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I was told that my comment on another rant needed to be its own rant. So here it is:

I had a client that runs a tattoo shops website to be updated and more modern. He wanted nothing to do with looking at or approve mock ups or designs so I just did my thing and took care of it. Once I was finished I showed him what I had and said “now I just need some content from you all so I can replace all the placeholder text and images”.
He seemed completely onboard. Took down notes of all the content needed, assigned all of it out to his artists to gather what I needed and provide it to me.
After 6 months, and several emails asking if they ever got that content together I finally get a response:
“LOOK MAN, if you didn’t want to do the site then you shouldn’t have accepted the money. I know you don’t need all these from us to finish up, you’re just stalling! I need the site up now!”
So I’m like “Sure man, I’ll publish it exactly as it stands now.”
An hour later I get a call “who are these people in these pictures? Why do you have our pricing all wrong? Why is everything in French or something (Lorem ipsum)? I just need my money back at this point.”
I explained that he’s not getting his money back because I already did my part, but just because it’s important to me that a client is satisfied (and seemingly what he wants is money) I can waive his hosting fee for the next 3 years.
It’s been a year now. Sites still up in all “French”, wrong pricing, random stock photos. Couple weeks ago he called to apologize for being a dick before.
Still haven’t gotten any content to finish up.
I don’t understand. It’s like these people think if you want to publish a book for instance that you just give the publisher the title you came up with and they’ll fill in the pages with story/info for you.
I’m a web developer, not a content manager.

Comments
  • 55
    Quality rant! πŸ‘
  • 10
    Had a couple of those customers, myself. Good on you for standing your ground!
  • 19
    One thing is clear.

    They all think we are the computer geeks. Same story with almost every client.
  • 2
    Hello again.
  • 10
    Well you are not a dick like me. I would do the same you did. But I asked the client to give me a few competitor website. Then use the content from the competitor websites. Whatever happen later, is client concern anyway.

    🀷‍♂️
  • 6
    (οΎ‰´ Π· `)γƒŽ

    πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

    Really, is he really thinking you should go to his store or something like that, get his prices, create text to their website and take some photos?
  • 4
    @brunofontes no, he's supposed to know that... I mean, he's the computer guy, right? Don't you know that computer guys know everything?
  • 8
    Idem dito for another client I had.
    - He won't pay until finished
    - he wants to be able to update it himself

    Then again, when I ask him to contact me for more than 6 months, even my dad still pokes him after 4 years... he just doesn't.

    I have all of his communication/google business/domains ending up in my mailbox/etc, he won't get any access until he contacts me AND pays. Basta?
  • 8
    Good you made your own rant out of it, I was waiting for it. ^^

    There will always be clients you have to treat like they were 5 years old, and who'll cooperate like they were pissed-off teens.

    In the beginning of the millenia I had a couple of years freelancing in web development myself. I had three such morons.

    There is nothing else but heavenly patience you can throw at them.

    And at the end of the day, a good shrug is all that is left...
  • 3
    WTFπŸ˜‚, I never thought people like such exist 🀣🀣
  • 3
    @cursee That could you get you in a lot of shit that you can't easily roll off...
  • 6
    @beggarboy no in my contract I made it pretty clear that any issue related to content and the legal issues of website is solely responsible by client 🀷‍♂️
  • 7
    Without ink in the tatoo machine there is no tatoo, just pain.

    Same story, without content there is no site, just pain.

    πŸ˜„
  • 2
  • 4
    Happens all the time. Last incident a client ordered an Eshop and development stalled because no content provided by client. After many calls from my side I got this answer.... "Why is the site not ready yet! We are not programmers. Are you expecting us to do it? We showed you our competitors sites. Is it so hard to get the products from there? We sell the same products" ... Me: You showed me 3 competitors. Do you want all the products from those 3 websites; Cause on my offer I had only 10 product input on the system. The 3 websites combined have around 5000 products.... That can cost you a lot of money.... He: "Ehm... I call you back..."
  • 1
    Unfortunately this happens often with web development / design. The client expects the web developer to do the website and create content. As you said, we are web developers not content managers.
  • 3
    @Lyubo I tried to explain it to him like this “when someone comes in for a tattoo, do they expect you to pick out their tattoo also? Or is your job like mine, and you just bring their ideas to life?”
  • 2
    @ericfledderman Yep, good way of explaining it. I hope he understood your point and his mistake.
  • 3
    That's like yelling at a plumber for not mowing your lawn.. What a twat!
  • 1
    🀣🀣 I loved that book analogy! πŸ‘Œ
  • 1
    @M1sf3t I never do business with friends. It always ends bad.
  • 0
    @M1sf3t Yeah man, that’s whack. I could see if you weren’t a paying client and the agreement was that he’d work on it as time allowed... but sounds like you were getting the shaft on that one.

    So... you saying you need a new developer? I might know someone ;)
  • 0
    @hash-table FACTS: if they are working in a professional dev community they probably won’t have time.
  • 1
    You take a loss with the hosting fee while you're providing a fine service?

    That could stab you in the back.
  • 0
  • 2
    @ericfledderman what did your customer do to deserve free hosting?
  • 0
    @xalys they didn’t deserve it. It was a courtesy.
  • 2
  • 0
    @xalys well alright then.
  • 1
    https://uat.icapro.bbi.codes/

    same here. client gave me a site map but i have been waiting for their product photos, product descriptions, and all the info about his company...

    it has been a year and he just renewed the annual hosting... oh dear...
  • 0
    @garret paying customer so I’m not gonna put them on blast. Sorry :/
  • 1
    A picture cannot be taken without a photographer.

    A bio cannot be written without an author.

    Yet time and time again clients expect a web developer to somehow manifest this content on demand without giving any input or effort on their part.

    Its like asking for a custom tailored suit without giving the tailor any measurements and then complaining when it doesn't fit.
  • 0
    really quality rant!
  • 0
    yeah man
  • 0
    I legit ALWAYS get paid when I hand over the CMS. I don’t give a fuck if it ever goes live and some of them never did because after spending thousands the client couldn’t be arsed to log into Wordpress for a few hours.
  • 0
    They all think we are the computer geeks. Same story with almost every client.
  • 0
    Great post!
  • 0
  • 0
    @saas they do)))
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