[thelist] What would you do?

[Seb Barre]

At 12:36 PM 1/5/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>Hey evolters --
>
>So my question is (yes, I do have a question), how should I approach this 
>with my former client? Should I tell him about the problems? Assume that 
>he knows they are there? Will anything I say to him just sound like sour 
>grapes? I couldn't give a crap about the other company, which BTW is much 
>bigger then mine, but I would like to keep a good relationship with the 
>client because I think that might be looking for a new web design company 
>in the future :^) .

Prepare a document.  Write up a technical (but approachable) document 
outlining all of these things you've noticed (including them attempts to 
snarf your work), and why those things are bad, and then submit it to your 
(ex-)client.  Try to be objective, and don't get too aggressive in it, or 
come across as bitter.   Try to word it in a way that shows that you are 
genuinely concerned about the client (which you seem to be) from a 
professional level, and explain how a shoddy shop like that will hurt them 
in the long run.   They are most likely doing the switch because the newer 
shop undercut what you were charging, so it's also important to point out 
the technical quality of your work compared to theirs, so they have more 
than just dollar figures to compare.

The other approach is to wait and see what happens.  If that new place 
really is that incompetent, it will become apparent to your client over 
time, and they may just come back to you once they are fed up.   But I 
think that taking a pro-active approach to it would be best, especially in 
light of the fact that they seem to be using you as a scapegoat for their 
incompetence.  True or not, that can come back to hurt you, and your 
relationship with your client may become even stronger if they realize that 
you did them a favour by pointing all that stuff out to them.

Best of luck.


--- -- -
Seb Barre - seb at oven.com
OVEN Digital Toronto
Work  : 416-595-9750 x 222
Mobile: 416-254-5078
http://www.oven.com/