I had a nice Q&A session with one of my mailing list readers regarding the guarantee I use in some of my proposals.
Here’s my line:
My work is guaranteed. In the event that you feel that I am not meeting the standards described herein, or based on our mutual conversations and agreements, I will refund your entire fee upon such notification.
Here’s the Q&A that ensued:
READER: Doesn’t that open you up to a lot of risk?
It’s only a lot of risk if you’re engaging in large projects with clients who you don’t trust (which is risky whether or not you offer a guarantee).
READER: Has an unreasonable client ever asked for a refund halfway through a project?
No, never. Not once. I’ve voluntarily refunded a few though - just because it was the right thing to do. I think the biggest refund I’ve given was $10,000.00 USD.
READER: I definitely believe in the quality of my work, but I’ve also had clients who go Hulk-like and turn into a pushy, unreasonable version of themselves halfway through a project. I’d imagine they could ask for a refund, then they could take our strategy from the roadmapping (which they’ve already gotten) to another developer.
I have three responses to this: