly what they picked) and then haggled me down to like half the cost. It was such a headache and I ended up losing money on paint and supplies. It taught me that even with people you think you can trust, you need that piece of paper to point back to when things get fuzzy. It's not about being suspicious of everyone, it's about making sure you both remember the same deal a month later.

abbyf791d ago

Right, exactly. That paint job story is a textbook example of why it's not about being mean, it's just practical. People's memories get real convenient when money's involved. I had a similar thing with a landscaping job I did for a neighbor one summer. We shook on a price for trimming some trees and hauling away the branches, but when the work was done they claimed we never discussed hauling and tried to pay me just for the trimming. It was a whole awkward thing that went nowhere fast. Learned that day that a quick text or email confirming the deal is better than nothing, but a real contract is even better.

blairm771d ago

Man, I feel that. Last year I did a small logo design for a local bakery on just a text agreement and ended up doing five rounds of revisions before they finally paid half of what we agreed on. It's crazy how one bad experience makes you realize a contract isn't about trust, it's about protecting yourself when the other person forgets the deal. I still think about that coffee shop conversation and hope that kid learns before he gets burned like the rest of us.