[AccessD] New engagement; trying to avoid the "tip of the iceberg" consulting trap

I am missing something.  I hear an hour for the interview.  Where does the 8 hours come from?

I always give away the interview.  An hour or two to look at things and tell them what I think. 
Beyond that I rarely have to worry about.

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com

On 11/6/2010 2:14 PM, Mark Simms wrote:
> I'm going in to see a new client (via agency) on Monday.
> The deal is supposedly this:
> I interview with them for an hour; assess the project scope and duration.
> If they like what they hear, then I'm hired.
>
> Anyone seasoned in consulting can immediately see the "trap" that's being
> set.
> I want to avoid it by only giving them a rough estimate AFTER spending 8
> hours with the current code base.
> I've seen way too much fuggly VBA code to be duped into giving a blind
> estimate.
> I'm also afraid they'll only be showing me the "tip of the iceberg".
>
> Only question remains: if my estimate at the end of the day is rejected,
> what do I charge for the 8 hours that they will consider wasted ? Half rate
> ? Full rate ?
> In my mind, this is like an initial legal consult...and lawyers usually give
> you 1 hour for half rate.
>
>
>