To think I’ve been more than fair here and to tell him to eff off

[bagpuss90]

Okay I’ve worked free lance for this guy for around 15 years. We’ve had our ups and downs but generally have a good working relationship . I also do work for other people . Note free lance - so I’m self employed . My DP is retired and I turned 60 in January. I’ve decided to take early retirement . Maybe do a little bit of work now and then. We want some quality time together - he had a health scare last year. I don’t have to give this guy I do work for any notice at all- but out of courtesy I’ve told him that I won’t be doing anymore work for him from July. So he has just over three months to find someone else. I’ve had abusive texts - calling me selfish and unreliable. Telling me I’ve left him in the shit. I think I’ve been more than fair. I’m tempted to tell him I won’t be doing any more work as of like now . I wouldn’t send my hairdresser or plumber of whoever abusive texts if they told me they were retiring .

Tell him that you were giving him notice out of courtesy, but have rethought and will be ceasing any work for him immediately.

Who is the ONE person voting YABU? Because I’d love to hear the reasons why.

ShagMeRiggins The ex-client must be an MNer

Dear Batshit Client

I'm sorry you've taken the news of my retirement so poorly. We have always had a good working relationship and as you are one of my valued clients I took the decision to inform you in good time that I would be winding up my business in the summer. This would have given you 4 months to find a new freelance to use, and I would have been happy to provide a handover and limited ongoing support if needed.

However, as you have made it perfectly clear that you do not value our professional relationship in the same light, and have behaved abusively towards me on hearing this news, I will be finishing work with immediate effect.

Yours,

A Consummate (Almost Retired) Professional

@HeyDemonsItsYaGirl

ShagMeRiggins The ex-client must be an MNer

@BashfulClam

Text back:let’s play a game of fuck off. You go first!

But I rather like this for brevity

Nasty man
Enjoy your retirement and some quality time with DP
🏖🍹

As a fellow freelancer can I just check do you have a contract with him which details notice to the contract, handover of work or what will happen if it the relationships breaks down irrevocably? I know not all do, but I have a contract that I use which says something along the lines of if relationship is untenable due to dispute then a minimum weeks notice from the freelancer (me), and immediate effect notice by email from the client. (Which I'd say he's already given talking to you like that!!)

@WeeMadArthur

If you can manage financially then I would reply telling him that you weren’t taking any more work from him because of his response. Too many bosses get away with being arseholes because the people working for them can’t risk losing their jobs, you are in a position to be perfectly honest with him.

Absolutely!

With immediate effect.

What a twonk!

Just block him.

What an idiot he has really shot himself in foot. If he had called you and said sorry to see you retire do you know anyone else in field you might have been able to assist in finding a new person. Plus discussed your plans eg you may have been available for work occasionally even after retiring. You've done nothing wrong at all.

Sounds like a dickhead. As a freelancer myself, if you can afford to, just block and delete. Warn other freelancers in the industry.

Have you worked exclusively for him in that time? Done set hours etc? Be interesting if he’s been hiring you as a freelancer all this time when you should have technically been an employee, because that could land him in the shit.

Tell him that you gave him plenty of notice so that he would have time to find someone else to do the work, but due to the response you have received, please be advised that you are withdrawing your services with immediate effect.

I would simply reply
Dear Mr dickhead

I wish you well in your future
It was a pleasure to work with you
Attached is my invoice

Dixiexhickonhols makes a good point about how your "employer" should have approached the news. You have doubtless built up a good network of contacts whose names you could pass on; they would be pleased to know that they "come recommended" and if he had acknowledged that you gave him far more notice than is required from a freelancer, he could have kept in friendly contact for advice, even if you no longer undertake projects for him.
I hope for his sake that word does not get around about his ungracious attitude; in my experience, in any field of work, people know people.

@bagpuss90 What a cheeky bastard! I would totally block him. Message him first though and say 'I am disgusted at your attitude, and never want to speak to you again. NEVER contact me again.'

And then BLOCK him - on everything you have him on. Mobile phone, twitter, facebook, instagram, Linkedin etc...

What an arsehole!

This does actually put me in mind of a couple I used to know who used to run a photographic studio.. From the mid 1960s actually... waaaaay before digital photography, and being able to produce decent photos yourself.

They had a photographic studio from the age of 23 to the age of 63. (1966 to 2006.) They decided, after 40 years of hard work, that they would retire at the age of 63.

Another woman I sort of knew from the local pub me and DH frequented in the town I used to live, asked them - in summer 2006 - to do some portraits of her 2 'precious boys' aged 5 and 7.

The photographic studio woman said 'sorry we aren't taking any more bookings as we are retiring in a few weeks.'

The woman with the 2 boys went BATSHIT. Said they were letting her down, and where the fuck was she meant to go now, and slagged them off to anyone who would listen. (facebook and twitter weren't a thing then, thankfully, or she would have berated them on there too.)

Like you though, they were retiring, so anything this woman said, had no effect, because they weren't taking on any more work anyway.

I wouldn’t reply at all. But block him.what he’s done is not worthy of a reply. Don’t waste anymore of your time with him.

@BashfulClam

Text back:let’s play a game of fuck off. You go first!

Oh I love this🤣🤣🤣

OP, inform him that your professional relationship is now over, effective immediately.
The cheek of him.

Sound like he knows he won't be able to find someone else to take advantage of.

Who the actual fuck does he think he is? How dare he speak to you like that!

I hope you have a lovely long retirement and that your husband's health is good now

@AnotherKrampus

I'd also be extremely wary of doing any further work, lest he decides not to pay you!

This was also my first thought. I'd make sure I had been paid for all outstanding work, and then say in light of his abusive comments you were not doing any more work for him at all and it is a shame he didn't see his way to wishing you well after a 15 year working relationship.

3 months is more than enough notice - when I got a permanent job I gave a month's notice to my freelance client (along with suggestions of people who could replace me), so I think you did more than enough.

@bagpuss90 what's the context? Why is he so hacked off? Is there a particularly busy period coming up or had you said previously that you would be around for it?

Not at all saying he was justified in being so rude to you, I'm just intrigued as to why he has reacted in this way.

@NoSquirrels

Dear Batshit Client

I'm sorry you've taken the news of my retirement so poorly. We have always had a good working relationship and as you are one of my valued clients I took the decision to inform you in good time that I would be winding up my business in the summer. This would have given you 4 months to find a new freelance to use, and I would have been happy to provide a handover and limited ongoing support if needed.

However, as you have made it perfectly clear that you do not value our professional relationship in the same light, and have behaved abusively towards me on hearing this news, I will be finishing work with immediate effect.

Yours,

A Consummate (Almost Retired) Professional

Love this. But ONLY after you've been paid

twoshed Exactly in most fields people know people. And now if someone contacts OP and says what’s he like to work she’s hardly going to say go for it he’s a lovely client.

That's not ok. He's acted really badly with a very generous notice period. Send him an email with a screenshot of his texts and your notice to quit with immediate effect. He's only got himself to blame.