Rant: A client in Denver refused to sign the contract and then ghosted me after I did the work

I was working on a website project for a small bakery there, and we had a good talk about the scope. I sent over my standard contract, but they kept saying they'd sign it 'soon' and asked me to start. I was dumb and started the design work, about 20 hours worth. They loved the mockups, then just stopped answering my emails. I'm out over $2,500 because I didn't get that signature first. Has anyone else had a client vanish after you bent the rules for them?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_eric28d ago

Maybe the client got cold feet seeing a legal document. A contract can scare people who just wanted a friendly deal. Starting without it showed trust, so why act surprised when they treated it like a handshake deal? You set the rule, then broke it yourself.

casey_campbell28d ago

Yeah, I read a blog post that made a similar point. It said mixing casual starts with formal contracts later can send mixed signals. The writer called it "creating your own bad client" by not being clear from the very first talk. Once you work without a contract, you've basically agreed to their rules, not yours.