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About 2 months ago I was asked to make a charity website for a friend, it was only going to be a html/css website ie. No need for PHP, JavaScript etc, being a friend I offered £60 for the website, we decided the look of the website and I created the graphics etc, the website was done.

Recently he asked me to completely change the look of the website (no problem), ie remodelling and new graphics but now with what he wanted it required PHP, user access, JavaScript, ajax, DOM manipulation, the lot pretty much as he wanted an application form (over 30 fields), a donation payment form, a lot more pages than before, and I'm still under the impression he thinks he only needs to pay £60. What can I say, politely to tell him it's really not enough for the work I'm doing?

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    New look, new website, new agreement ;) – Oded Mar 25 '13 at 12:42
  • yea, that sort of thing should trigger a renegotiation of your contract. Even if, in your case, it was only a verbal agreement. – James Adam Mar 25 '13 at 12:43
  • I would simply provide him with a quote for what it will cost. If you intend to offer him a cut rate I would quote him regular rate and include a discount instead of writing it up at the cut rate. That way if they want to change further you can bill at regular rate if you desire. – IDrinkandIKnowThings Mar 25 '13 at 16:47
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    @Oded I think it's just me being a "wuss", and complaining to being taken advantage of rather than actually confronting him. I am going to quote your comment :) – Yusaf Khaliq Mar 25 '13 at 18:11
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I agree with Oded, it sounds like an entirely new website. Consider the following services with regards to websites:

Adds
Moves
Changes

Of course alot of us learn by experience in the freelance field, but if he wants to change the entire look of the website, then that is by definition a new site, even if it's still myfriendswebsite.com. It may take some convincing and examples of what would fall under the Adds Moves & Changes categories and what would not, but ultimately it's up to the customer to continue to do business with you or not.

With my own website clients, I inform them that the template we agree on is it. If they want to Add a page, that's fine, Move content on a page then great, or Change a page or the content of a page then okay, as long as we still have the same basic template.

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If you're willing and able to do the work, I would quote him your price per hour, and break down the requested additions/changes into estimates. You don't have to charge what you might normally charge, as he is your friend and it's a charity website, but you've completed your original agreement, and this is (at least from what I read in your question) outside the scope of that agreement.

Doing a favor for a friend is all well and good, but you must as some point draw the line and stand up for the value of your time and talent. You don't need to be confrontational about it, but you must make it clear that this is not what you originally committed to.

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I think that since you ask on Workspace and no Programmers, you know that you have done what was asked originally, and that you only look for the ways how to explain it to him.

I recommend you to find what exactly you agreed on with him (you might not have the specifics in a contract, but digging up the appropriate mails should suffice). Then tell him that you are willing to do the changes he asks for, but before discussing that, you would like to sort out the agreement you had and you suppose to get the promised money. Present him the contract/mail/agreement if necessary, to make it clear that you have done your job.

If he is irreponsive to that and he doesn't want to pay, then you have to be more straight, friends or not. Just explain him that the job was underpriced at the beginning, that you were happy to help with his project, but that programming costs a lot of time (like other jobs do) and you cannot continue working on that without any extra money, that you want your money now. The politeness is, in my opinion, in making the situation clear. You cannot be very polite to someone who does not understand the situation.

If this is not enough, you have no other option but to remove the project from their site until you two agree on that. This may, however, mean that you are never paid.

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