Client Agreements - Where Do I Stand Here?

[suarve]

Hi,

I recently finished a eCommerce website for a client.

He's happy with the design/layout but is now saying it's not finished as all his existing products aren't on there (i've added him several categories and products as an example). He has 300 exisiting products. Hes has an admin area where he can add products himself.

No where the quote I provided him did it explicity say 'i'll add all the products for you'. He's saying that because he assumed I'd add these products for him and that because it doesn't specifically say this on the quote, that I should be 'finishing' the site for him by adding his exisiting products.

This is quite a job and products have multiple images, prices and attributes.

Where exactly do I stand here?

I mean if everyone thought like this they could come back and say add xxx feature to my site because i assumed you'd be doing it, it also doesn't say on the contract that you're not going to add feature xxx either. Surely his logic is absolutely flawed?

I've been looking back at past emails on a few occasion he's sent tons of new product images and information, asking me to add it for him. I replied everytime saying he'd be able to add products himself when the site is done.

Obviously stating 'i will not being adding you 299 products for you' on the quote would have solved this, but in over 2 years of doing web sites commercially I've never had to state this.

Any thoughts?

Ta

 

[BFCTom]

Do you think it's a genuine misunderstanding or is he tying to squeeze as much out of you as possible?

Maybe say you'll do the work at a lower rate as a gesture of good will. (Maybe £1 an hour lower )

Or if you don't have the time for it, hire someone else to do it and add the cost to the client's invoice.

I suppose you could always tell him to shove it, but if it's a genuine misunderstanding I'd feel bad personally.

 

[suarve]

Do you think it's a genuine misunderstanding or is he tying to squeeze as much out of you as possible?

Maybe say you'll do the work at a lower rate as a gesture of good will. (Maybe £1 an hour lower )

Or if you don't have the time for it, hire someone else to do it and add the cost to the client's invoice.

I suppose you could always tell him to shove it, but if it's a genuine misunderstanding I'd feel bad personally.

Well I would usually, but this is quite a big site costing £2400 in total - he's paid £1200 up front already - I wouldn't want to loose that remianing 50%.

 

[BFCTom]

I'd go with my first suggestion then.

Send him an email saying that although the adding of existing products wasn't originally quoted for, you're willing to do this work at a slightly reduced rate.

I think that hits the balance between keeping him sweet for your remaining 50% and the client getting (sort of) what he wants.