I’ve been developing websites at 1955 Design for several years. I’ve designed and implemented dozens and dozens of websites. In that time, I have only had one contract go south on me. The client simply was not willing to comply with the terms of the original contract, wanted to keep adding additional features and time consuming modules to the project, and finally the lines of communication broke down. Even though I had a cause of action against him, in my opinion, we parted ways with me having done 95% of the work for the original 50% deposit paid.
That has been the exception. Each and every one of my other projects has been completeled smoothly and to the full satisfaction of the client. Sure, there have been some bumps along the way and some issues that need to be worked out from time to time with a given client, but for the most part the process works smoothly.
In fact, the process works so smoothly that it reinforces my faith in human nature. My typical project goes something like this:
- I receive a cold contact from a client about their website project
- Communciation begins, with quick replies to their email questions & concerns
- After gaining an understanding of their needs, I develop a web design proposal and submit it to the potential client for review
- Once the project is approvoved, and a 50% deposit received, I begin work on the project according to the timeline specified in the contract
- Sometime thereafter, the project is completed and the client completes payment before the files are transfered to the client site and made live
What Intriques Me the Most
The thing about this process that I find most intriquing is that in almost every case I have never even spoken to the client, either by phone or in person. Most of my projects are completed for clients distant from me, often in states hundreds or thousands of miles away. But somewhere along the way a trust is developed between us. A trust that causes the client to send me hundreds or thousands of dollars, sight unseen, with the promise that I will perform work for them.
And the beauty of it is that I do perform the work for them. Everyone ends up happy and satisfied with their end of the bargain.
The internet can be a scary place, full of tricks, hazards, and pitfalls. But I have found it to be a comfortable spot where reasonable people conduct business, often times by simply trusting the person on the other end of the transaction.
What has your experience been?
