Written by Ted Goslin
A Pan player from the United States Mid-west recently wrote me with some anecdotes about difficult clients and contract issues. Here are his thoughts:
The Scenario- “A client forgot to pay for the extra time I played, but it wasn’t in the contract. Since she wanted us last minute, I wrote up a contract but left out the specifics about extra time and payment. I spoke to her about it prior to the gig and she agreed to pay for extra time if they wanted it, but once I finished the gig, she handed me a check which I stuffed in my pocket and didn’t see until I got home. She’d paid the deposit and still owed $100.”
My Take- There are many ways to handle this situation. The most obvious is to call the client the next day and apologize for the call and admit the mistake of forgetting to ask. This could infuriate some, but most clients will appreciate the honesty. Chances are, if the client denies the deal, you wouldn’t want to work for them again anyways.
The Result- “Once I realized my mistake, I had to decide how to approach her. Calling and demanding the extra money was a tricky thing. If I pissed her off, she could have bad-mouthed me to all her friends who took my cards. I could have both lost the money and lost repeat business had I handled it the wrong way. Luckily, she emailed me and sent me the check in the mail.”
Summation- This result was ideal. Most clients worth keeping are on the same level you are and want to treat you well if your product lived up to expectations. Remember to treat the client with respect and be polite, even if they mistreated you some. Have in mind the level you don’t want them to cross, and if they do, fire them as a client. Don’t be afraid to stand up for your business, as being in the service industry, it’s easy for some to think they can get away with abusing you. Don’t let them.
