This is an odd circumstance indeed and I will try though impossible to make a long story short.

My Husband contacted a broker, commodites or futers for free information about whatever it is he was wanting to trade, after recieving the packet in the mail the gentleman followed up with a
phone call, as they were talking he mentioned a pc problem I ended up on the phone with him and spent about 47 hours total on the phone helping him over the next few weeks.

Soon this Broker decided he wanted to move his website onto our server from wherever he was and have two sites designed.

We made five templates for him before he decided which he wanted and in the mean time he hired a local area gradute to build one of the sites.

Next stage was his developer had never built a website before . He did a ok job in dream weaver but he was on the phone frequently needing help both he and the broker want to talk to me only (Im the owner) no other developers so my schedules are inturupted and I'm constantly having to send a script or fix a form etc..

Next stage he suddenly wants to move his site to our server space needs to asap because he doesn't have e-mail at his dom where he's at.
So I give space and move him before he actually settles on a plan as he wants a custom bulk space deal for three or four sites.

That very week I have a trip I have to make so I e-mail him with 4 options (hosting plans that should fit his needs) and tell him to make a choice by the time I return.

I was gone two weeks spent two days in Denver, with a group of clients and then went on to california to visit family.

Upon my return all hell broke loose, the server was having e-mail problems (for almost the entire time I was gone) the guys I had managing the server were no ware to be found and not answering trouble tickets or my phone calls. My team was trying to passify the clients and I had to move a bunch of wbsites to a different server and guess who calls to tell me he has fired his developer and needs to have his site finished in three days because he sent out hundreds of post cards directing people to his new site!

So I set our team to various tasks moving sites fixing e-mail and I get busy adding pages, forms pop ups etc.. to the brokers site.

Ok so his site is a bit patched together but running and I didn't charge him because he was very aggressive when I told him I charge $75.00 per page.

Next stage, I tell him to pick a hosting plan, he says he will... more of the same... This morning I told hin to choose or I would kick him off, he has been hosted for free now for two months so he chooses the basic 100 meg. package.

He just called back and wants to know how much it would cost for these small things ( as he puts it).

1. He wants to convert a .swf file to a avi with a max 30 spf.
so he can make an cable advertisement.

2. he wants to have a live cam in his office which he can view from a protected directory at his website. ( so he can spy on his staff)

3. he wants to grab 21 pages worth charts from chicago board and trade and display them on his site as if they were his own (php grabber script may be able to do this)

4. He wants to have another website buillt from scratch.
And wants to have additions and modifications to the current
site.

5. he wants title, descriptions, and hidden tags inserted into every page of his 42 page (framed) website and then submitted to the search engines.

6. He wants custom error pages.

I know he wants more than that but I just stopped listening.


He obviosly is taking advantage of the fact that i helped him out and to this day I have not seen a penny.

I do know he paid his other developer, and he paid another guy $500.00 for some flash, but for some reason he just wont pay me!

I told him today I would try and find another developer to take on the above tasks, none of mine will touch him and I'm done.

Please if there is any one out there into torcher and frustration, contact me PM and I will direct you to his site to take a look I will even throw in the template he selected for his new website free of charge and would be verry happy if you moved him to your server.

His current site is 42 pages and takes up Aprox. 19 meg.
and is using about 55 megs monthly bwth.

Pleas ignore any and all grammatical and spelling errors ( just don't feel like proofing).

Mj.

I wouldn't do one thing more for this hairball.
Just give him 24 hours notice to remove all his files, and
then terminate his account.
Plus a nice kick in the butt would be nice too!

:smokin:

It is your server, give him 10-days notice and then delete his account and then forget about it...

I have considered giving him the boot , but how to do it tactfully ?he does have our home numer and calls several times a day I don't need any menacing phone calls and I don't want hem spreading crud/ forming complaints etc... about our business.

Tactfully?

Send him a letter titled "Final Notice"
List everything you worked for and its corresponding price. Mention that if they won't pay within 5 business days the bill will be sent to a collections agency. Hopefully he won't risk having his credit tarnished.

Block his calls. Report him to the BBB if necessary.

That's my definition of "tactfully" for a scumbag like this.

About 2-years ago I had a customer who reminds me of this. I had many of sleepless nights all for one client, don’t you do it. I offered Miva Merchant software and this client just could not do anything by their self. I had 45 other clients using the software without a problem.

I put everything in writing explaining that they were only 1 of my 150+ clients but that they accounted for 75% of customer support time. I explained that I thought it would be best he they went to a larger Hosting Company who could support them better. I gave them 30 days to move their account and offered to help them find a new host. I made it clear that this was a business decision and nothing personal.

It all worked out, the person was asking to come back within 4 month but I just couldn’t do it.

You need to just let it drop if he calls and herrasses you just sue him, you can tact on top your costs of doing biz with him.

Anyhow just chalk this up as a lesson. You should always have contracts when dealing with design customers.

I would let him know that you have lost a lot of time on this relationship, and unless he starts paying, you will have no choice but to terminate it.

Its amazing how some people can really use your services without paying. (I know it happens to me many times....)

Peter

One of my companies does #2 on that list, but they actually charge real money. :)

IVCCO (http://www.ivcco.com/)

Real nice systems, too.

I would suggust charging him extra money for the service (just like what petertdavis kind of suggusted).

I had to do something like this for a website and I was basically running the whole website (marketting, updating, etc. about 2 hours everyday) and there are 2 people who sit down and do nothing. One of them is the founder of that website who just kept sending me checks while he gets a portion of that money for doing nothing. The other is a scammer host by saying that the website used 300gb bandwidth when I found a folder and file which he used it as a mirror download for thousands of websites. That host even took the design I made and put it in his portfolio page! His staff list is fake and he pretends to be 2 persons on the internet.

I wish I did more back then, but now it's too late. Do something now and don't let it go pass you.

Sounds good, add it to my thread about "nothing" on Webhosting Lounge :D

Originally posted by DefiantPc
Upon my return all hell broke loose, the server was having e-mail problems (for almost the entire time I was gone) the guys I had managing the server were no ware to be found and not answering trouble tickets or my phone calls. My team was trying to passify the clients and I had to move a bunch of wbsites to a different server and guess who calls to tell me he has fired his developer and needs to have his site finished in three days because he sent out hundreds of post cards directing people to his new site!
Sounds like you need to kick the server support team's ass too! ;)

Seriously though, if you have a suspend feature you should activate it on him. I had a problem like this, someone I know didn't pay me for about 2 or 3 months, I knew him so I gave him a break but when the 3rd month came I sent him an email saying his account would be suspended within 24 hours. After that I suspended his account via WHM untill he paid.

Guess what.... he didn't pay, so I emailed him again saying we would terminate his account. So I deleted his account one week later.


It's always better to give these people written notice aswell, if you do it professionaly and keep logs you can use it against them if it leads to any legal proceedings.

Good luck. :)

I had a customer, actually a few of them like this guy...I just suspend their sites and put up beastality pics until they pay or just leave. ..that's my custom.

So send him to me if you like, leave me a message or e-mail me at admin@gridlocked.net

Send him a demand letter for payment, give him a couple or five days to comply, and if he doesn't, terminate him.

You can be polite yet firm in your letter. Don't bother with the details you've provided, I would keep the letter simple and to the point

- for services rendered
- for web services in advance

If he makes any hassle, terminate him.

He works in a regulated industry and it is not in his interests to raise negative publicity of any sort that involves his name.

Remind him that his request # "3" contravenes the exchange's rules of copyright. You could report him to the exchange(s) - CME, CBOT, etc that he deals with, to the National Futures Association ( http://www.nfa.futures.org ).

Throw the book at him. Curse the ground he walks on. Etc.

Repeat as neccessary.

Or i guess you could tell him to put a down payment (maybe half of the final price depending on how much work youve done for him) And tell him to pay. If not just cancel the project and take full rights of all the work youve done.

Thank's to all that answered, boy we had a huge storm come rolling through here in chicago, blew out a transformer, it was so loud I thought we had been bombed! Knocked out the electric for a while but our systems once back online seem to be ok.

Anyhow...

Sitekeeper wrote:
I put everything in writing explaining that they were only 1 of my 150+ clients but that they accounted for 75% of customer support time. I explained that I thought it would be best he they went to a larger Hosting Company who could support them better. I gave them 30 days to move their account and offered to help them find a new host. I made it clear that this was a business decision and nothing personal.

Very well put I think I will do just that.

Gianni wrote:
1.Sounds like you need to kick the server support team's ass too!
2. It's always better to give these people written notice aswell, if you do it professionaly and keep logs you can use it against them if it leads to any legal proceedings.


1.The server team has been dismissed! New server team woo hoo!
2. I always keep detailed records and have all the corrisponding e-mail as well.

Gridlok wrote:
I just suspend their sites and put up beastality pics until they pay or just leave. ..that's my custom.

LOL Gridlok!

Mwatkins wrote:
Remind him that his request # "3" contravenes the exchange's rules of copyright. You could report him to the exchange(s) - CME, CBOT, etc that he deals with, to the National Futures Association ( http://www.nfa.futures.org ).

Very good point!

Thanx, again to all, your advice is well appreciated!

MJ.

A good way to avoid problems like this is to require a percentage of the fees up front. This shows the person has the money, and is willing to spend it on the project you are completing. If they don't want to pay this upfront, then most likely they are just trying to get something for free or they aren't serious about the deal ;)

DefiantPc,

Obviously, he's taking advantage of your kindness. You said he wanted to move from his old host ASAP since his email was not working.. If you don't want to kick him off and want him to leave by himself, why don't you disable his email and some other important features and then when he complains, tell him that you're having some server problems which you can't seem to fix and that you recommend CI H0ST :dgrin: I mean, he needs his site up in 3 days, right? So he will be forced to move right away..

I think he will be a perfect Cyberwings customer.

Well its done I gave him 30 days notice and an explanation, of course I got the instant phone call.

He didn't take it as badly as I expected as a matter of fact it was almost as if he had seen it comming.

He did try the old can't you just do the shopping cart or the....
I stayed firm and said no!

I wish I had thought of CI or cyberwings though.
lol.

MJ.

You did the right thing, Mj.

Forgot about him and move on.

Peter

aaaahhhh - i love happy endings.

Well done MJ, just think - next time itll be easier to say no - i need to work on that problem.

My girlfriend though? she says it pretty easily :bawling: :D

I never do ANYTHING (and I mean it!) without cash up front or LATEST on delivery. Means that if no cash, no delivery. Anybody who has a problem with that policy is free to parse the 15 year old market and fool THEM. That policy has kept me in business for many years now!