I am doing some freelance programming work in college, and agreed to a set price for a project. I finished the product and the price seemed reasonable for the work done. However, at the eleventh hour, as their target computer is not of the type they specified, I am required to do a lot more work than I expected. Am I justified in charging more now, or as it is a technical problem, is it unprofessional?
A:
Do you have the initial parameters of the project in writing? If so then yes, because technically speaking that is change to the original contract. If you have it in writing the client really doesn't have a leg to stand on to dispute it. You might be able to argue a verbal agreement too, but this can be tricky.
James
2010-03-09 17:08:45
A:
If they changed the specifications on you then it is reasonable to adjust your price.
It is very important that you work from a specification so that incidents like this which happens all too often will have a peaceful resolution.
If you did not work from a specification document so the target machine was never discussed then you may have a problem.
Vincent Ramdhanie
2010-03-09 17:09:06
+2
A:
One question:
Did you have a written specification?
If no, shame on you :)
If yes, then the new request is out of the agreed scope and I would discuss a separate project with your client.
PS: Consider also the learning experience you might get from continuing on. I worked for an effective $5/hr in the beginning of my career because the experience was worth way more than the lost revenue.
Dave Swersky
2010-03-09 17:09:37
No, I did not have a written specification. This project is quite minor, and we are all college students. I honestly did not think of having a written specification.
Nikwin
2010-03-09 17:31:23
Whenever there is money involved, it's best to have a clear, detailed written specification. This prevents situations like the one you're facing, where the client changes things at the last moment and expects extra work to be done for the same price.
Dave Swersky
2010-03-09 17:55:58
Now, after this pain, I see the advantage.
Nikwin
2010-03-09 18:54:50
+2
A:
If the target computer was different than that specified like you said, then I feel it is only fair that you charge them for the extra work that was involved. Your original quote was for the originally specified target computer therefore the terms of the contract have changed and it is only fair you charge accordinly.
Joey jie
2010-03-09 17:11:38
+4
A:
Hello,
That depends on how much you weigh additional business from this customer verses considering yourself a pushover, as well as numerous other factors. It's not just this customer, but all the additional customers this customer could refer you to that you may want to consider.
I was in a similar situation with a small project (3-4 hours) that turned into a bigger project due to the terrible situation the website was in. I made it very clear to the person managing the project that I was happy to go with the original quote, despite the fact that the project is taking three times as long due to poor design, implementation, upkeep and basically poor practice all around by my predecessors that worked on the project. They were happy.
As a result of this, I have additional work with this customer at a high rate. I'm not sure how much more work you have, how much of a future you have with this individual, or any of the other factors that I would consider in making a decision. However, there are lots of other things to consider that go deeper than 1.) Charge them more? Yes / No.
I hope this helps answer your question,
-Brian J. Stinar-
Brian Stinar
2010-03-09 17:33:12
This is sort of what I had been thinking about. I highly doubt that I will ever have more work from these clients, as their work was really of a one-shot nature, but I was worried about my reputation as someone to work with.
Nikwin
2010-03-10 10:14:03