Asshole Client Bullies This Artist To Make A Halloween Costume For His Son Without Paying For His Time
Halloween is coming, which means that parents need to be ready to respond to demanding kids who want the best and most elaborate Halloween costume for the big night. Back in the day, a bed sheet with a couple of holes cut out for eyes would usually do the trick. Not anymore. Halloween has taken on an increasingly competitive nature as kids and parents alike try to outdo each other on Instagram, and kids’ costumes are getting seriously expensive.
This parent, in a post shared by Imgur user Ashontez, is clearly feeling the pressure. Or perhaps he is just an asshole. Either way, the post clearly highlights the kinds of situations that people who work for commission regularly find themselves in, overworked and underappreciated by customers who expect personalized, custom made work done for them at factory prices. “All you do is sit at a computer,” the customer whines, as he is quoted $25 an hour to have an Optimus Prime costume designed, fitted, and 3D printed for his son. “I’ll pay you for materials, and that’s it!”
So what, you expect somebody to order in the 3D printing materials, design, size and print them to your exact specifications, but you only want to pay for the raw plastic sheets? Halloween is a glorious time of fun, socializing and creativity, but it sure can bring out the worst in people too, and not in a good ‘bad’ way. Ashontez himself isn’t especially scared by the shrill threats to ‘ruin his business,’ the 3D printing is very much a side project for him. “I mainly make desk ornaments, I’ve also made quite a few swords, and 3D printed armors as well for Cosplayers, he told Bored Panda. “I wouldn’t call myself a designer, I’m just getting started with 3D printers and very much a novice.”
“I’m sure he’s just going to report my profile to Facebook and post a few rants on his timeline about how terrible I am and to never use me. Which, ironically, has helped more people ask for commissions, the traffic to my etsy shop has jumped up quite a bit since posting this yesterday.”
So this customer from hell, who’s behavior Ashontez believes stems from ‘entitlement,’ has actually boosted his business rather than ruin it as he threatened. Karma? You be the judge.
Scroll down below to check out just how rude people can get, and let us know what you think in the comments!
Imgur user Ashontez recently shared this experience with a nightmare customer
To prove the numbers weren’t pulled from thin air, the seller broke down the pricing
Here’s what people had to say
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I make dance costumes. It's amazing how many people seem to think that a dress from H&M and a bespoke one-of-a-kind, made-to-measure, fully-Swarovski-rhinestoned dance costume ought to be similarly priced ...
My grandmother made custom costumes for skating competitions. I know the work involved.
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He's actually very affordable. I charge $50/hour minimum for 3d modelling, and $20/hour for printer time.
And considering what you can make that's still reasonable, if people understood more and the item was something very important to them they'll pay.
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Everyone loves free stuff, sure, but that doesn't mean you have the right to demand them. If someone values their time and effort at a price you can't afford, just say it's too expensive for you and move on. No need to yell and call names. Just as you don't work for free, neither do these people.
Absolutely agree. I am sure every freelancer sets his price accordingly to the demand/marketplace and skills. I am a freelancer myself, and always stop working with clients that ask me for a discount and for free work. This type of people will never understand the value of someone else's work, even if you will try to explain and convince them .
Load More Replies... Well, the conversation should have been ended about the "all you do is sit at a computer" part. Actually, most of the value creation nowadays come from people just sitting behind computers, since manual labour more and more is automatized...
It's right for the modelling part, it's perfectly OK to charge when you do actual work of modeling, but not for the printing part. Once the file is in, what does he have left to fo? Change the material once it's finished. For what price? 1000$ The price of his 3D printer? And you think his price are OK?
Load More Replies...
"All you do is sit at a computer" yes, and that takes SKILLS AND TRAINING! Jeez!
Are people really this daft you ask? Yes. I am an artist. I put 5-7 hours into each piece and charge $75-$100. People try to talk me down, offering $25-$30. Sigh. It gets worse when people want to have your work to hang in their establishment for 'exposure'. Last I checked, the market does not offer me food for exposure...
I crochet. A lot. I don't sell anything because of idiots like this. I know nobody is going to pay what it's worth. It took me 2 months everyday for a blanket i did the math it worked out to by asking minimum wage ($14 Canada) it would be valued at $4000+ and ive watched them go for $4 in a second hand store. Yup the reality of the "starving artist"
I'd suggest the guy goes and makes the suit himself given how easy and cheap he assumes it is. Also, top tip, but a 3D printer, print a 3D printer, take original 3D printed back for refund. winner!
By the time you finished printing it it'd be too late to return it.
Load More Replies...
I work in a family tax business, we price differently depending on things we need to fix and how many people and other things like that. We try to get the customer the highest refund they can get, as well. There was this one person who brought 5 people, all with lots of things to fix (I’m being vague for a reason) and expected our normal price. It’s so frustrating
What a DUCKING idiot. How DUCKING stupid is it possible to be? Haha, I bet that halloween costume ended up reeeeeeal good in the end.. XD
The modelling fee are OK, but 4$/h for your 3d printer to work alone, with double material price??? No, that's way too much. Someone with a file would still pay 1000$ for you to stay sit for 48 hours watching your computer?!?!?!? It doesn'T make sense at all. Sorry.
He won't have anything to do except change the material when it's finish. 1000$ for that??
Load More Replies...
Simple answer.....if it’s so easy, and cheap to do, DO IT YOURSELF!!!
My ex-wife is an incredibly talented painter. I used to be amazed at the way some people would try to low ball her for a painting. They didn't consider the cost of materials, paint is not cheap, and she would stretch her own canvasses. They never thought about the years she had spent honing her ability. This is a woman that the Dali Museum hired to create authorized reproductions of Dali paintings. "Why can't you paint a portrait of my children for $30? I'm supplying the photo." (Actual statement from a potential client and she wanted the portrait to be 24"X36")
Wow I haven't seen this before on bp. thanks for the breath of fresh air.
Sometimes I feel these are a bit contrived, thinly veiled advertisements for people's businesses.
You should always publish the names and phone numbers of a******s like this so that other people can avoid them.
As a freelance artist myself, I try to get them to see my work as the same as their job hours . . . Will they do 4 hours of bookkeeping for me? 10 hours of work on my car? Use their weekend or holiday coming to my house to do repairs or yardwork? I'm gifted . . . but no one should work for free. If they find it cheaper somewhere else, it means they will leave me alone . . .
I just had a similar situation putting in a bid for an illustration project. Hell, I even low-balled my bid and the client came back completely freaking out. They were shocked... SHOCKED at how much I wanted for some "stupid drawings." People devalue creative work and it's pissed me off my entire career.
As a wordpress web site freelancer I have encountered these types all the time, claiming "you are just sitting by your computer". Or "I know someone who can make it cheaper than you" and other lame things. One customer even replied "I will just learn wordpress myself then". Like I give a s**t. The same customer who told me all these things (my price for creating a web shop for a seamstress was $1100 which is about half the price from what I have seen other people charge), also charged a lot herself. I asked her if she could just replace zipper in my pants and she wanted $110 for that. So she charged a lot for her services but questioned my prices. I am sewing myself so I know the work behind it. But she should be humble and respect the handicraft of other people.
Take apart in materials a $1499,00 iPhone XS, That's about at most $200!???
This reminds me of the f*****g dumbass who thought when I said I work "freelance", assumed that meant I wouldn't charge her. (Because I just go around working for free???) Glad we got THAT figured out before I took on her project. (She paid the absolute minimum & BOY did it SHOW!). She also got a lot of, "Well, why didn't you just hire Michelle? She would have done a MUCH better job".
I don't believe these stories. At the first "You're f***en insane" you'd end the conversation surely. If he balks at that, you know he's never going to pay $1000 and it's a waste of time to continue.
WOW! If I ask someone for a product or a service I naturally ask what their fee is. If they have excellent references, exceptional quality or outcomes I expect to pay for their expertise. If I can't afford it, I do without or look elsewhere. I think the irate father should go to his local arts & craft supply store, buy the materials and make the costume WITH his son. That will solve the problem of the costume and the expense.
This happens all the time. Are you stupid or something?
Load More Replies...
No, they'll look like Charlie Brown from the Charlie Brown Halloween special.
Load More Replies... I make dance costumes. It's amazing how many people seem to think that a dress from H&M and a bespoke one-of-a-kind, made-to-measure, fully-Swarovski-rhinestoned dance costume ought to be similarly priced ...
My grandmother made custom costumes for skating competitions. I know the work involved.
Load More Replies... He's actually very affordable. I charge $50/hour minimum for 3d modelling, and $20/hour for printer time.
And considering what you can make that's still reasonable, if people understood more and the item was something very important to them they'll pay.
Load More Replies... Everyone loves free stuff, sure, but that doesn't mean you have the right to demand them. If someone values their time and effort at a price you can't afford, just say it's too expensive for you and move on. No need to yell and call names. Just as you don't work for free, neither do these people.
Absolutely agree. I am sure every freelancer sets his price accordingly to the demand/marketplace and skills. I am a freelancer myself, and always stop working with clients that ask me for a discount and for free work. This type of people will never understand the value of someone else's work, even if you will try to explain and convince them .
Load More Replies... Well, the conversation should have been ended about the "all you do is sit at a computer" part. Actually, most of the value creation nowadays come from people just sitting behind computers, since manual labour more and more is automatized...
It's right for the modelling part, it's perfectly OK to charge when you do actual work of modeling, but not for the printing part. Once the file is in, what does he have left to fo? Change the material once it's finished. For what price? 1000$ The price of his 3D printer? And you think his price are OK?
Load More Replies... "All you do is sit at a computer" yes, and that takes SKILLS AND TRAINING! Jeez!
Are people really this daft you ask? Yes. I am an artist. I put 5-7 hours into each piece and charge $75-$100. People try to talk me down, offering $25-$30. Sigh. It gets worse when people want to have your work to hang in their establishment for 'exposure'. Last I checked, the market does not offer me food for exposure...
I crochet. A lot. I don't sell anything because of idiots like this. I know nobody is going to pay what it's worth. It took me 2 months everyday for a blanket i did the math it worked out to by asking minimum wage ($14 Canada) it would be valued at $4000+ and ive watched them go for $4 in a second hand store. Yup the reality of the "starving artist"
I'd suggest the guy goes and makes the suit himself given how easy and cheap he assumes it is. Also, top tip, but a 3D printer, print a 3D printer, take original 3D printed back for refund. winner!
By the time you finished printing it it'd be too late to return it.
Load More Replies... I work in a family tax business, we price differently depending on things we need to fix and how many people and other things like that. We try to get the customer the highest refund they can get, as well. There was this one person who brought 5 people, all with lots of things to fix (I’m being vague for a reason) and expected our normal price. It’s so frustrating
What a DUCKING idiot. How DUCKING stupid is it possible to be? Haha, I bet that halloween costume ended up reeeeeeal good in the end.. XD
The modelling fee are OK, but 4$/h for your 3d printer to work alone, with double material price??? No, that's way too much. Someone with a file would still pay 1000$ for you to stay sit for 48 hours watching your computer?!?!?!? It doesn'T make sense at all. Sorry.
He won't have anything to do except change the material when it's finish. 1000$ for that??
Load More Replies... Simple answer.....if it’s so easy, and cheap to do, DO IT YOURSELF!!!
My ex-wife is an incredibly talented painter. I used to be amazed at the way some people would try to low ball her for a painting. They didn't consider the cost of materials, paint is not cheap, and she would stretch her own canvasses. They never thought about the years she had spent honing her ability. This is a woman that the Dali Museum hired to create authorized reproductions of Dali paintings. "Why can't you paint a portrait of my children for $30? I'm supplying the photo." (Actual statement from a potential client and she wanted the portrait to be 24"X36")
Wow I haven't seen this before on bp. thanks for the breath of fresh air.
Sometimes I feel these are a bit contrived, thinly veiled advertisements for people's businesses.
You should always publish the names and phone numbers of a******s like this so that other people can avoid them.
As a freelance artist myself, I try to get them to see my work as the same as their job hours . . . Will they do 4 hours of bookkeeping for me? 10 hours of work on my car? Use their weekend or holiday coming to my house to do repairs or yardwork? I'm gifted . . . but no one should work for free. If they find it cheaper somewhere else, it means they will leave me alone . . .
I just had a similar situation putting in a bid for an illustration project. Hell, I even low-balled my bid and the client came back completely freaking out. They were shocked... SHOCKED at how much I wanted for some "stupid drawings." People devalue creative work and it's pissed me off my entire career.
As a wordpress web site freelancer I have encountered these types all the time, claiming "you are just sitting by your computer". Or "I know someone who can make it cheaper than you" and other lame things. One customer even replied "I will just learn wordpress myself then". Like I give a s**t. The same customer who told me all these things (my price for creating a web shop for a seamstress was $1100 which is about half the price from what I have seen other people charge), also charged a lot herself. I asked her if she could just replace zipper in my pants and she wanted $110 for that. So she charged a lot for her services but questioned my prices. I am sewing myself so I know the work behind it. But she should be humble and respect the handicraft of other people.
Take apart in materials a $1499,00 iPhone XS, That's about at most $200!???
This reminds me of the f*****g dumbass who thought when I said I work "freelance", assumed that meant I wouldn't charge her. (Because I just go around working for free???) Glad we got THAT figured out before I took on her project. (She paid the absolute minimum & BOY did it SHOW!). She also got a lot of, "Well, why didn't you just hire Michelle? She would have done a MUCH better job".
I don't believe these stories. At the first "You're f***en insane" you'd end the conversation surely. If he balks at that, you know he's never going to pay $1000 and it's a waste of time to continue.
WOW! If I ask someone for a product or a service I naturally ask what their fee is. If they have excellent references, exceptional quality or outcomes I expect to pay for their expertise. If I can't afford it, I do without or look elsewhere. I think the irate father should go to his local arts & craft supply store, buy the materials and make the costume WITH his son. That will solve the problem of the costume and the expense.
This happens all the time. Are you stupid or something?
Load More Replies... No, they'll look like Charlie Brown from the Charlie Brown Halloween special.
Load More Replies...
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