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fungasm -> Advice wanted: would you do good work with someone crazy? (6/25/2008 10:37:01 PM)
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I'm sorry this is so long... I realize that I love chatting on this board... Thank you for your advice. I have never had this happen to me before and I'm completely at a loss as to what to do... I just had the more horrible set of conversations, and I'm so bewildered.
Basic background: I build websites. One of the things I do is Expert Sites, which is where someone hires me to build a website with huge amounts of content. I do the research and actually create the content under the direction of the client, and when it's done the client has a site with so much information that they look like they know what they are talking about.
Situation: A woman contacted me about building her such a website in her field for a new business she is starting. I found a great available domain name for her. She and I brainstormed about the content that her site would have, and we came up with a really an amazing concept for a sister site which no one else is doing, which is more than just data. It helps people and populations I care about, including victims of domestic violence. Because her site would be something positive, I offered to build it for her for less than I usually charge. I even offer that if she does this site, I'll create her logo and build her corporate site for free. She says she really wants to do this, but she never registers the domain. She also doesn't pay me. For weeks. She tells me there are issues with paypal (how most people pay me) and she has a problem with her pre-paid credit card, but at the end of the day I'm never paid. After two weeks pass with no communication, I send her a polite email. I ask her to either pay me or give me permission to offer her construction to someone else. That's the actual phrase I used: I would like her permission to offer the site to someone else.
I don't hear from her for another week. She called this evening. It is the worst conversation I've ever had. In the five minutes we were on the phone, I was called a "fucking bitch" at least 2 dozen times. She screamed so that I had to hold the earpiece away from me ear. She claims I have another client because the domain I found is gone. She is going to find out who I'm working with, she is going to sue me, take everything I have, and my son won't finish college. (During the course of our initial conversation I mentioned my current empty nest.) I felt violated and not in a good way. It was just a horrible conversation which ends with her hanging up on me. I don't deal well with screaming in any fashion. That's what gags are for. It was so bad, I was in tears.
Then I do some research. Turns out the domain name I found for her (which really is great) was still available. She had typed it in wrong. I sent her an email letting her know she was mistaken, and explaining that she should get it while she could because domain registration sites keep records of those domains people search for.
Here's where I need advice. This woman now realizes that she has made a mistake. She called me back. She purchased the domain and she really wants me to build what we talked about. During the ten minutes we spoke the second time tonight, she apologized, cajoled, begged, appealled to my better nature, and promised that she would be a saint to work with. She says she understands that if she doesn't pay me, I can't work with her. She also says that she has passion, which is definitely true, and that I should only want to work with people who are as passionate as I am... Flattering, but I don't know. What I do know is that the project is one I would love to do. It's something really positive and good, and even if she is nuts, she's not stupid. I told her that I would give her an answer tomorrow.
Would you take the job? My client would be completely insane, but the project would be fabulous.
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