[AccessD] Project Official Start

You can still walk away from a client like this, and should - 1999 be
damned.  

IMHO, a client that is trying to negotiate penalty clauses before
defining what it is the developer is supposed to be developing is a
client looking to screw a developer and get something for nothing. 
This is a HUGE red flag.

-Christopher-

---- Original Message ----
From: Developer at ultradnt.com
To: accessd at databaseadvisors.com, 
Subject: RE: [AccessD] Project Official Start
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 23:38:42 -0400

>Remember the good old days of 1999 when you could just walk away 
>from a
>client like this?
>
>BTW - I'm a newbie, just signed on the list.  (NYC-based independent
>contractor: Access, VB, SQL, MS-Office training, and when I can't get
>out of it, a little networking)
>
>Short answer is, when both sides have signed, that's your begin 
>date.  
>
>As for the penalty, YES - get their responsibilities in writing ... I
>have a client who pays me to keep re-importing their old system's 
>data
>because by the time they check the import, it's a month out of date 
>and
>they want all the new entries from the old system in the new system 
>...
>This is going on like this for six months,  It's boring as hell and
>keeping me from getting started on their .net based intranet, but 
>... As
>long as they are paying, it doesn't matter.  In your case, though, 
>since
>they are making noise about not paying, make sure that the "clock 
>stops"
>when you are waiting for them to test or review or deploy or 
>whatever.
>Try to get the wording to be a count of days from execution, since 
>you
>could lose a month just getting the lawyers from both sides to accept
>the document ("project will be completed 77 days from execution of 
>this
>contract", for example).  
>
>Hth,
>Steve
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
>[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Hadyn 
>Morgan
>Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2003 10:22 PM
>To: AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
>Subject: [AccessD] Project Official Start
>
>
>When do you say a project has started?  I have a client that has said
>'Yes' to a project, but has not signed off the spec, or the quote, 
>and
>now wants to negotiate penalty clauses before they sign (if we don't
>deliver on time to the proposed end date (11 weeks from start of
>project) they reduce total payment by 8% for each full week we are
>late).  I have managed to get them to exclude Acts of God etc, and 
>have
>suggested that if they are to blame for the delay we should be 
>allowed
>to charge them for the extra time.
>
>Any thoughts?
>
>Kind regards
>Hadyn
>
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