- Joined
- May 20, 2008
- Messages
- 286
- Reaction score
- 16
Hi there,
In the wake of major upheaval (a fire at my apartment two days ago which has displaced me), I'm dealing with major vexation in the form of a client for whom I am editing, and I would love advice on how to protect myself and best deal with this.
A couple weeks back, a guy I don't know in person hired me to edit his manuscript. It is a lengthy manuscript and a very demanding editing job (often with 3-4 changes in a single sentence) and we agreed that he'd pay me half the total early on. He sent the payment promptly and didn't seem to have a problem with it. In fact, he generally seemed quite mild-mannered and agreeable. Until...
So the fire in my apartment started around 6 AM Sunday, and when I was unable to put it out, I fled, not taking anything at all with me. That night, a friend came to the hotel where I am to bring me a few things, including his old laptop for me to use. I emailed the client, Jim, to let him know what had happened and told him I would update him once I knew the condition of my laptop, which had his manuscript and my work on it.
He instantly started asking all kinds of questions. He wanted my cell phone number, and I told him (truthfully) that I had left it at the apartment, but I gave him the name of the hotel where I could be reached. He also asked for my room number, which I declined to give him.
Then he kept writing with more questions and issues. He asked me exactly which page of his MS I was on when the fire started. I had already told him several times also that I didn't know when I would know more, that it depended on the fire dept and my landlord, but he kept asking for definitive dates.
I tried to quell his anxiety a bit by just being direct and saying that I understand his discomfort since he doesn't know me, etc. and told him that I could not yet give the information he wanted but would try to address other concerns he had.
I left the hotel to go to therapy, and when I got back, he'd left me a voicemail here asking for an update and telling me to call him back or email him. He also told me to get a TracFone in the message he left. So I emailed, again telling him that I would let him know when I knew anything. I also told him I couldn't get a TracFone because I'd also left my wallet in the apt and the only money I have is what the Red Cross gave me for essentials.
He responded that it was a "HUGE RED FLAG" that I could only be reached at the hotel and that I emailed him instead of calling. In my reply,I tried to gently reiterate things and acknowledge his frustration and also remind him that his voicemail said to call *or* email.
He wrote me back something else nasty and irate. I went through all the ways I had proven myself (my real name, easily Googled, giving him the hotel name, etc.) and tried once again to soothe his worries while also gently pointing out that my own life had been affected by the fire. I concluded by asking "What would you like me to do?" He simply responded "I don't do business this way."
He's begun sending more emails, which I have chosen to ignore. If you have read this far, I would love any tips you have in case I need to do anything to protect myself in any way. I do not intend to return his money because I performed quite a bit of editing. I have no idea what this guy wants from me either, though I am already quite sure I don't want to give it. I don't want to salvage this relationship or keep him as a client; I just want to know that I am personally, legally, financially, emotionally safe.
Thank you for reading this far!
In the wake of major upheaval (a fire at my apartment two days ago which has displaced me), I'm dealing with major vexation in the form of a client for whom I am editing, and I would love advice on how to protect myself and best deal with this.
A couple weeks back, a guy I don't know in person hired me to edit his manuscript. It is a lengthy manuscript and a very demanding editing job (often with 3-4 changes in a single sentence) and we agreed that he'd pay me half the total early on. He sent the payment promptly and didn't seem to have a problem with it. In fact, he generally seemed quite mild-mannered and agreeable. Until...
So the fire in my apartment started around 6 AM Sunday, and when I was unable to put it out, I fled, not taking anything at all with me. That night, a friend came to the hotel where I am to bring me a few things, including his old laptop for me to use. I emailed the client, Jim, to let him know what had happened and told him I would update him once I knew the condition of my laptop, which had his manuscript and my work on it.
He instantly started asking all kinds of questions. He wanted my cell phone number, and I told him (truthfully) that I had left it at the apartment, but I gave him the name of the hotel where I could be reached. He also asked for my room number, which I declined to give him.
Then he kept writing with more questions and issues. He asked me exactly which page of his MS I was on when the fire started. I had already told him several times also that I didn't know when I would know more, that it depended on the fire dept and my landlord, but he kept asking for definitive dates.
I tried to quell his anxiety a bit by just being direct and saying that I understand his discomfort since he doesn't know me, etc. and told him that I could not yet give the information he wanted but would try to address other concerns he had.
I left the hotel to go to therapy, and when I got back, he'd left me a voicemail here asking for an update and telling me to call him back or email him. He also told me to get a TracFone in the message he left. So I emailed, again telling him that I would let him know when I knew anything. I also told him I couldn't get a TracFone because I'd also left my wallet in the apt and the only money I have is what the Red Cross gave me for essentials.
He responded that it was a "HUGE RED FLAG" that I could only be reached at the hotel and that I emailed him instead of calling. In my reply,I tried to gently reiterate things and acknowledge his frustration and also remind him that his voicemail said to call *or* email.
He wrote me back something else nasty and irate. I went through all the ways I had proven myself (my real name, easily Googled, giving him the hotel name, etc.) and tried once again to soothe his worries while also gently pointing out that my own life had been affected by the fire. I concluded by asking "What would you like me to do?" He simply responded "I don't do business this way."
He's begun sending more emails, which I have chosen to ignore. If you have read this far, I would love any tips you have in case I need to do anything to protect myself in any way. I do not intend to return his money because I performed quite a bit of editing. I have no idea what this guy wants from me either, though I am already quite sure I don't want to give it. I don't want to salvage this relationship or keep him as a client; I just want to know that I am personally, legally, financially, emotionally safe.
Thank you for reading this far!