Pro tip: Make your client sign off on scope changes in writing, not just emails

I learned the hard way after a $2,000 project in Denver went sideways because a client kept adding requests over text messages. I thought we had a verbal agreement on the extras, but when the final bill came, they refused to pay for anything beyond the original proposal. Now I use a simple change order form for anything over $100, and it's saved me from three disputes since.

2 comments

2 Comments

king.robin19h ago

Honestly, is it really that serious though? I've done plenty of handshake deals over text and it worked out fine. Maybe you just got a bad client in Denver, not a system problem. If someone's gonna screw you over, a signed form won't stop them anyway - they'll just argue the form was written wrong or they didn't read it. Sounds like overkill for a $100 job. Honestly, I think a quick text confirmation like "hey, you cool with adding X for $Y?" is good enough for most people.

taylor1219h ago

Not sure it's that simple, @king.robin. I've had text confirmations get "lost" in a thread or someone just claim they never saw it. What happens when you need to show a third party like a credit card company what was actually agreed to?