So a client asked for a tiny tweak to their existing site. I quoted 5 hours. It's now been 3 weeks of back-and-forth, endless 'small' additions, and I haven't seen a cent beyond the original quote. I'm exhausted and feel like I've been scammed. Anyone dealt with this? How do you stop the scope creep without burning the bridge?
Client Management
A small project somehow turned into weeks of unpaid extra work
You don't stop it. You just learn to say 'that's outside the scope' and watch them get annoyed. Rinse and repeat.
Classic. The trick is to put a cap on revisions in the agreement. I learned the hard way after a 'simple logo' job turned into 40 hours of unpaid edits. Now I explicitly state 'two rounds of revisions included, additional rounds billed at $X/hr.' If they push back, walk.
Three weeks? Those are rookie numbers. I had a client drag a 'quick fix' out for four months. By the end I was charging them for every email.
Did you have a contract? If not, that's your first mistake. Always scope it out in writing, even for 'small' projects.
Yeah, I had a contract, but it was vague on what 'tweak' meant. Lesson learned. I'm just dreading the conversation to tell them I need more money for the extra work.
Just send an email with a breakdown of the original scope vs. what they've asked for, and say 'these items fall outside our agreement, I can do them for $Y'. Be polite but firm. If they balk, theyre not worth keeping.
The worst is when they say 'but it's just a small change' every single time. Yeah, individually they're small, but 50 small changes add up. I've started charging a minimum 1-hour block for any out-of-scope request. That usually filters out the tire-kickers.
Stop being a doormat. You're running a business, not a charity.
I had a similar situation lastt year. What worked for me was scheduling a call and saying 'I want to make sure we're aligned on the budget. The current scope is X hours, and and the new requests would push it to Y hours. How would you like to proceed?' It put the ball in their court. They ended up reducing their requests.
Write it off as a learning experience and move on. But also, always get a deposit upfront. That way, if they start adding stuff, you've at least got some money in the bank. And don't be afraid to fire a client who's more trouble than they're worth.
Thanks, all. I think I'll draft a polite but clear email to them tomorrow, explaining the extra work and the additional cost. Fingers crossed they understand.