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Maia! I have to deal with annoying people on the phone every day (I work in accounts receivable, and part of my job is to chase down ageing debtors), so things like "Press 1 for ABC, press 2 to XYZ" etc. is the least difficult part of my job.

Right now I'm dealing with several people who haven't paid their bills for months. *grrrr* I have to deal with hospitals, and bureaucracy in hospitals means that bills usually don't get paid for at least 2 months, so I'm more lenient there. But when I have to deal with a person who not only has not paid a bill since March, but also tells me she doesn't want to pay... and when someone else from our company rings her up, and she says that "some guy" in our company told her that we'd waive the invoice - and there's only one guy working in accounts for us, and that's me, and I would never do that... *grrr*

Oh, and did I mention the bill's just $80? :rolleyes:

Most customers are billed for our courses for something like $1900, or at the very least $200 or $300. But this lady wants to make a song-and-dance about a measly $80, and then lies blatantly about it. AGGGGHHHH! *tears his hair out*

I can sympathise, Rath. It's amazing how some people feel they're entitled to get something for nothing. That's another thing annoys me!

Rath, take a look at this video. I think you'll enjoy it.

That video was made with the graphic design field, but it could apply to some other areas of work. As you'll see in the video, it's extremely common for clients to try and bargain with designers or even demand work for free.

Many clients will attempt to "pay" the designer by suggesting:

• The work done will be a "great opportunity for experience."
• The work done will "look great on a resume."
• The work done will "show others how good your design skills are and therefore advertise for you."

Frontier Airlines once posted a graphic design job ad that stated there was "no pay" but for every 40 hours worked, you'd receive a return-trip ticket. While that's nice, I'd definitely prefer the money. Bills can't get paid with airline tickets.

Another interesting job ad (this time on Cragislist) was for the position of "Chief Technology Officer." The company posting the ad required the CTO to have a four-year degree (from a top 10 school, no less) and wanted numerous areas of expertise: Linux, PHP, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQlite, Webserver, LDAP, Enterprise Networking, ActiveX, Java Applets, and Flash. How much were they willing to pay? A full $10 per hour.

Graphic design, and most technology fields in general, are no longer a viable with clients like these (unless you live at home with your parents or feel like living below the poverty line).

Sigh. Today I was told that a guy who undertook our course 3 months ago has since not only skipped town, but also left the country - and the recruitment company that hired him out to the hospital, where he took our course, doesn't want to talk to the hospital or to me about him. (Of course not - because then we'll have to re-route the invoice to them by default). Argh. It makes me so mad that people always try to get something for nothing.

So true, DPX. I've been ripped off numerous times with freelance work. Number one reason designing doesn't have that spark anymore.

Just found this.

Jules wrote:So true, DPX. I've been ripped off numerous times with freelance work. Number one reason designing doesn't have that spark anymore.

Just found this.

That's good. I like that. Of course... that guy could be one of Dilbert's friends, in which case it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to fix the computer for free. I would if it were for a friend or family member.

I remember that PM you sent me, Jules, about the guy with the lawnmower company. It's amazing that some people think they can get services for free while ignoring the fact they'd never work for free themselves.

Believe it or not, even physicians have this problem. My dad has been a doctor (neurologist) for over 30 years. It's not unusual for patients (or people in general) to feel that he and other doctors should work for free (or for retail-level pay) simply because physicians should "help people for the sake of helping them and ignore any financial rewards."

Don't get me wrong -- doctors should WANT to help people. But who ever said they should do so for free? I know doctor bills can be expensive, but honestly... would you trust a physician who offered his or her services for free? I know I wouldn't.

Usually doctors charge more because of health insurance companies. It's common for doctors to receive 25% of what they charge simply because the insurance companies refuse to pay out more. At least those of us in other fields don't have to put up with that crap.

Unsurprisingly, the lawn mower guy dropped off the face of the earth. I could keep calling him but I'm tired of hearing excuses.

Jules wrote:Unsurprisingly, the lawn mower guy dropped off the face of the earth. I could keep calling him but I'm tired of hearing excuses.

Couldn't you have withheld your work until payment was received? That's what I would do. That way if they don't pay, you haven't given them anything for free. At the very least, make them pay half upfront. That way you're guaranteed to get something (even if it's not the full asking price).

Come to think of it... didn't you have a legal contract with him? If he broke the contact, you could sue him. Whether or not attorney and court fees would be worth it is up to you, but you'd have the law on your side if you created a contract and had him sign it.

This was one of the first times that I was screwed over so I didn't know any better. I sent him the high res art (because he sounded like a "nice guy") and he thought I was joking when I sent him the invoice. He even tried to convince me that he wasn't going to mow lawns anymore - just to get out of paying. Since then, I always cover my grounds before making a deal. Never will make that mistake again.

Yesterday, actually, an account executive emailed me asking if I could do a favor for her and design a logo. We both work for the same company although she works in a different plant (just like the lawn mower guy). I asked her if it was for one of the company's clients and if so, she'll have to put an order in for it but if not, I'd be able to do it on my free time and that I charge XX per hour. She eventually said she'd put an order in for it. Basically, she got a free logo using company time to design it since the order was put in through our company.

I asked my supervisor if it was alright and he said that plant does it all the time. As long as I didn't get in trouble, I'm fine with it. Besides, I'm getting paid for it.

Jules wrote:This was one of the first times that I was screwed over so I didn't know any better. I sent him the high res art (because he sounded like a "nice guy") and he thought I was joking when I sent him the invoice. He even tried to convince me that he wasn't going to mow lawns anymore - just to get out of paying. Since then, I always cover my grounds before making a deal. Never will make that mistake again.

That just amazes me. How could someone think they can get professional work for free? I doubt he'd want to cut lawns for free.

You should contact the BBB and make a complaint. Say that he stole the work from you since he failed to render any payment.

I'm not that worried about it anymore. It's not like I'm scratching for money. I made him well aware that I felt betrayed and taken advantage of. I'll take it as a learning experience... IF I ever do freelance again, that is.

Another thing that annoys me is car accidents. The ones that are caused by not paying attention to the road. Every morning on the radio, the traffic/weather guy has at least five to seven accidents to report in Baton Rouge. It's amazingly sad how people are such in a hurry to get to work when they can simply wake up ten minutes earlier. It's disturbing how they prioritize their faults in front of other people's safety.

You want to hear about ridiculous car accidents? Go to Houston. The drivers aren't particularly insane EXCEPT when it comes to the MetroRail. In Houston, there a rail system that traverses Main Street and other areas through downtown.

That sounds good, but... it's been the cause of more vehicular accidents in the last few years than Houston has had in decades. The reason? The MetroRail is completely SILENT and there are NO visible warning signs.

I don't know what idiot designed that thing, but it's a menace. It's made worse by the fact that in order to turn left (which is sometimes necessary) you'll have to cross the rail tracks.

Wow, you'd think they'd have a horn or alert system. Scary.

I like the Skytrain system in Vancouver. It's above street level for most of the trip so it doesn't get in the way. Plus, you get a really great view riding on it.

That ugly Evony that pops up onto pretty much every site I get on.