To refuse a service to friends?

[MmedeGouge]

My daughter runs a small business she is fairly successful but has to work hard at it.
Over the years she has had problems with friends and family requiring her services but either are unwilling to pay or take advantage by changing the terms and conditions that she has for paying customers.
Obviously when she is providing the service for friends or family either at a reduced cost or no cost at all then she is losing money.
Reluctantly she has decided to stop allowing friends and family to use her services, unless she has free time in her schedule and offers to them voluntarily.
My Dd has just made contact after a number of years with an old school friend. She was delighted to renew this friendship but within a few days of contact being re established the friend had contacted her to book her services professionally. The implication was it would be without charge, or at a very reduced rate.
The friend was appalled by my Dd’s policy and has made it clear she wants no further contact with my Dd.
I think that true friends will understand that this is my Dd’s livelihood and respect her decision. However my Dd is very worried that people won’t understand.
What is the general opinion?

I think offering a discount for last minute booking but at a rate that still makes her a small profit is a good compromise if she want to. But she under no obligation to.

So if she is a beauty therapist she should offer any appointments she has left the evening before and charge the costs of materials plus a couple of quid. This what one of my friends did.

My best friend built a website for me and I paid her usual rate!

I think it's fairly easy to see this old friend literally only got back in touch to get a freebie and didn't care about the friendship. It's a tough lesson to learn but better to find out earlier rather than later.

In terms of business, I'd have my rates and only those rates and wouldn't ever offer anything discounted unless there were free slots but making it clear these are exceptions and based on the schedule. While it may feel harsh, I think your daughter's better off setting clear boundaries now before the piss taking goes too far (and it will, there's a lot of takers out there).

I would do work for free for my parents/siblings/children but that's it!
I think other people don't make the connection that if you are doing free work for them, you have lost out on work that actually pays, because you cannot do two things at once! Or they completely underestimate the time it takes to do free work. Plus everyone assumes that their request is a one off and don't think about all the other 'one off' requests that you will receive from 'friends'!

A blanket 'no freebies' is a good policy to have for extended family and friends (although as I said, I would have a few notable exceptions for the people who have supported me). Someone who has just made contact on Facebook is being a cheeky fucker and your dd owes them nothing.

Remind these friends that they wouldn't go to work and hand over their wage to your dd, so why do they expect your dd to do this for them - what she does is her employment!

My sister doesn’t even give me freebies or discounts especially in this climate why should anyone? No one is forcing your daughter friends to use the service she’d pay full price elsewhere for the same thing, so cheeky. I don’t ask my sister, I do get advice but that’s it.

Anybody who is appalled by not getting a freebie from DD & withdraws their 'friendship' in spite if she doesn't kowtow to their demands IS NOT HER FRIEND.

Tell her not to worry about it, & to view her new boundary as a perfect Cheeky Fucker Detector.

I always tell people I'll do and ask for favours in things are nothing to do with my or their business. Otherwise I expect to pay and be paid the going rate

Of course people will understand. Anyone who doesn't is a dope.

If this friend contacted her through SM is is possible she just got back it touch to get a cheap rate at what she wants.

I think your daughter needs to stop doing things both for free and for a low rate, it sends mixed messages. There might be the occasional exception (free is usually better than cheap) but as she has been sending out mixed messages I'd put a complete stop on it for a couple of years.

How does she make the bookings? She should have a separate email address for booking and enquiries and a standard template showing her prices. If anyone contacts her in any other way she should direct them to the email address.
She should also clarify when and how the payment is expected and send confirmation of payment once received.
Makes the whole process more formal, less awkward for your DD and more difficult for any cfs.

You have all been so kind taking time to give advice. She has read through all the posts and has gained confidence to stand her ground.
Many thanks!