Designers : Do you guys always want 100% up front?
 

I had this company come to come offering to do a design i needed done.

Was a good price but they wanted me to pay 100% upfront and then they would start working on it on wednesday ...

Is that normal? They where not even sure if they knew what I wanted or understood it but would give it a try

So i would be out my money if I didntlike what they produced?:321GFY

No...50% down on orders over $300.00

100% for any orders under $300.00

hehe, yeah. we on mr2creationz don't ask $$ upfront. :Graucho

Yup, seems like the average :2 cents:

never pay more than 50% up front... otherwise the designer has no reason to make sure you are satisfied with the work...

I charge always 100 % upfront except if I know the person very well (Lets say 5-6 ppl in this industry) .

Ive made the error of not getting upfront and it ALWAYS took too much time .

I am VERY easy on the refounds/partial refounds if there is no other way ... as long as I dont loose too much $ :)

It's rather a two-edged sword. On the one hand, the designer, (or in my case, writer), wants a guarantee of payment. On the other hand, the client wants a guarantee of work.

I don't ask for 100% up front. I ask for half/half. Half up front, half when job is compete. That way we both get a better guarantee.

Folks who stiff me get outed. Kinda my little personal guarantee that no one else will be stiffed by that particular client. :thumbsup

From well known people cod is fine, small order < $100 upfront and on larger orders a % in advance

Once I have a lot of experience with a customer I dont mind thought ...

We always give a Week Trial (FREE of charge). Once he is happy, then we bill the client upfront for a month of service.

It's not hard to trust these days.. too many scammers out there. It's the only way you protect your business.

hmmm, why do I smell an opportunity for a sort of designer escrow system

Very good idea :)

When I program I charge 150% up front, give 50% back when I'm done :glugglug

We charge 100% for orders under $500 and 50/50 for projects over that.

Made the mistake a few times, and learned from it.. Like Dre said, would trust only a few people to do it without a deposit.

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh

hmm but what if the customer is not happy with the work you did ?

Depends whos fault it is ...

If its my own, I refound

If the customer havent given the correct informations or is just too picky, I give a partial refound ...

There are some customers that give me more trouble for 50 $ then some for 5000 $

same here, only our line is ~$700.

In 7 years of my experience I've had only 2 clients who didn't like what we did.. Check out that portfolio http://www.gold-design.com/portfolio.html

Designers pay me to have the honor of creating a desgin for me to use

Juicy, would you like the payment upfront? :)

I charge 50% up front.

nah you can pay me after the design is done

I would never pay 100% up front it gives the designer the option to lag on your design. :2 cents:

we also charge 50% upfront before we start work and 50% upon completion

I think it depends on who you are dealing with. I have people that do design for me that I pay them when they get done. Before they start they tell me a ballpark, after they get done they tell me the price and I pay them, of course they've done stuff for me before so we both know the other one isn't got to shaft the other one. Some companies that do hardcore shit want a deposit. :2 cents:

:Graucho

Anyway, mostly 50 (or 100) upfront for new clients, returing clients can decide if they want to pay upfront or after the job :thumbsup

we always do 100% up front unless we know the person.. and even then, we may do that

In the beginning when we weren't known, it was 50 up front and 50 at completion

But now that people know us, if they don't want to pay up front, we suggest they go elsewhere.. been burned too many times.. well not too many.. just a couple.. but that's too many