Thread: The one thing I hate about freelancing...

I regularly look for coding work on BST forums and I enjoy it. I love the freedom of working my own hours and choosing the types of work I do. It is also a welcome change if I've been intensely working on my own projects.

What I hate about freelancing is time wasting!

I have just spent well over an hour discussing a project with someone over IM who was a complete time waster. Not only was he argumentative about coding (despite admitting that he wasn't a coder), I eventually discovered that he had kept me hanging on IM whilst he approached other developers. Approaching them after coming to an arrangement with me and then keeping me waiting. He then had the cheek to try and play me off against the other developers trying to lower our already agreed price.

I'm all for shopping around and getting the best deal, just don't give me the "brb" ...or... "hold on, let me think" ...or... "wait, I've got nineteen other people talking to me" rubbish whilst you do it. Take offers and choose one. Don't insist on an IM chat just so that you can keep me waiting in realtime.

This isn't the first time this has happened. Sometimes you get the ones that are only interested in asking a thousand questions so that eventually they can do the job themselves! It's an occupational hazard I know, but it annoys me that people can be so selfish!

Do any of you have to deal with this?

*end vent*

I'm feeling a lot better now

Worst i've had, is a person who just doesn't understand coding.
I'd do a wordpress design for them, and they couldn't understand why I wouldn't be able to do something.
They'd want 3 or four borders within one section, and special patterns all over the place, that just would not fit into valid coding.
And then I said I could do it, but it wouldn't be valid.
So they'd go on a rant about how they wanted it valid. :\

Originally Posted by unr

Worst i've had, is a person who just doesn't understand coding.
I'd do a wordpress design for them, and they couldn't understand why I wouldn't be able to do something.
They'd want 3 or four borders within one section, and special patterns all over the place, that just would not fit into valid coding.
And then I said I could do it, but it wouldn't be valid.
So they'd go on a rant about how they wanted it valid. :\

:evil: Man I hate that!

He was a nice guy, But he just didn't understand things and kept demanding that they could be done.
So frustrating.

I experienced that before. My advice is: do not purchase a webcam or mic, those things killed many hours of paid work when everything can be sent to a simple email.

I prefer email or im at least.

I'm not a freelancer, but why not just use phone for this kind of thing. The attention is focused only on you and you get a much better feedback without the brb, let me think, etc...

Originally Posted by amarques

I'm not a freelancer, but why not just use phone for this kind of thing. The attention is focused only on you and you get a much better feedback without the brb, let me think, etc...

I'm not going to pay for a 90$ oversea's call to work on a 50$ project. :P

Originally Posted by unr

I'm not going to pay for a 90$ oversea's call to work on a 50$ project. :P

You can always use VoIP services...

Outsmarted. :eek:

Exactly, I was going to mention Skype as well.
Back to clients: I think as a professional you should always provide your client with alternatives and be fair with them, like ok, I can do what you want but it won't be valid or it will be valid but slightly different from what you want it to be, there should be some compromise, you know.
The most important thing is integrity.

I'm also a freelancer but i also maintain a regular job.

As for me, the one thing I hate about my part time job is I have to work until weekends! no rest for me!

I too hate the quieter periods of freelancing / being self employed when you need to take on the smaller jobs to keep the cash flowing in, you open yourself up to the fact that there are some very demanding clients out there, who want $5000 web sites but want to pay $25 fr it. Oh, and they want it yesterday.

fkgn time wasters, I swear they are killing this industry.

I've been a freelancer for about 3 to 4 years now and to this day, I don't think I've encountered one problem with a client at all. They've always been very straight forward and easy to deal with. I guess I'm just lucky, I expect my time will come though when I have to deal with an as*hole.

this happen to me too, I write content...
so yesterday I make a deal write it & post it... then get paid 1/2... contact the buyer, and starts in with "well this & well that" but then he pays up...

BS... don't try to change the deal after the work is done!!

PS: writing IS work!!

I could imagine how frustrating these type of people would be.

I am lucky because it does not happen much in copyrighting

almost all problems can be solved by having 2-3 regular clients only.

Yaa I know that thing . Happens in free lancing a lot . Take my case , I and the guy who gave ,me a project live in in different timezones . We had 3 days as project time and I stayed awake 3/4 hours the 2nd night and 3rd night as I finished it and wanted to modify it according to what he wants . However he comes online after 1 week and gives small changes . I do it and no communication from 1 week till now ..

i work with 2 clients but it makes me 80% of all income... the other 10-12 clients is 20%

The on thing I hate about freelancing is some customers who ripped of sellers.

But time wasting is the disadvantage which is peculiar not only for a freelancer, but also for plenty of other jobs. And the advantages of freelancing are unique - you'll never find so much freedom in any other work!

I am looking for some Freelancer work hope any here can help me get some seo project .

I no longer like voice over IP. Every time I've had that service I would encounter problems and sometimes get kicked off line when I was on the phone.

Freelancing works well, but it's also good to get your own thing going. Build your own sites and strive to create more risidual income.

Thanks for sharing your experience on Freelancer work .

Something like this

Thanks for sharing the experience, recently I found one logo design freelancing site, the price is good but you have to display your work and there are at hundred of other work submited just for one job.

It a time waster for me.

I also have a grudge against these kinds of people, but cheaper price doesn't mean that they save money. They might be paying again for remodeling LOL.. Good services comes with a fair price right?

several times ago a seached for a job...and found as a freelancer...thought a lot and decided that this is not for me. I hate wasting of time! i think that can be interesting for particular people, who want to work at home, who is very steady.)