How to tell a customer "sorry it's not happening....."

It's all a long complicated story, and i'm tired and ready for bed, so i'm going to keep thIs short and sweet.

I took on a video editing project a few weeks ago that seemed pretty simple but now my 'to-do' list keeps getting longer and i just keep working on it, not catching up.
He's now set a deadline and if he doesn't give me some more information (basically i have hours and hours of soccer video and i'm to create a 4 minute recruiters video). How do i call/visit him to tell him i can just magically make this happen and that i do have a "real job" that requires a lot of my time currently (which he already knew).

I know i'm going to end up looking like a flop no matter what i do, but i was just curious what the most professional means of saying "sorry it's not happening"

Any personal experience would be awesome. I know its something we don't ever want to admit to, but it has to have happened to someone besides me?!

There isn't a professional way of saying it because it isn't a professional thing to do.

If you need more information then e-mail the guy with a list of what you need. Otherwise he, will quite reasonably, assume you are getting on with it.

It is hard, and frustrating, but no matter how little you are being paid you still have a commitment to the Client.

The "professional" method to counter increased demands is increased service cost.
Clients get the idea fast and belly up to bar or walk away from it as their decision.

I agree with John. Communicate with your client set an expectation. Was there a consult before you accepted the assignment, was ther a work contract? Part of our biz is working with all kinds of people and keeping them happy. Let us know how this works out.

Photo99

I hope you have kept detailed records of each time he has asked for revisions to the original agreement. That in itself is a concrete way to show what the problem is. You should have if not had in writing the original cost and time frame for completion and cost for revisions. My daughter runs into this all the time with her graphics business....she finally got the message and has in her contracts a built in cost for and revisions to the original and that sure put the brakes on how many times they want to come back at her and say oh could you just change blah blah. I sure hope things work out for you and the client.

okay I'll list the whole story
He contacted me and told me that he had "video clips" and newspaper clippings that he wanted turned into a recruiting video. I accepted before realizing that I would be pulling the clips from multiple hours of soccer video and taking pictures of these clippings and medals.
When I started the project I had a piece of paper and a flash drive handed to me
The paper had folders and times listed but not videos. the flash drive was 15.8gb of SQ video that I am still trying to sort through.
My biggest mistake, in hind sight, was not having everything written out. With all my photo jobs I can set a time and price and then promise the photos within a week (depending on my schedule, much quicker usually) but the way this is turning out, I am ready to throw my hands in the air.

When I went to the clients house a week before christmas we sat together and looked through a few hours of video and got a few things found (by the way the times and folders on the paper were all wrong). So when I left his house that I night he told me he was going to search for the specific timings of the clip and either e-mail me or write them out for me to pick up. he dropped off the face of the planet for two weeks and just texted me a few days ago to tell me that "your holiday season should be slowing down, we need to get this video done ASAP"
I responded with "I am still working over 40 hrs a week but I have most of my stuff finished, I just need the times from you, when can I get them?"

No response.
This was 3 days ago now and I am not sure what to do..... I am going to text him before I go into work tomorrow I think, but it's getting to the point where I don't have enough content for the video, nor the time to go picking through the videos again to pick out *this* specific white blur kicking another, smaller, white blur into a big square blur.

Maybe I'm just a little aggravated....

Don't text-call him!! Texting is for kids, not professionals

Good point blogs- I agree, but it's been the only way he's contacted me in two weeks and his son (who the video is of/for) is actually closer to my age than the client is >.<

If he's not responding you could take the initiative and simply say "Hi, I have been waiting your response for X number of days. I'm sorry but I do not feel I can assist you any further with this project due to the lack of communication." Or something along those lines. Or give him 1 more chance if you are so inclined with "I have been waiting to hear from you for 3 days, I am working hard to finish your project but if I do not hear a response by (deadline), I would like to refer you to (someone else) for further assistance"

From what I read it sounds like you are going to his house and responding to him quickly and he is dropping the ball. But he's going to continue to drop the ball and not worry if he can just text you whenever and you get on it as soon as he says and then just wait for him to fall off the earth and show back up when he feels like it.

Hind sight being 20/20... I think you know this was not a good idea without all terms laid out. It sounds like neither of you are really communicating your intentions directly to the other. I don't recall reading about payment, did he pre pay or what? If there was no formal agreement and it's causing you a lot of stress, just drop it politely and chalk it up to lesson learned.

Aside from this, I am part of an organization for 1 aspect of my business and this "association" manager has a full time job and was hired by the assoc owner to run the assoc on the side. Every time I order something it takes freaking forever, it's wrong, and then he throws in the "well I was busy with my real job". I dont give a flying flip about his real job or what he does outside of the association, b/c I'm paying him my real money so I expect my stuff... and if this is not his real job I will start paying with monopoly money. I would not use the "real job" excuse.

You could probably still salvage the project. You need to schedule a meeting in which you both agree to a timeline and expectations for all parties, metrics for success of each step and for going forward, how a failure of any party to meet a milestone is to be handled, as well as a clear expectation of compensation. All pretty basic stuff. As it stands, it sounds pretty vague and you risk getting nothing for a lot of work.

J Michael wrote in post #15432030
You could probably still salvage the project. You need to schedule a meeting in which you both agree to a timeline and expectations for all parties, metrics for success of each step and for going forward, how a failure of any party to meet a milestone is to be handled, as well as a clear expectation of compensation. All pretty basic stuff. As it stands, it sounds pretty vague and you risk getting nothing for a lot of work.

+1

Since you took on this task without a contract with terms and scope of work it almost sounds like you're doing this for a friend or to get more exposure/build your portfolio.

At this point, if the client wants to get serious, you should do the same. Sit down and documnet, in writing, what he wants. You then look at your availability and determine a realistic time frame for you to do it. If your timeline does not match his requirements then you both just parts ways amicably.

Now if you have taken any money up front then you're in a hole. Then you pretty much have to somehow eek out what he wants in the necessary time frame or risk getting into a legal tussle.

Will you take a blemish for this? Not necessarily. It'll depend on the personality/demeanor of your client and how you handle the "sit down" meeting just discussed. Just be professional, deal only in facts, avoid the "blame game" unless absolutely necessary and you might survive this relatively stress free.

And remember in the future if you EVER do work in which you're getting paid (as part of your business or a little backdoor deal) always get something in writing. It doesn't have to be a formal contract, but it ends up being easier on both parties having the scope of work and timing documented. Avoids the flare-ups and fighting that can happen when either side gets a case of "absent-minded professor".

He finally responded this morning after I left a message of "I have got to get the times from you or I won't be able to help"(Not in so few words, but that's the basis). he texted (I don't like that he won't call me) saying he will call tomorrow and asking how much I thought "we" needed..... He's aparantly only available saturday and sunday this week and those are my two days off as well (both a bad and a good thing) cause I would love to get this project done and under my belt but I just don't know that I can handle it anymore.... He's rather overbearing. I don't know if this is normal for clients but he's pretty demanding.
I'm still so new to this game that I'm making these amateur mistakes and it drives me nuts (I'm smart enough to write up a contract and make sure everything is straight and laid out.)

thanks for all the advice, my phone call tomorrow will be the final determining factor on whether or not I'll continue this.

1) You need to do a much better job of reviewing the project if you didnt know what the source video was
2) I always bid video editing with an estimate of the hours required, but a final bill of actual time to protect you from changes.
3) Its essential to communicate big changes in person or by phone right when they happen. A deadline is a change in the original job, and you may need to counter offer with a more accurate and realistic schedule.