Updated - Art issue with client
So - this just happened, and I'm left just kind of dumb founded, like, what did I do wrong??
I was hired by a guy to make a map - it was simple yada yada, still required work and whatnot. I asked for $90, he seemed fine with it. I sent a black and white sketch, he suddenly told me $90 was too high for what he wanted (which was a simple map), and suddenly I'm on the black list because I won't refund the $30 down payment he sent me...
It's a skype conversation, I screen capped it and made it into 4 segments, for anyone who has the time to read it and give me their input...
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This stuff doesn't happen to me too often, but when it does it's so staggering. I try so hard to be a good person, to be a fair business woman so I can get the pay I feel I deserve for the work I do as an artist, and I don't want to play the card "Oh, look out for this person because they're awful." What hurts is they seemed so nice - and I'm posting this mainly because:
1) I don't know where I went wrong, if I did anything wrong at all.
2) I don't want my name tarnished in case he complains somewhere about me, you guys at least see the entire skype conversation between us to make your own fair judgment.
3) Let this be a lesson to ALL of you. If you do art for people, no matter how simple it is, DO CONTRACTS. You must - to protect yourself. Otherwise these things can happen.
By no means is this the worst thing ever to happen in the art world, but it's so sucky and it just was like a switch, all of the sudden I'm the bad guy for standing up for myself, and in my opinion at least, I could be wrong, trying to be diplomatic about it. UGH FML, I'm going to go be a troll somewhere under a bridge.
Thanks for taking the time to read my little rant, I'm pretty bothered by this.
For what it's worth I wouldn't fault you in this situation. I'm assuming the client isn't an artist. if s/he was they would understand the whole creative process and what have you. Seems like every couple replies they were lessening the amount of time spent on it; by the end you seem to have, by their account, done 5 minutes of work which I'm sure you didn't. Shoot even getting my desk set up to work takes more than 5. Don't let it get to you and hopefully your next client will be totally awesome
I don't have the experience that you do in the industry, but I am of the firm belief that you are by no means in the wrong! :/ That "don't usually do contracts" thing is a total red flag, though, looking through it. I probably would have done the same as you, but now we'll know for sure to insist!Do you have a general Terms and Conditions anywhere that people can look at? That would tell them that you don't refund for work already done? Or is that something you put in every contract?
I made one even though I wasn't sure I'd need it, and I think it actually scares some people off to have to read it before commissioning me, but I'll take it over getting burned.
It /looks/ to me like they have decided the job should take less time and cost less, but as I had issues following the convo (I think I started at the end and worked backwards - clicked the links in order) I can't be 100% sure.
Yes you should have insisted on a contract, the whole "Oh I don't normally bother with contracts" thing is kinda a red flag to me.
At least you have the $30 for the concept sketch, if they aren't willing to pay you the rest, I'd say you leave them with the concept sketch and walk away, idk, up to you, but you need to be paying yourself at /least/ minimum wage per hour worked.