Negative Negotiation

I complained in a previous post about late payments and I want to mention another payment-related peeve here. I quote a price before doing a job and the customer and I agree upon it, as you would expect. What you perhaps wouldn’t expect is that some clients try to renege or re-negotiate after they have gotten the completed assignment from me. You don’t go to a clothing store, look at a price tag, then go up to the cashier and offer a lower price, do you? And you certainly wouldn’t go home with a new dress and then go back to the store and ask for some of the money back, do you? So why do people try that with freelancers and small-business owners?

In my own case, I know I am a bit of a pushover and I am female, so perhaps people want to see how far they can push me. But even so, I don’t know what makes them feel they can even try. If we’ve agreed on a fee, that’s the final fee. Don’t expect a discount, especially after I’ve finished the work.

--Curly