eBay Dispute

[ticonderoga]

What is the name of your state? CA

I have been providing web design services for a client of mine through an auction I listed on eBay. We have been in communication since the auction end (about a month and a half ago), where I have been creating and constructing different aspects of his website (the logo, home page, other pages).

Now he is claiming I have cost him loss of business and costly delays because apparently I've been taking too long, even though I have been in communication with him the entire time (fixing things he needed fixed, and altering things he wanted altered over and over again, which is why it's taking so long). I can only update the website as fast as he can communicate with me.

Now the websites almost complete, and he's threatening legal action. Is his legal threat really practical? He is in a different state.

BTW, the auction I listed was at a truly bargain price (think low $100's) for a project that would otherwise cost him thousands of dollars.

 

[SnowCajun]

Now the websites almost complete, and he's threatening legal action. Is his legal threat really practical? He is in a different state.

BTW, the auction I listed was at a truly bargain price (think low $100's) for a project that would otherwise cost him thousands of dollars.

Personally it sounds to me like you may not have protected your own self with a written contract with this person stating his wants and desires and your timeline or ETA to complete the said desires.

You've really not told us both sides in depth so it's hard to say from a third party prospective what's really going on, but if you've made a deal with this man to have something built and completed by a certain date and it's not done by that date then you could be at wrong here. On the other hand if he's kept making changes that delayed your completion of his project within the original timeframe then the fault is his for making changes to his orginal design ideas. Never the less, both of you should have been covered by a written contract expressing exactly what your final product would be, and/or the effects of any changes brought forth by the customer causing you additional time to complete his project.

Personally I would hardly spend days doing something that complicated for the "low $100's" you mentioned as it looks like it's already costing you more frustration than the project was brought profit to you, and now you've ended up with an unhappy customer. We all know there are some customers that couldn't be made happy even if God whispered in their ear, and others that will go out of their way for you, that's the gamble of doing business with the public, you never know which you're gonna get. Didn't Forrest Gump say something like that? Oh yeah, but it was about chocolates!

SnowCajun