Not enough done to justify the invoice

This would be my question as well. It’s not very clear in your post what your client’s actual issue is. Is it because they do not think enough work was done for the amount you are asking for? Or are they saying that only part of the updates are done (not all of them) so they are not wanting to pay that much yet until all of them are complete?

You say that they are for 3 simple updates … so I guess I would be interested to know what you are billing as well to understand the problem. If they are simple updates I wouldn’t think it would take very long, thus the client having an issue with it seems odd. There must be more to this story or problem …

ieee488, is the problem the number of hours, or minutes billed rather than the rate?
For example you’ve done 30 mins work for minor updates and are charging for half an hours work, but your client doesn’t think 0.5hrs is worth invoicing for?

What is the actual amount of time that you invoiced for?

I’m not suggesting he “wave a contract in his face” now.

This is the quote upon which I based my response.

It’s hard to believe anyone contracts for work (on either side) when price isn’t discussed. I guess I would ask him what he expected to pay and then tell him what I did that justified the larger amount.

Hopefully, you can reach a compromise this time. Next time, use a contract. It doesn’t have to be a four-page document. Just get it in writing how long it will take, what it will cost, and what you will do for the price. Don’t start the work until you both agree on the terms.

What do I do now with the current situation?
Walk away and not get paid?
Ask him how much he thinks he should pay?
What?

Once there is a contract, do you have a 0.5 hour minimum?

Back down to what amount? Ask him what I should have charged him?

I charged him based on my hourly rate. So, I have a contract that says what my hourly rate is. Then what? Every time he emails for asking for an update I give him estimate? What if I am wrong with the estimate, then what?

You never discussed you hourly rates? Then, I take it you don’t have a contract. Back down. Walk away. Get a contract that defines what you’ll do for what price.

Billing style is up to you. I use fixed-price for most things but some of my clients seem to get along better with hourly billing.

The main issue has been said – manage your client’s expectations. Make it clear how much things cost and how long they take.

Of course, if you tell your client “no problem, that’s a two-hour job” and then take seven hours to do it, you may have to suck it up on your end. If you grossly underestimate something and quote too low, you can’t really go back and ask for more money. Even if the estimate says that it’s just an estimate, asking for much more than you estimate could make for an unhappy client. Sometimes you lose a few bucks to learn the lesson.

If anything, pad your estimate and then come back with, “hey, guess what it took me an hour less than I thought, so you save $XX today…”.

I work with a minimal charge of 1hr no matter what the work is. Before I start anything I make sure I have an email exchange with the client and that he understands the fee.

It is unpractical to draw up a contract for every simple update, specially the easy ones since you will spend more time with the contract than doing the work.

What I may do for long term clients is to do an “easy” update and simply wait to tack the time to the next larger update, but this is not advised unless you have a real good relationship with the client.

Anyway, I would stick with a minimal fee (I say 1 hr is more realistic that 30 min since it takes time to switch between projects).

Here is an option I have used before and it has worked out very well. Simply have the client pay what he thinks is fair. I have used this with a client who asked for a quick update and I told him to log into my paypal donation page and simply pay the amount he thought was fair. To my surprise he paid the equivalent to over 2 hrs and I would have billed him a fraction of that.

From experience I find that most issues like this can be resolved with a phone call.

Not sure if was mentioned, but you should politely explain what went into doing the work he requested, and why it took the length of time that it did.

Also you can apologize for the fact that the bill’s size was unexpected and offer to revert the changes if he is unable to pay for the services provided.

It’s always good to informally provide a rough estimate as well as let people know what you’re hourly rate is to avoid situations like this.

If we possibly knew what you were invoicing for (time and total bill), we could maybe see how you’d find compromise.

But, based on the knowledge we have, this is a reminder of why I got out of this business. Arrangements between a designer and the employer is always tough, and communication has to remain HIGH.

If he wants you to do updates, you say that this is the expected time, which will be billed this much. Immediately point out any issues you see with the updates, and how much extra time they could take. Basically, propose a budget for everything you do. And, if you can, get some money up front.

I say point out possible issues first, as people hate hearing of problems later, as it makes you look like a weak designer trying to get more in order to “learn” more about your field.

Point everything out, and explain the costs. Confusion can be disastrous.

Cheers!
Ryan

*I wouldn’t go legal on this one. I’m sure these costs couldn’t have been that much based on three “small” updates. You want to waste time and money while also offending a client who seems confused as is? Not a good policy. Blame yourself for not being clear, compromise on the price, and continue on. Referral business is good business.

I agree Bayliss, it should be on a fixed prize project. If the provider is confident and you both had a clear instructions then a fix prized project would be a good deal for the both of you.