Mother told her friend she doesnt have to pay me?

[Imacelebritygotit]

I do translating/admin e.g appointments, filling out forms. Work stuff on the side

My mums friend heard i do this and hired me. We agreed on sum etc

I did 3.5 hours work

She then tells me she will give the money when she sees my mum the next day, i agree

My mother then goes "omg guess how much she paid you!!!" "I said no, no, no, no! You are a friend!!!! Absolutely no need to pay that much!!! Wtf!!! 10 pound is fine!!! But she insisted she pays you the agreed amount!!!!! Said treat it as a gift then. But then i insisted and said 10 pound is fine!!!! Trust me!

Explaining to her is useless she just keeps going She is a friend!!! You cant charge her like other people!!!/anyone else!! How can you be so money hungry and greedy!!!

Am i right to be angry about this! I mean this woman is not my friend, i barely know her. And it was like 4 hours work!!!

Edit: oh and now im getting texts from this woman saying she was very happy with such a good price, what a nice person i am and how others she hired "take advantage and over charge". And she wants to hire me again for same price!

It's one time. It's not "bad business". I've had, for example, DP's brother do work for us, and we left envelopes of cash at their mum's for him to pick up. It's normal. The difference is, DP's mum wouldn't have even thought of opening an envelope that wasn't hers! The fault is NOT with OP here.

You need a very serious conversation with your mother pointing out everything you have said in this thread. Also tell her NOT to refer any of her friends to you, as you have to earn a living.

Your mum should pay the outstanding amount for sticking her beak in.

Your mother was well out of order. Friend should have put it a sealed envelope to give to you or else deliver to you personally.

Lesson to be learned from this: do not do any work for mum's friends from now on.

I would be explains to your mother that it’s work, therefore you need to be paid the amount agreed so is she going to to pay the difference or ask her friend

i would then tell her friend that it’s a business and your mother has no right to reduce the fee and therefore any further work will be at £xx per hour. I would also add they she needs to speak to your mother to agree who will be paying for the work already done

I would also insist in further she pays direct into your bank account, or if cash it is given to you and not your mother

I think you should at least explain to her it was a one off and you can’t work for that amount moving forwards. What an awkward position your mum has put you in.

This is the way to proceed.

The second hand embarrassment I have reading this thread 😬 I’d be furious with my mum but I’d rather pass away than text the woman to ask her for the full amount.

I would however badge it as a one off and tell her full rates apply going forward.

Your Mum should pay you, if she wants to give a gift to HER friend. Sorry OP..how annoying 💐

I would have a long, heart to heart chat with Mother, and I would begin that chat with, " Now see here, you little weasel..."

She did put it in a sealed envelope. The ops mum opened the envelope.

I would tell your mum she needs to make up the shortfall

You need to speak to your mum. Make her understand that the friend - client - is using your services and should pay your rate. You are an expert in the field and she isn't, and that's what she's paying you for. If she could do it herself, she wouldn't need to engage you.

I used to be like this - have done work for two friends who didn't end up paying and I didn't ask, because I was too embarrassed. I feel taken advantage of. Then my hairdresser told me a friend of hers had popped in after school with her little boy and asked her to give him a trim. No probs. Then the friend said, "You won't charge me, will you?" Hairdresser said of course she would charge! It's her livelihood. Clients want the skills she studied for, or she can cut his hair herself. No need to be embarrassed. So that was a lesson for me.

Your mother opened an envelope addressed to you, rather than passing it on unopened? That’s a problem, right there.

Let’s hope it’s just this, and not that the intermediary mother has siphoned some off in between … !

"I'm sorry, but the price we agreed is what you owe me, not £10. That would work out at just over £2 per hour. I'm sure you can see that that is a ridiculously low price. Please don't involve my mum in this again and post the money due through my door."

This. OP, as a freelancer my blood is boiling for you. Why is freelance work (and particularly women's freelance work, in my experience) still not taken seriously/treated as pin money work?!

You supplied a professional service. Your mum was bang out of order decided you only needed to be paid peanuts for it.

Is this your business, can you not just send her an invoice with a note saying your mother misunderstood?

1st poster nails it. You are an adult and had made your own arrangement. So I would ask for remainder of the money, and tell the friend that you had offered a reasonable rate as she was your mother's friend. All future work will be charged at 150%.

Message the woman and explain you need the full amount, and arrange to go to get it. Don’t involve your DM at any point in the future. Don’t accept any commissions via her either.

I think any attempt to recoup your losses at this point would only cause ill-feeling. Moving forward, I think you just have to suck it up on this one occasion, but tell your mum that you can't work for that rate again - it was a once only deal. If mum's friend wants to engage your services again, make sure she knows the £10 rate was a one-off and be very clear what you are charging. Make sure she gets your rates in writing. Invoice her when /if you work for her again. And if mum wants you to work for anyone else, tell her she has to give them your phone number so you can do the deal yourself.

How much did you quote her?

The friends behaving quite badly imo. She knew and agreed the price asked to give mum the payment as that was easier for her. Saud nothing when mum opened the envelope, counted the money and then took a large proportion of it back! Both of them have behaved badly

That’s not what happened… what happened is clearly stated in the OP

Your mother is spectacularly out of order, and the dear little old lady is 100% trying to take advantage. See, "now im getting texts from this woman saying she was very happy with such a good price, what a nice person i am and how others she hired "take advantage and over charge". And she wants to hire me again for same price". She might have originally intended to have paid you the price that you agreed with her, but this text makes it crystal clear that she's trying to guilt trip you into honouring the slave labour rate.

I'd turn up on the client's doorstep. I'd be polite, but make it clear that your service to her is as per the price that you contracted with her before the work was completed, that you'd like the remaining £50 or whatever immediately please as it is now overdue, and that your mother is not a part of your business and has no say in the contract between yourself and your clients.

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