I have a client who I simply don't have the time for any more.

I wrote his website in PHP and it's worked fine for over 6 years now.

I've told him to find someone else, but upon telling him I want him to find someone else:

1) he's only found one other guy, works in .net, wants to rewrite the whole website in .net because "nobody uses PHP any more", "PHP isn't secure", and it will take a month... I'd like to get this done before then...

I have searched and searched, but I simply can't find any statistics as to how many websites use PHP versus ASP/.Net/etc. so I can tell my client. "You should be able to find someone who does PHP because x% of websites use is (or x number use it)..." PS: I already tried google.

2) Outside of the Yellow pages, HOW would he find someone in his area (I'm in Philly, he's in LA) who does PHP that isn't a 14 year old kid with a web hosting template?

My backstory, FYI, this guy was like my first client, still is on my "introductory rate" (ie: FREE) and calls me every time he has any little problem. I simply want to get rid of him. I don't want to start charging because I simply don't want him to be my client.

Sounds like the guy he found is taking him for a ride.

Some #'s for you anyways.

PHP's usage statistics:
http://www.php.net/usage.php

Programming Usage Statistics (read: PHP is #4)
http://www.tiobe.com/tpci.htm

Maybe you should charge him in a proper way and educate him what you think about that. That works really well for me, and for my clients too.

If you want to grab a client you can say whatever you want.

Sounds like the guy he found is taking him for a ride.

I kind of figured that from the beginning. All of his "samples" used Boxed Art templates, and were like TWO websites from what were probably real clients - the rest were either his own website, his wife's (a photographer) or his brother's (graphic designer), complete BS (community website which hadn't been updated in months) or DIDN'T WORK. (tip: before you give a client a list of your websites, make sure they're WORKING).

The problem with my current client is that, besides being high maintenance, he manages to get on national radio or TV like once-twice a year, spouts off his domain over and over, and my server gets bombarded until the next day. In the meantime he's calling me up while I'm "ruining his life". Again, he's not paying me to maintain a load balancing server...

That new webmaster, the dot net guy, told him that .net could handle the load, however, as it's much more stable.

So I wanted to get rid of this client and figured they "deserved" each other.

Thanks so much for these stats:



PHP's usage statistics:
Programming Usage Statistics (read: PHP is #4)

Maybe you should charge him in a proper way and educate him what you think about that. That works really well for me, and for my clients too.

...and ALWAYS work off of RETAINER! I've learned THAT lesson!

I hear you, but at that point we'd have a "relationship" and I want it to END...

we are all learning how to handle our business, i guess thats a natural process :D

The problem with my current client is that, besides being high maintenance, he manages to get on national radio or TV like once-twice a year, spouts off his domain over and over, and my server gets bombarded until the next day. In the meantime he's calling me up while I'm "ruining his life". Again, he's not paying me to maintain a load balancing server...

You seem very irritated at him for something that is really your fault. It was your choice not to charge him anything for real services that you provided. Why are you so mad at him just because he is using the service your chose to provide for free?

From what it sounds like, you just need to talk to him. Explain to him how web hosting works and that while you were providing his hosting free for a while, it's costing you money now, and if he want the hosting to be more reliable then he needs to pay $XX per month. Part of any web developer's job involves a little consulting. You have to explain to your customers what is going on and why it needs to happen or is happening, simply because they just don't know.

People are happy to pay for services they find valuable. If having the website up more frequently and moving it to a hosting provider that can handle the load is valuable to him, he will pay for it. You just have to COMMUNICATE with him instead of blaming him for all the problems you brought on yourself.

in all cases I think you should let him taste the feeling of microsoft hosting and the work of the other guy why should you care in all cases?

I totally agree with Czaries, the key here is communication. Don't be afraid to ask for more from your client. It is also a way to pressure yourself to rise your standard to a higher quality.