Ha ha hah! Seoalligator's comment is direct insight into the flakey, non-proofreading soul we are all so curious about!

I myself for a client and the customer. Such problems do not)

I am a freelance writer and I couldn't see how anyone could put up with this. Oh, I loved the little link at the bottom of the post that let's people know how to fire clients from hell.lol.

This is a classic situation. You can't change others but you can change your attitude toward them. Be tolerant and realize that they too are having problems. Be kind in the face of this difficulty. You're here to learn to rise above your own self and to not be affected by the problems of others. Why do I have to tell you this? You should know it already. When something is inevitable, Relax and don't get uppity over it. Do your job With patience and tolerance and compassion. Get on with it and stop complaining. Doug

Sorry, I am late in responding. I had to give careful thought to this very ticklish issue.

Finally, my take is this. If I depend on this guy for a significant portion of my income, I put up with his behavior till such time that I can do without him. On the other hand, there are helpless buyers who have no option but to depend on a supplier who behaves like this. The same logic works here too.

Human beings are difficult to understand. I suppose that at the end of the day, it is one's selfish concerns that dictate the response.

Mr. Grigg said it better than I could have, so why am I butting in? I'm not a
professional writer, but I guess I am an amateur psychologist. People become flaky due to a lack of education. So it falls to us who are with it to educate them or at least to give them an experience of rejection so that they might be encouraged to examine themselves. Is there a need for an educational
forum to help these people? How about a "white paper" to be required reading for prospective clients? This would be a prerequisite to client status. It seems to be needed in my opinion. Or a technique such as tough love intervention?
Pure honesty might wake them up. The field of writing needs to be revamped
because client and practitioner are a unit. Writers can't afford a superiority attitude if anyone can. The humility to realize the necessity to help prospective clients Would go a long way toward better working relations
between writer and client.------ Doug Rosbury

Boy, haven’t we all had our share of stories to tell about the problem you bring up.

But most of my problems have to do with prospects rather than existing clients. I tend to lose the weak clients early in the game because I refuse to work with people who do not understand, and hence pay, for the expertise I bring. When making recommendations, I expect either approval or a rational discussion about why not. And good clients open up and tell me why a given recommendation will not work for them.

And you know what, 90% they have a good reason. The other 10% play the game by making you guess. Those 10% fall off my radar in less than one tenth of a second.

Consulting and creative assignments require clear client direction and a trust relationship. Life is too short to waste time on any other kind of relationship for our type of work.

Insecure clients play games with us by canceling meetings at the last second or failing to return calls. I just neutralize those relationships by walking away from them if the offense becomes habitual. Some clients treat their own employees the same way applying subtle forms of intimidation or simple neglect. Respect must come from both sides of the table to build an effective working relationship.

Here's a case in point (windows xp installation for those who have not do it)
Make sense? of course not and this is the kind of flakiness that I see all
throughout my web surfing. Why is it that people cannot proof read? I suggest it is because they don't recognize their errors as being errors. It is error prone mentality and an unwillingness to question oneself due to an
inflated sense of self importance that endows us with stupid logic.---Doug

hi.sounds great to wake up in the early morning.
i tyr to do it everyday,but the time i wake is 9 AM.
That sucks...

My heart goes out to you folks who have to depend on dysfunctional people for your livelihood. I think you just have to refuse to work with them and simply bolster your faith that you will be blessed with good clients . Your faith will save you please believe me. fond regards, Doug Rosbury

Hey Carrie;

Sometimes these folks are not in a position to make a decision and this creates a but of a conflict.

They want you, but their boss is putting pressures on them.

You might want to see if it is this person or who boss who is the real problem.

Mike

I experienced a flakey client this spring and it was really odd. I had met her in person to interview her for an article, and she was so impressed with me she practically offered me on the spot a gig as her sole public relations person. She asked me to send her a proposal, which I did, after spending significant time reviewing her web set and the goals she had described to me. In the meantime, the article came out and she loved it so much she kept sending me e-mails with exclamation points about how great I was! But then she wouldn't work with me on the proposal, although she liked what I had sent, but had all these strange questions that contradicted statements she herself had made when we met. So I decided to drop it, and about 3 weeks passed. Then I heard from her again on e mail, saying how great I was and how we should work together, so when I suggested back on e mail that we should talk on the phone, she e mailed back that the time I had suggested wasn't good for her, and offered no alternative! I have not heard from her since and would not work with her if she called me tomorrow. I have told people this story and they have agreed she is a total flake, if not mentally unwell. I have noticed, however, a pattern of people saying they want more public relations, but not willing to put the time into a work plan, or to spend the money thinking they can do it themselves. It creates a terrible image more for them then the freelancer, I think. Does anyone else find this to be true? Also, how does one handle people who say one thing in person and then completely contradict themselves on the phone or on e-mail?

I read this article the other day on a site called WorkItMom...

It is called "The Asshole Fee" and applies to all of us that work for ourselves. I have my own "I don't work for jerks" policy, since I started my own business, but this gave me a good laugh - enjoy...

http://www.workitmom.com/article-388

When It's that particular client, arrange to take his call where you live and sleep. Why go out of your way when you know that it's likely he will only have another excuse? He obviously is not managing his time. when you have responsibilities to business and that means to other people,time management is crucial. Why do business with an irresponsible person? Be assertive with him about this. Perhaps a few words of counsel will make him wake up.
If you let him control the agenda, you're just being foolish.---Doug Rosbury
p.s. Can you see the possibility that he is intentionally controlling you?
I think you need to wake up!