MIDWAY
through my basic course in interior design, a number of projects popped up and
prospective clients began making calls and inquiries, asking me if I can redo
the interior of their living spaces.
I
had wanted to but i turned down most of them, and chose a select few
i felt I could handle well enough. in between going to school
and accepting projects, i have learned one thing: experience is still the
best teacher. there are just some things that you wouldn't learn within
the four walls of a classroom. getting schooled for real is getting your
self out there and experience "life" for real.
consider
a prospective client who made a demand for a site visit. three of us drove
to her place for a consultation work and did an ocular check on the
location. at the end of the day, we thought we have nailed it, only to
find out the next day, we have all ended up empty handed.
talk
about expecting too much when a "verbal agreement" doesn't
even mean a done deal. so the first thing designers must do? lay
down a CONTRACT and get the client to sign.
trust
me. a WRITTEN CONTRACT would save you from a lot of disappointment later. never
accept a consultation work without a written contract or do an ocular
visit at your cost when all that the client does is talk, cause when it
all seems good, you'd find at the end that it is the other way around.
we've
spent almost nine hundred pesos each for that project
for nothing. when the client was done "stealing" our concepts
and figured she could do away with the designers’ fee after getting some help
from Internet resources, that was when she decided she need a
designer no more.
i
kinda felt ashamed. i brought up that prospective project to two of my
friends. well, i can do nothing but apologize. effort exerted, gas and
money all went down the drain. Should have known better.
so
here's a tip for budding interior designers: PUT ALL AGREEMENTS INTO
WRITING. whatever, it is that you've agreed upon regarding the fees and
services, make sure you have a contract at hand. it will save you from a
lot of disappointments later. trust me.
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