I took a side job from my brother-in-law to develop a SaaS app that was supposed to “change the face of the industry.” The problem was that he had no experience with apps or running a business. So after months of constant rework while he figured out what he actually wanted the app to do, he tasked me with some “mission critical” features he needed finished for our test launch the following week. He also asked me to give him a quote for a full re-skin of the app’s frontend, to be completed for the full release. I told him it would take 24 hours to redo the frontend, but at least 40 hours for the new features and that I would need to get started right away, as I only had 5 days to do them, 3 of which were a long holiday weekend I was supposed to spend with my family. I managed to finish the new features he needed overnight on Sunday, so I sent him an email before I went to bed to let him know. I got the following call at noon on Labor Day, while playing with my kids:

Client: I have some serious concerns I need to discuss with you.

Me: Oh, what’s wrong? Is something wrong with the update I pushed?

Client: No, that’s all fine. What I’m concerned about is that none of the new styling is up! I had my designer send you the comps on Friday.

Me: Correct. Like we discussed last week, I finished the updates you needed for tomorrow’s release and I’ll have the styling ready for the full launch next week.

Client: Well that is completely unacceptable, did you even do any work this weekend!? I have potential clients that are going to see this, and it looks like shit, it doesn’t match the new branding at all. I need you to get back at it and have those designs applied by tomorrow morning!

Me: Why exactly do they need to be ready by tomorrow morning? 

Client: Because I have a thousand sales flyers being delivered tomorrow to potential clients, designed with the new branding, with the web address on them. People aren’t going to sign up if the app doesn’t look good!

Me: Did you think to mention to me that you were sending out a thousand sales flyers, and that you were having them delivered on the day of our test launch? Because I might have told you that was a bad idea.

Client: Well…I guess I probably should have. But that doesn’t matter right now. They’re going out and I need that styling up before they arrive!

Me: So, you’d like me to leave my family–your nephews–after ignoring them to focus on your project all weekend, and work without sleep for the next eighteen hours straight because you failed to tell me that you were sending out sales flyers to every prospective client you have.

Client: Well, when you say it like that it makes me sound like the bad guy.

Me: ….

I live in Asia and work as an architectural engineer/project designer/project manager for a small waterproof construction firm. A family friend had hired our company to provide waterproofing treatment to protect the exterior of her home from water damage during typhoon season.

Late Friday night, I received frantic texts from said family friend.

Client: I was tossing dirty mop water out the window when some water spilled and now I can see some water got into the wall and the wall is wet! Didn’t you waterproof my home? Explain this!

I checked the photos. It’s obvious the window was a DIY installation without proper sealing. Plus we only treated the exterior wall because she didn’t want the expense of treating her windows.

Me: Auntie, it’s very late and I’m getting ready to go to bed. But I’ll forward this to my boss and see what he says.

Early the next morning, she again texted me.

Client: I am NOT happy. I was washing the window this morning and more water spilled and got into the wall and it’s even wetter. My water proofing came with a 10 year guarantee, right? You’ll come and fix this?

Me: I’m sorry you’re having difficulties, Auntie. But after looking at the photos and your contract, this isn’t a problem with our treatment. We treated the exterior wall, not the interior wall. You also didn’t want us to seal your windows. If you’d like us to come and treat your windows and the interior wall, on Monday we can send someone to do a free project estimate.

Client: Okay. When he comes to fix your faulty treatment, he can bring some silicone and seal the window. For free, right?

At this point, I opt to call her. After a lengthy discussion, she finally agrees that our treatment is not the cause of her problem but an improperly sealed window her son had installed himself.

Client: Well, how much for you to come and put some silicone on the window?

Me: We could do that, but it’s not a permanent fix and if you keep throwing dirty mop water out the window, you’ll have this problem again very soon. The best thing would be to take the window out, treat and seal the interior wall, then re-install the window. That would probably be about $X.

Client: So much? I don’t want that! I just want you to come and put some silicone around the window.

Me: We’d be happy to do that, but this is our busy season and you’d probably have to wait 2 months or so before we’d have a worker available to do that.

Client: I guess I could wait, but what should I do until then? The window and wall will just keep getting wet!

Me: You could do what my wife and I do, you can flush your dirty mop water or walk outside to dump it.

Client: Oh…right…I guess I could do that. But what about washing it? A lot of water got into the window this morning when I was washing it.

Me: Have you heard of something called Windex? You don’t need water - just a clean rag and if you’re quick, it won’t drip.

Client: Okay, I’ll try that. And when you’re not busy, you can come put silicone on the window.

Later that afternoon, she texted me a photo of the window frame covered in duct tape. She captioned the photo: I don’t need silicone or Windex now.

She also gave me permission to use her idea on other projects. How very generous.