Toronto SketchUp model job
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Hi Guys,
I took on a job and I am getting an uncomfortable feeling from it. I think I would like to resign it and perhaps someone else here would be interested and not have my reservations.
Here goes: It is for an HGTV show for a room makeover. They want someone to model a room the way it is going to look "AFTER" they redesign it. They provide the after shot and some very rudimentary plan and elevations views with some measures. They expect some close as possible furniture from 3D warehouse to cut down on modelling time. I told them that each room should take me anywhere from 3 to 5 hours.
Then it was revealed that I will get only 1 room a week for 13 weeks and that I need to invoice each piddly bit each week. I could have lived with that. I was also asked to alert them if any room is going to take me longer than 5 hours becuase they are on a very tight budget. Sure, no prob.I was asked to attend a graphics meeting wayyyyyyyy downtown. I spent almost 2 hours with them telling them all that I could accomplish with SketchUp. Looking at what they do want, what they don't want etc. The commute there and back was about 1.5 hours. This was all a freebie, okay fine.
Then I am contacted to attend another meeting and I tell them I need to bill for it.
So no meeting. Then I am asked to explore various SketchUp styles on a kitchen so they can decide which style they want to go with. I spend about an hour playing with different styles and naming scene tabs and I send it along telling them that I have spent 1/2 hour, I'm so nice. Then they start asking me for more stuff and I explain that I really can't be expected to do all of this for free and I hope they understand. So I am told, no prob, just let them know when my 'Free" time is no longer available. So now I think they don't get it that I expected to be paid for the 1/2 hour.
Then I get another e-mail about the same meeting only now they want me only on the phone for 1 hour. Again I tell them that that is 1 hour of "work" and I need to bill for it.I have a sick feeling at the pit of my stomach that this job is just not going to make me happy. So if you can live with this ( rate is $50 Canadian per hour and I really think they want someone in Toronto), I'll pass your name on to them. I think I have had enough.
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Susan,
Many things come to mind from this story, most of the thoughts have "run, don't walk, away" as part of the theme. If they are that tight on their budget, they need to buy a box of crayolas and a book on sketching. Reminds me of a church group I ran into years ago that taught me a lesson in business. I found out after having been burnt, that they went to a number of architects and had each do a portion of the work, said they were not satisfied, parted company with each but got enough generic work from each architect to pass on to the next - asking for a lower fee since they already had sketches etc. etc. very dispicable especially for a chutrch group. They never got it built. God got 'em.
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Oh that's funny Jim. Thanks for the story. I don't know, perhaps I'm getting too old for such nonsense. I thought I was just being a curmudgeon and some young, hungry person wouldn't mind at all for the chance to have his/her work on TEEVEE.
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To put simply you need to think about your contractual obligations in this situation. If there are none then walk away from the situation until they realize that they are not going to work for $10/hr and certainly a person of skill and training isn't going to do it either, so they have a choice of addressing the situation properly or finding somebody else. You provide a service, this is the rate, if you don't like the cost, then you need to address your budgeting/ employement expectations. I am a skilled contractor/builder/designer/project manager and i see this all the time. Tee/vee ppl have an unusual understanding of what they bring to the negotiating table. Unfortunately, real world costs/timelines don't seem to fit too well into this scenerio. They are sales people selling a medium. Ask them to lower their incomes to compensate for your costs. Or offer them the opportunity to work on producing a T.V. show about a room makeover but warn them that it only pays $10/hr. I'm sure the network would jump on it. either way, they are trying to take you for a ride; don't get in the car
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Gee, I really thought someone else here would want this and jump on it.. I really thought maybe the fault is in me.
Thanks for all the support.
There is no signed contract. I just don't like leaving people in the lurch and I feel that I have made a commitment. That is why I am looking for a replacement. They first contacted me because I am the Authorized SketchUp Training Centre in Canada and they were asking me to recommend someone. Times are slow so I recommended me.
You know what it's like to get yourself into an emotional state over something and then try as you will you can't be rational. I just want to escape. I wish it would go away.
Now they say that the just need to know I'm available if they want to ask a question during the meeting so they can quickly give me a ring. Okay.
But I think one more of these shows of "chutzpa" and I won't feel a sense of obligation any longer. -
You don't want to work with Nickel and Dimer's anyway (do they still use the Nickel and Dime up there in Canada
)I always tell guys like these that if they have the $$$ to do the project like this, then they should have the money to pay decent design fees. Your fees are miniscule compared to other fees they are giong to have to pay. if they are looking squeeze you out of every penny they will do it to the tile guy, the plumber, the framers, etc etc. These guys are out of their league and shouldn't be doing projects in the first place. RUn AWAY!
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As professionals, we constantly undersell ourselves. I'm not saying that's what you were trying to do, Susan, but it happens. I have ignored my spidey senses and it never turns out well. You are not greedy to want to be paid for your skill and experience. Coen is right- freeloaders! God will get them in the end. Or someone else will. Meanwhile, you are running the other way calling, "good luck, see you on tv!"
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If someone will not take this off your hands and you don't want to leave them hanging then state your price and stick with it. Tell them you will, from now on, bill them for every hour, half hour, 15 min... that you spend on it. If they don't want to pay then they will find someone else and you have not let anybody down.
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I suggest asking for a retainer or a percentage down before carrying on.
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Bruce that would be an interesting idea, but I think the client would want to have a say in that, don't you?
Even if they did agree, who will get stuck with all the phone calls and e-mails?
It isn't the modelling time that this at issue, it is all the other nonsense around it. If it were my project, I don't think I would be happy having a different contact every week.
At any rate, I sent of an "I quit" letter and they phoned me and made nicey nicey and apologized and promised it will get easier from now on once all the preliminaries are out of the way. -
Thanks Bruce. I really still don't want it. Trust is gone and I really loved your idea of helping out SketchUcation with something like this. If I thought it would have been accepted and workable, I would for sure have wanted to go this way.
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@unknownuser said:
You don't want to work with Nickel and Dimer's anyway (do they still use the Nickel and Dime up there in Canada
)No actually we use Loonies. Seriously...(and appropriately Canadian)
Good for you Susan.
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