I've had a client for 9 years and they always been difficult. I worked for them full time prior to freelancing and the owner is a total bully. His attitude is just horrendous. However he is usually busy elsewhere, the work was easy, well paid and I enjoyed being able to get them good results. I worked really hard for them and achieved some fantastic things. They are a well known company locally and I'll admit there was some cachet to being involved with them, especially when my company was still small.
No one has a good word to say about the owner and their company reputation locally is getting worse. They wanted me to instigate a new idea, but it was insane I strongly disagreed with it , and although I said this nicely they started an argument with me accusing me of all sort of baseless things to do with my professionalism and skills, so I finally told them to find someone else. I always knew it would end badly with them when it ended. Inevitable given their attitude.
While one part of me is really rather relieved that I no longer have to put up with his crap, the major part of me is devastated. I feel heartbroken, bizarrely. Maybe because I have invested so much time and effort and it was so rarely acknowledged and now it's going to all be so bitter and nasty. I worry about getting paid for the work outstanding (about £4k). I worry about him telling all and sundry he comes across that I am shit. I worry about telling other clients about the split and if this reflects badly on me. I worry about how I will actually extricate myself from this situation because I had such a huge level of reponsibility there. I cannot just walk away - legally I have to hand over certain info - and I want to walk away professionally and properly because that way I wont see all my hard work totally go to waste. Ironically, the one thing I don't worry about is money coming in - I have been very lucky in recent months and work has been appearing everywhere with new clients who are more than happy with my work. I am in the best position I have ever been. I do not need this client or this crap any more. Yet still devastated?!!
I'm not sure why I've posted this. I need to vent, that's for sure and just feel shell shocked. I'm hoping people will have some positive words to help me focus on what needs to be done now - i.e. to extricate myself cleanly from there, stop wallowing and get on with new, exciting work for lovely clients.
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Finally brave enough to dump toxic client - why aren't I celebrating? (bit long sorry)
4 replies
wingandprayer · 03/09/2008 10:47
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