What was the worst client you ever had? In general, I have always avoided clients that looked like they would give me problems, so I haven't had as many issues. However, I had one who tried to tell me that everything I wrote was too obvious. Who is the worst client you ever had? Have you ever been ripped off in this industry?
Client Nightmares
- Thread starter maxitoutwriter
- Start date
My worst experience was not a client but the supervisor of my automotive section who came across like a Nazi who quelled any reasonable question that he thought was negative or subversive. He scolded and embarrassed writers in the forum, fired writers indiscriminately and generally elevated himself to preposterous stations of authority.
I guess my worst client put me through seven revisions and still wasn't happy. So I dumped her and the article--giving her the ole blacklist.
tri
I guess my worst client put me through seven revisions and still wasn't happy. So I dumped her and the article--giving her the ole blacklist.
tri
I've never been ripped off, but I had one client who only paid after receiving a very nasty letter from my lawyer. All went well for a few months, and the same thing happened again. I dropped the client, despite the fact that when I did get paid, it was a lot of money for the work involved.
I won't name them, but I once did a lot of writing for one of the biggest corporations going. When they file their taxes they list each writer, how much that writer was paid, etc. I was paid quite a bit that year.
But somehow, someway, whoever filled out their taxes didn't include my social security number. Instead, they removed a digit from the prefix of my phone number, and listed the remaining numbers as my social security number. I can't imagine how anyone could possibly manage to do that, but they did.
Using a previous tax form, the IRS figued out who I was , anyway, and I got a nasty call from an IRS agent, who thought I was trying to duck paying taxes that year.
It wasn't until he read the number to me that I figured out what had happened. I still got audited, and so did the corporation.
Serves 'em right.
For me it was contributor's copies. I got checks, but no free copies a fair portion of the time. A bit of a nuisance.
I dodged a bullet with a client once. I always do a quick search on anyone who offers me work and, when I searched this one guy, all that came up were warnings from writers and artists who had done work for him and hadn't been paid. Instant block.