Went from hourly billing to flat fees after one disaster with a UK client

I used to charge by the hour for web design work, but last year I took on a client from London who kept changing their mind. After 3 rounds of revisions and 40 extra hours of work, they argued the scope was vague and paid me only half of what I billed. Now I do flat fees with a strict revision cap written into the contract. Has anyone else run into this where clients treat hourly like a negotiation?

3 comments

3 Comments

sandra_moore309d ago

Honestly, a buddy of mine lost a ton of cash the exact same way.

luna2618d ago

12 times, that was my number. I actually told myself after number 8 I was just gonna walk away but then I was like "one more, it's gonna hit this time". Ngl, my bank account still hasn't forgiven me for that little voice in my head. Tbh the worst part is I still get that little flutter when I see a similar deal pop up somewhere else. Honestly I think I'm just paying for the adrenaline rush at this point, not the actual profit.

gray3148d ago

Man, are we really acting like this is some kind of life-changing revelation? Hourly billing has always been a gamble, and flat fees come with their own headaches. You just traded one risk for another. Now people will argue over what counts as a revision and try to squeeze extra work into the scope anyway. Contracts only help so much when someone's dead set on being difficult.