26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes
8th February 2010 – Somedays when I am having a bad day or dealing with a ‘client from hell’ which can really stress me out I browse some of the quotes submitted at Clients from Hell and it makes me think that maybe it’s not so bad. After all they do pay the bills (even if they don’t always pay on time!)
If you work in the design and freelance world then some of these quotes will probably sound like nightmare clients you have had to deal with and maybe you have some examples that are like this or maybe much, much worse.
These 26 examples just made me chuckle and shows that I am not alone.
The site is broken. When I’m on the home page and I click the back button, it takes me to another site.
Source>>
If you’re going to charge me 40$ an hour to make my website I would like to install a camera in your office so I’m 100% sure you don’t bill me for hours where you’re not working.
Source>>
Client: “I want it to be like Facebook”
Me: “Did you have a budget in mind for this project?”
Client: “I need to get it done for under $500
Source>>
Can you include a splash intro animation that turns the screen into a mirror so they can see themselves? We really want to push the metaphor.
Source>>
I need you to make the website black and white but include as much color as possible.
Can you make our website track their webcams? I want to make sure that anybody on our site aren’t creepy-stalker types.
Source>>
Client: “I need you to design me an internal company newsletter”
Me: “I’ll need the logo, brand guidelines, any relevant graphics and text.”
Client: “You’re not licensed to use them”
Source>>
We’re looking for a high-exposure designer for our site. We want some flash stuff, maybe even some other interactive features. I can only afford a one-time $25 payment upon completion/upload of the site, however it’s a great way to add a fun, popular business to your portfolio
Source>>
We have no budget for this ad, but the good news is that we are definitely sure that we want to work with you.
Source>>
I need to get moving, anyway you can do some work on this on your vacation. That’s a long vacation, I bet you’ll get bored anyway, and this is back-and-forth via email, not phone, so it shouldn’t cause you any stress.
Source>>
Most of our photos are all white people, but we need to show more diversity, and we don’t have the budget for another photoshoot. But I’m sure you can just change them to various races, I mean, that’s what a graphic designer does, right?
Source>>
Here, I really like Apple’s logo, so I’ve taken their logo and put our name under it.
Source>>
Your hourly rate is okay, as long as you don’t need more than an hour. And you can show me how you did it so I can do it on my own next time.
Source>>
Make sure it’s not too edgy, not too flashy, not too much detail, not classical/traditional, not too complex, exciting, but not all over all over the place, efficient but fun, clean, fresh, modern, up beat, contemporary, high readability, smooth, shapeless, timeless, not outdated, but simple.
Source>>
That other website is stealing our business. Can you make it so that when someone types in their address they come to our site?
Source>>
Above all, when you redesign the website, I don’t want any HTML in it. I’m tired of dealing with all the hassles of HTML
Source>>
Client: “Well, how big is your computer?”
Me: “My, uh… How big?”
Client: “Yeah. How big? Is it big enough to handle a big sign?”
Me: “Well it’s a newer MacBook Pro so, like I said, I shouldn’t have any trouble.”Client:“No, like how many inches?”
Me: “Um, well… It has a 17-inch screen.”
Client: “Well that won’t work. We need something that’s thirty or fortyt inches wide. It’s a big sign.”
Source>>
Can you show Joanne [client’s secretary] how you designed our business cards. I don’t want to pay you for doing them.
Source>>
Our client’s competitors has put something on their website that we don’t like, can you take it off there?
Source>>
The woman in this photo is perfect, but she needs to be disabled. Can you photoshop her so she only has one arm?
Source>>
JPG screenshots of a new website design were sent to the client. Her only feedback was, “I try to click the menu, but nothing happens”
Source>>
The CEO will be in town tomorrow so if you could get the whole site done by then that would be great.
Source>>
We need our website to work regular business hours; from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Source>>
Client: “I’ve sent the image. I can’t wait to see the final product.”
Me: “This image is 115px x 148px at 72dpi. Typically we need images around 1000px and higher with around 150+dpi.”
Client: “Can’t you just Enhance the images like they do in CSI.
Source>>
I think this looks good but I’m going to have my daughter look at it too. She’s got a good eye for this stuff and she just did the cover for her high school’s yearbook…
Source>>
I have printed it out, but the animated GIF is not moving?
Source>>
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Additional comments powered byBackType










about 2 years ago
xD…thanks for post, they’re make me laugh. last one, is it real ??
about 2 years ago
I know it sounds so ridiculous that it most likely is true!
about 2 years ago
Wow, how funny and how true. I see a lot of this happening on craigslist.
“I’d like a website like facebook or twitter… oh yeah, we’ll pay you $10/hr”. Or “I’ll pay you nothing but it would be GREAT for your portfolio”.
No it won’t, it would be GREAT if you could put money in my pocket!
about 2 years ago
… LOL, especially when they are intending to make a lot of money out of it and they expect me to do it for peanuts. Seems a bit unfair!
about 2 years ago
haha! That is awesome. I am sure most designers would have experienced quite a few of these in their career.
about 2 years ago
Very funny! Lot of these happen, but all of ‘em? Duh!
Clients surely must know the ‘courtesy’ before engaging with a designer.
about 1 year ago
LOL
Yeah, some of these happened to me, too. I was trying not to punch them
Once a client wanted me to add some pictures to the gallery from the Internet. When she come to the meeting she gave me a paper with images’ URL – each a line long and written by hand!
about 1 year ago
Haha Nice
about 1 year ago
These are awesome!
about 1 year ago
Ohmyword. Yes!
We’ve had similar experiences. How about this:
Client: “Can you go through my entire website and tell me everything I need to do to make it better for the search engines, plus whatever I should do to revamp the site? I need a list of everything. Oh, and if you could tell me how much you would charge to do the new website. I’m price-shopping.”
We tell him how much a full website consultation will be with a complete list of everything he needs, and that we’ll apply the cost of the consultation, in full, to the cost of the website if he chooses to go with us.
Him: I have to pay for that? But you haven’t even done anything!
I just published a blog this morning called “5 Web Clients Who’ll Keep You Up At Night” with this one and 4 others. But man, I could do at least 20.
about 1 year ago
These are priceless!
about 1 year ago
Clients can be so retarded at times!
about 1 year ago
This article has been shared on favSHARE.net. Go and vote it!
about 1 year ago
These are absolutely hilarious. I loved it. I wonder if most of them are really that dumb!! (o_O)
Thanks for sharing.
about 1 year ago
about 1 year ago
I love these client comment list! Makes me think twice about the things that I ask from other business. Maybe they have a blog post that makes fun of my questions & comments. LOL
I recently had a client that wanted her website made a little more “Whippy Zippy”. I said, “What??”
I can’t get that term out of my head now
about 1 year ago
LOL “whippy zippy” that’s a new one. Reminds me of the equally crap “snazzy”
about 1 year ago
I had a client who wanted a site designed for them. After coming up with a pretty sophisticated look and feel, because its for a women’s self-help site, and they didn’t like the pictures I used. They then sent me the images they prefered, and it was a microsoft word clipart image. Its on their site till this day.
about 1 year ago
I know the feeling. I had clients bastardize my images by getting someone to turn them into animated GIFs. Assholes!!!
about 1 year ago
You can’t live without them, and you can’t live with them… it’s a cruel world.
about 1 year ago
That is so true
about 1 year ago
lol hashAHSAHahashhAHS client see that now? ops =]
about 1 year ago
Lol! Absolutely fantastic! Will put a link on my site to the list!
about 1 year ago
nice collection, thanks for that, I’m in agony from laughter!!!!
about 1 year ago
Funny and depressing at the same time. A few of these people, I think I’d have choked before I could control myself. lol
about 1 year ago
This sort of thing is by no means confined to a single industry. I’m a contract sales manager for a very large fire protection company, where I sell everything from consulting engineering services to parts and pieces. I deal with these sorts of people on a daily basis. After many years, I’ve learned to sniff them out early and encourage them to go to my competitors.
There’s a pattern that will help you predict this kind of leeching client. Essentially, there are two types of small business owner. The first type is someone who has spent years — probably decades — working for a large company and decides to strike out on their own. They know the industry, they understand the realities of overhead, etc. In short, they’re good, well-educated, experienced and competent business people.
The second sort, however, are those who generate inanities like you’ve posted above. They’re someone who has little to no experience in their own industry, who saw “a great opportunity” and started up on a shoestring with a half-assed business plan, (or none at all), and haven’t the faintest idea what makes the business world go round. Those are the ones you want to steer to your competition in the nicest possible way.
about 1 year ago
Thanks for the great advice
about 1 year ago
Thank you for a great laugh. This really hit home.
about 1 year ago
i find it scary that the person in the last one wouldnt be freaked out if the image on the paper started moving
about 1 year ago
Thanks!!! I needed a laugh to start my week!!!
about 1 year ago
Haha brilliant – they remind me of the sort of comments and queries I get from my boss practically everyday
about 1 year ago
nice list, “I have printed it out, but the animated GIF is not moving?” … lol
I have had clients ask say:
“could we could have a print button for the sample creams, so people can smell them without ordering”
“when someone types in google, I want my website to come up instead”
about 1 year ago
Oh man – I’ve got a feeling of frustration and amusement in equal measures after reading that!
about 1 year ago
very funny ! i bet they are from hell and should see the face of the designer at the time when these clients asked these words !! lol
about 1 year ago
Funny:D
“I need to get moving, anyway you can do some work on this on your vacation. That’s a long vacation, I bet you’ll get bored anyway, and this is back-and-forth via email, not phone, so it shouldn’t cause you any stress.” -And I thought everyone understood the actual meaning of the word “vacation”??
about 1 year ago
These are spot on. I’m a CGI artist and it’s the same kind of question. Things like I saw this on CSI and I would like a animation similar but only have £300 or ,Client, There’s something I don’t like about it. Me, what is it? Client, I’m not sure but can you change it.
about 1 year ago
OMG I can so relate.
Add this to your list: Well, the software is free, why should I pay for mods, plugins or a custom design?
Me: because my time and work are not free.
Well the software is free! I can get a theme free from [so and so]
Me: So go there and get a free theme.
But I want a custom one.
Me: I’m sorry, custom is not free and I think $150 isn’t too much to ask.
I’ll just stick with the free since the software is free.
Me: Fine. Good luck and have a nice day.
about 1 year ago
Perfect. I just had a client who thought I could design the whole website in “screenshots”…and she had ADD. Longest three months of my life.
about 1 year ago
OMG! Some of these are too much!
about 1 year ago
you get to see a lot of these questions from newbie entrepreneurs who are cutting costs in every corner when they practically don’t know what you’re doing…
I get a number of shit from time to time… makes you want to break the monitor
about 1 year ago
Hey, that’s another great stuff! Really funny Sometimes I just asks myself if it’s not too much..
Some clients has really “wonderful” questions..
about 1 year ago
This is great stuff and definitely have had a few of these quotes happen to me! “Can you have this 100 page website done in the next few days.” It’s great how people do not understand how long it takes for a website to be completed.
about 1 year ago
Can you please email me and tell me who designed your site?
about 1 year ago
they need a website like this for social workers. jesus. i’d be submitting quotes all day.
about 1 year ago
SOURCES? Btw, I’m not a troll. I’m just tired of seeing lists like this who don’t back up where they are getting the quotes, etc.
You get the award for being the 1,000,000 site I’ve gone to with absolutely nothing to support that the quotes are real.
Hey! Here’s a list. The dumbest things that people have ever said!
1. “Can I chrome my duck.”
2. “Are cars driven by angels?”
3. “What percentage people believe lists with no sources listed on the Net?
4. “MY COFFEE CUP HOLDER ON MY COMPUTER ISN’T WORKING.” That’s one’s GOT to be real?
When did it become ok to have lists where people say things that have no support. Oh, wait, we’ve always been doing that. I wish it would stop.
about 1 year ago
Well I have a load of emails which back up this kind of thing like I’m sure a lot of designers have also. It’s also very hard to get backup from ‘word of mouth’ quotes from these kind of problem clients and I’m not disrespecting any clients as they pay the bills! But thanks for your comment. All are welcome
about 1 year ago
OMG!
I found a couple of my client in this list. They are real and not only in my work
I’m laugh to much!
Thank you for this collection!
about 10 months ago
Hilarious!
about 9 months ago
OMG!
You must have bugged my phone or office or something… lmao!!!
Some of these people really are my clients.
about 8 months ago
26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes | http://bit.ly/afsNm5 | RT @TerriNakamura
about 8 months ago
Too Good ! 26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes | http://bit.ly/afsNm5 | RT @TerriNakamura RT @pramitjnathan
about 8 months ago
26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes | http://bit.ly/afsNm5 | RT @TerriNakamura
about 8 months ago
26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes | http://bit.ly/afsNm5 | RT @TerriNakamura @pramitjnathan //awesome post.
about 8 months ago
ALAS! I HAVE BEEN VINDICATED! AFTER 16 YEARS IN THE WEB DESIGN BUSINESS I HAVE HEARD THEM ALL!!!! THANK YOU FOR MAKING FEEL LIKE I AM NOT CRAZY IN THE HEAD!!!!!
about 8 months ago
Thanks @pramitjnathan @sunitabhagatjee @aneeez for the RT of: 26 Great ‘Clients from He!l’ Quotes | http://bit.ly/afsNm5
about 7 months ago
Grappig.. http://t.co/lTKGpvp
about 7 months ago
26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes http://bit.ly/aNzeND (via @cabear34)
about 7 months ago
26 Great Clients from Hell Quotes | Web Design Mash http://t.co/ojwrpfV
about 7 months ago
I'm a huge advocate of the socratic method, unfortunately, there are many questions we can deem beyond stupid… http://t.co/fWs8dyK
about 7 months ago
26 Great "Clients from Hell" Quotes | Web Design Mash http://t.co/hGkIbNq via @cabear34
about 7 months ago
26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes http://bit.ly/aNzeND (via @cabear34)
about 7 months ago
26 Great Clients from Hell Quotes | Web Design Mash http://t.co/ojwrpfV
about 7 months ago
I’m a huge advocate of the socratic method, unfortunately, there are many questions we can deem beyond stupid… http://t.co/fWs8dyK
about 6 months ago
Clients form hell parte 2. Quien no los conozca, que los compre…(y se los lleve al mismísimo infierno) http://bit.ly/bMeXzj
about 6 months ago
have heard them all before… thanks Mrs CEO of Duidelik!!!! http://fb.me/GENRNJb1
about 5 months ago
“Client: “I want it to be like Facebook”
Me: “Did you have a budget in mind for this project?”
Client: “I need to get it done for under $500″
I’m alone at home and I can’t stop laughing with this one…heheheheehehheheheeh……
about 5 months ago
Priceless.
Now you just need the one about how the client wants you to build them a website like youtube and you get 50% of the profits.
about 5 months ago
Old RT > 26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes http://ow.ly/6kx4b
about 5 months ago
RT @webdesignmash: 26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes http://t.co/EdKVxjW
about 4 months ago
RT @webdesignmash: 26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes http://t.co/OaryhwyZ
about 3 months ago
Casos con clientes extraordinarios: http://t.co/NGrvfAMt
about 3 months ago
Haha! RT @webdesignmash: 26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes http://t.co/MOnopww2
about 3 months ago
clients from Hell http://t.co/eGi4A5Rs 'The site is broken,when I’m on the homepage and I click the backbutton, it takes me to another site'
about 2 months ago
26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes ( Via http://t.co/112Je6os ) #BrandAnarchy
about 2 months ago
RT @webdesignmash: 26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes http://t.co/tqQW1qIh
about 2 months ago
For my design buddies. 26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes
http://t.co/f4oULnwi
#DesignerNightmares
about 1 month ago
@TraceyHalvorsen relevant: http://t.co/bM7HVCml
about 1 month ago
@TraceyHalvorsen relevant: http://t.co/bM7HVCml
about 1 month ago
26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes http://t.co/WakL4X4C
about 1 month ago
26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes http://t.co/WakL4X4C
about 1 month ago
Coisas que eu não sinto falta da minha vida de designer // RT @WebDesignMash: 26 Great "Clients from Hell" Quotes http://t.co/xx5QrRfy
about 1 month ago
Great place to share your client experiences
http://crappycustomers.weebly.com/index.html
about 3 weeks ago
RT @webdesignmash: 26 Great ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes http://t.co/u0sd7S6v
about 3 weeks ago
lol some ‘Clients from Hell’ Quotes….http://www.webdesignmash.com/2010/02/26-great-clients-from-hell-quotes-2/ http://t.co/Xlv4C2Jy
about 2 weeks ago
Funny but true!
about 2 weeks ago
The site is broken. When I’m on the home page and I click the back button, it takes me to another site. http://t.co/1Ej2YX4B
about 2 weeks ago
The site is broken. When I’m on the home page and I click the back button, it takes me to another site. http://t.co/h1Tzp805
about 2 weeks ago
The site is broken. When I’m on the home page and I click the back button, it takes me to another site. http://t.co/Ie0pX4zH
about 6 days ago
Here is a good laugh for you this evening #funnybecauseitstrue http://t.co/y0142ifH
about 6 days ago
Here is a good laugh for you this evening #funnybecauseitstrue http://t.co/y0142ifH
about 6 days ago
Here is a good laugh for you this evening #funnybecauseitstrue http://t.co/y0142ifH
about 6 days ago
Here is a good laugh for you this evening #funnybecauseitstrue http://t.co/y0142ifH
about 5 days ago
Clients, a necessary evil :– http://t.co/AC3U2WW3