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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to charge a client I am going to fire?

75 replies

LemonSwan · 14/07/2021 21:17

We unfortunately have to fire a client.

Its just not working.

Would you charge the client for work to date, or give all work for free as a gesture of good will to the parting of ways.

I am conflicted.

On the one hand I am firing them because I cannot trust they will pay as they are very rude and accusatory about our service.

On the other hand I just want this relationship finished as they have crossed a line today.

WWYD?

OP posts:

Datsandcogs · 14/07/2021 21:48

Not enough detail to comment. How much work have you done? How long have you worked together? How significant is the amount of work done to your business and to theirs? Why are you walking away? Etc

Wtfdoipick · 14/07/2021 21:51

If your contract is to provide x and you haven't as yet then you are in a more difficult position than if it's say to provide services at y amount a month. It boils down to have you provided what you were commissioned for

Terhou · 14/07/2021 21:51

Do I bill them, then fire them.

Bill them, wait for them to pay, then fire them. Unless of course they don't pay, in which case you fire them for that and sue.

Original poster

LemonSwan · 14/07/2021 21:53

Payment is structured in stages with delivery of items at each stage.

We have produced items for a number of stages yet to be billed.
We would be down about 1k so its not that much.

About 1k remaining on the project but the most complicated part to come where open communication is key.

One other thing, they'll likely have plenty to say about your company, don't rise to it.
And yes I am worried about this. We have never had an unhappy customer. And whilst they behave unhappily - weirdly I think they are actually quite happy (hence asking for another project). Its confusing.

OP posts:

LtDansleg · 14/07/2021 21:53

@Idontgiveagriffindamn

It would depend on your contract surely and how you’ve structured the terms of payment.

This. How will you work out how much they should pay?

Original poster

LemonSwan · 14/07/2021 21:56

The work is in stages. We are just about to move to the next stage but obviously this recent communication has thrown a cat amonst the pigeons.

OP posts:

JamieFrasersBigSwingingKilt · 14/07/2021 22:05

If you've met previous milestones and charging points, just bill now, and give notice. You can be truthful as to why, or you could say you have an unexpected resourcing issue and so can't continue for further stages.

Shirleyphallus · 14/07/2021 22:06

I used to be the client of a supplier and thought we got along really well. One day they called me for a confidential conversation and said they wanted to fire us cos one of my colleagues was so rude.

He was the nicest guy ever to his coworkers but a complete twat to suppliers, really awful. We had no idea as he was never like this in front of us.

Any chance that’s happening here - is it one person who’s awful or the whole lot?

Aalvarino · 14/07/2021 22:14

What are you doing for them that only costs 1k over six months?? . Does it involve that much client interface for that price or have I misunderstood. Is it something like lessons or instruction for example?

How difficult are they?? Is it maybe just worth sucking it up and smiling and waving?? Reputational damage from a fallout could cost you more than the inconvenienc of dealing with a knob very occasionally for 6 months...

Original poster

LemonSwan · 14/07/2021 22:17

How difficult are they?? Is it maybe just worth sucking it up and smiling and waving?? Reputational damage from a fallout could cost you more than the inconvenience of dealing with a knob very occasionally for 6 months...

Thats the other thing! I also do agree perhaps we just need to grin and bear it.

God we need to find a way to vet clients properly.

OP posts:

AshGirl · 14/07/2021 22:22

@LemonSwan When my team were in a similar situation we didn't charge and gave the client back the money they had paid on account. We didn't want to have any ongoing relationship or any disputes over fees, and we wanted to hand them over to another firm as quickly as possible. It was more than £1k but totally worth it!

Zilla1 · 14/07/2021 22:24

I know I haven't been in the room and I appreciate the need for open and trusting relationships but if that example i's the extent of their unreasonableness then perhaps deploy a thick skin or use someone with experience in handling more difficult clients and get on with it. Trying to articulate why you are breaking mid-project to other clients if they do bad-mouth you might genuinely risk making you look more unprofessional they they do. I'd be wary of using a professional firm that walked away for that reason.

And get a contract for all future work and clients. And, where appropriate, bill stage payments.

Good luck.

Simbacatisback · 14/07/2021 22:26

Its a £2k project?

So a few days work? Your opening post makes it sound like it is a major project?

Mummyoflittledragon · 14/07/2021 22:27

Grin and bear it for this project then give them a highly inflated estimate for future works?

WomanStanleyWoman · 14/07/2021 22:36

You are deluded. For a start, you cannot ‘fire’ a client - you do not employ them. They’re the ones paying you. This attitude alone makes you unreasonable. What you actually mean is you want to end the job and break your contract.

We are idiots. We have no contract with break clauses/ termination details etc.

So you’re basically asking whether you can walk out on a job when you have zero legal recourse, AND you expect them to pay for the half of the job you have done? Not in a million years.

Original poster

LemonSwan · 14/07/2021 22:36

@Zilla1
I agree its ridiculous. I obviously need to get longer in the tooth. I have never had a client accuse us of anything - let alone something so blatantly untrue and it was a final line in the sand.

But I just want the easiest route of resistance. Perhaps decline the other project. Finish this one. And somehow find a way to vet clients properly.

OP posts:

Original poster

LemonSwan · 14/07/2021 22:55

@WomanStanleyWoman

Its not deluded. Its a reasonable question.

If you hire a painter to paint your living room and bedroom white. He paints the living room white and you scream at him thats its painted pink. Its not unreasonable for him to bill you to date and refuse to paint the bedroom.

Thats essentially what it is in simple terms. The relationship and trust is broken. We should be paid to date.

But this is not just a 'this project' decision. Its a wider business decision. Which is why I was umming and ahhing about even charging. Because if we do end this project its easier if the client goes quietly and doesn't bad mouth us.

I am veering so far to this protectionist stance that I have now convinced myself we should continue, but then I am exposing my team to more potential abuse and that is also not on.

Its a rock and a hard place.

OP posts:

Zilla1 · 14/07/2021 22:58

Ridiculous is being harsh on yourself and it seems clear this client has pushed you outside your comfort zone. Perhaps try and see it as a learning experience in managing difficult clients (and a steer to put contracts and stage payments in place which will help cash flow or prevent a bad client from engineering a dispute at the end to give a reason not to pay)..

The path of least resistance might be to deliver the project with clear boundaries and front them up if they are difficult. The good thing is that you don't seem dependent on them financially.

Decline the next project or quote an inflated fee that either makes them decline working with you or is so much that you find their behaviour more tolerable. If they ask why the price has increased then say the last project was a loss leader.

Perhaps Im too inured to working with difficult people so arguably respect to you for having boundaries.

Good luck.

justasking111 · 14/07/2021 22:58

Talking about this recently a planning consultant friend bowed out and returned the fee because the client was impossible lying person . He valued his reputation more than anything

Flowers500 · 14/07/2021 23:01

I think you need to complete the project, or get legal advice—they haven’t actually done anything huge, they could well respond very angrily that you have not delivered the required services and have waster their time/internal resources collaborating on a project that another contractor may well insist on starting from scratch. Unless they are being outright abusive or you are protected in your contract, I think it would be very unprofessional to pull out. You say there is only 1k of services left, that can’t be very much work or face time to suck up, but could be majorly more expensive if someone else took it on—as they’d only be doing the tail end of a project that they are unfamiliar with.

thelastgoldeneagle · 14/07/2021 23:05

Bill them them fire them!!

Why on Earth wouldn't you? You've done the work and you deserve to be paid.

IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves · 14/07/2021 23:05

If your contract doesn't have terms re ending early could the client not sue for breach of contract?

Original poster

LemonSwan · 14/07/2021 23:10

Thanks all,

I really appreciate all the input.

I will sleep on it.

I think its likely we will continue; but I will have to take on all correspondence to shelter the team. Refuse the second project. Tighten up the contracts. And start researching into client vetting.

Thanks again

OP posts:

justasking111 · 14/07/2021 23:14

Shelter the team, honestly you need to toughen them up. Life throws unpleasant people at us professionally so they need to face that with your support. I'm presuming they're not newly graduated employees

Flowers500 · 14/07/2021 23:21

@LemonSwan

Thanks all,

I really appreciate all the input.

I will sleep on it.

I think its likely we will continue; but I will have to take on all correspondence to shelter the team. Refuse the second project. Tighten up the contracts. And start researching into client vetting.

Thanks again

That sounds like by far the most reasonable course of action

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