We like Clients from Hell

No matter your industry, even the most patient and easy-going among us has, at one point or another, had his or her sanity tested by a client. Design firms are no exception, and a blog called Clients from Hell – humorous horror stories and anecdotes submitted daily by and for designers and IT professionals — is rapidly making the rounds.

The blog’s success is no doubt due to the fact that so many people find the posts to be entirely relatable. You may even find yourself nodding in agreement as you read. Being designers and developers ourselves, we occasionally experience these particular inevitable interactions, too. Check out these goodies:

2010-04-29
Why aren’t we ranking higher on Google? Our name starts with A, and this other company only starts with H!

2010-04-25
Can you just work half as hard on my job as you would normally do? Then maybe I can pay half your normal rate?

2010-04-12
Hello, I am looking for a web designer to build a web site for my band. Here is a list of the essential elements, in no particular order:
-Band Bio
-Photos
-Tour schedule
-Email capture form for fans to subscribe to our mailing list
-Booking contact info (phone # and email address)
-Audio/Video page including MP3s (stream + download) and YouTube videos

All of the above content will be provided to you. If you are interested in taking on this project just send me an email with a little info about your web design background. Links to sites you have built in the past are very helpful. We are open to your design/ layout ideas. We don’t need anything fancy; simpler is better. Please also include an estimate of how quickly you can build this site. Thank you.
•    Location: Anywhere
•    it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
•    Compensation: $50

2010-03-26
You’re making this too complicated when it’s really quite simple. All you have to do is make the software completely configurable so it can do whatever I need it to.

Understandably, these situations often arise as a result of a client’s unintentional misunderstanding of how things work on our end – the stuff only we see, the overtime put in because of a network hiccup, the painstaking attention to detail on a totally unique design (templates make us cringe), the sheer logistical madness of a conflicting code library. But why should the client know all that stuff? It’s why they’re hiring us, right? It’s okay, it’s all part of the job. When exchanges like these happen, we get a good chuckle, and then we get right back to work.

– Lynn