Changing payment agreement mid-project

[fossiltooth]

Do reputations in this day and age matter? They used to, but it looks like we've gone well past that.

They sure do.

*cough*.

[Ron's Brother]

So, I went To Wall-Mart yesterday. They were having a sale on CD's, The sign said "ALL CD'S 50 CENTS" I couldn't believe it. I decided to pick up 100 CDs. When I got to the register they started to ring me out. When they got to ringing up the 50th CD Sam Walton showed up (quite amazing since he died in 1992) ANYWAYS.... he says "I'm sorry, we didn't realize that you were going to buy SOOOO many CDs, so we are changing the price. We offered you that sale rate just to get you in the door but now we realize that we were stupid. Either pay 20 bucks a CD or get out of our store"

I don't think I'll be going back to Wal-Mart ever again. I'll also be telling all my friends to go to Target. I'll also be asking all my friends to tell there friends to go to target. Heck, i'll tell people who are not my friends how bad walmart is.

[iamthecosmos]

So, I went To Wall-Mart yesterday. They were having a sale on CD's, The sign said "ALL CD'S 50 CENTS" I couldn't believe it. I decided to pick up 100 CDs. When I got to the register they started to ring me out. When they got to ringing up the 50th CD Sam Walton showed up (quite amazing since he died in 1992) ANYWAYS.... he says "I'm sorry, we didn't realize that you were going to buy SOOOO many CDs, so we are changing the price. We offered you that sale rate just to get you in the door but now we realize that we were stupid. Either pay 20 bucks a CD or get out of our store"

I don't think I'll be going back to Wal-Mart ever again. I'll also be telling all my friends to go to Target. I'll also be asking all my friends to tell there friends to go to target. Heck, i'll tell people who are not my friends how bad walmart is.

In the UK they'd have to honour the price that was quoted, do you not have that kind of law in the US? It's very handy.

I get the analogy by the way...

[Artifex]

So, I went To Wall-Mart yesterday. They were having a sale on CD's, The sign said "ALL CD'S 50 CENTS" I couldn't believe it. I decided to pick up 100 CDs. When I got to the register they started to ring me out. When they got to ringing up the 50th CD Sam Walton showed up (quite amazing since he died in 1992) ANYWAYS.... he says "I'm sorry, we didn't realize that you were going to buy SOOOO many CDs, so we are changing the price. We offered you that sale rate just to get you in the door but now we realize that we were stupid. Either pay 20 bucks a CD or get out of our store"

I don't think I'll be going back to Wal-Mart ever again. I'll also be telling all my friends to go to Target. I'll also be asking all my friends to tell there friends to go to target. Heck, i'll tell people who are not my friends how bad walmart is.

That analogy is invalid. First of all, sales almost ALWAYS have quantity exceptions (although this is a great reason why the guy should have worked out even a verbal contract with the band). Second, if you are recording a band, you are offering a service, not a product. Third, your implying that he is going to get a bad reputation and therefore lose business. Highly unlikely in this kind of field, especially since he already has acquired paying clients since taking on these bozos.

[Jeff White]

Although I totally feel your pain, I have to say that, within reason, you should finish the project at the original rate or simply hand it off to the main guy (consolidated so they can jump right back in anywhere without issue). Your time is worth more than $1.57/hour. Let it be a lesson. I've been down that road before and it sucks. But it's all part of the learning process.

I've been there and I finished the project at the original rate. Why? Because I considered it a life lesson AND I wanted stuff for my audio portfolio. Since then I have designated project rates not to go over X-amount of hours. If the project takes longer, then we renegotiate or the band pays me what is due, takes their sessions, and moves on. We sign a contract together and that's that. This way everyone knows what to expect going into the project, and I know that I am working X-amount of hours (though I usually comp a few more if I like the folks), and the band respects me and my time and their time and money.

Sometimes for friends I work for free (not 8-piece reggae band free!!!), but they are good friends, I enjoy their music, and without fail they always have my back and hook me up in some cool way (buy me gear, loan me gear, lots of drinks, a night out to dinner, etc). But I don't work for them for free to get hooked up. I do so because we are great friends, family really, and have been so for a long time. They know when I have a paying gig that I'm going to take it instead of working with them and all is well. And they do the same stuff for me if I need a hand with something.

And then I have friends who refuse to not pay me for my time because that's how they are. It takes all kinds.

When I was starting out all I cared about was recording anything good and getting more and more experience. I wanted a good reel. So I worked longer hours for less money to make this happen. But if you cap that time by contract you won't get hosed.

Jeff

[chris harris]

Although I totally feel your pain, I have to say that, within reason, you should finish the project at the original rate or simply hand it off to the main guy (consolidated so they can jump right back in anywhere without issue).

That gets to the heart of the matter, though... an argument could be made that he's already done everything, within reason, to accommodate this client.

The OP is left with the complicated task of determining what's reasonable to him and communicating that to the client in a way that will not affect his reputation around town. Should be as simple as showing them how many hours they have in. If they don't even flinch at the notion that your working for a dollar an hour at this point, then fuck 'em. If they expect you to work for nothing, then they probably already have a bad enough reputation to prevent them from really harming yours.