I got robbed 😔
Last year, my friend and I started working on a freelancing project. (I mostly do freelancing to learn more about product development and cover my college expenses.)
He told me the client would pay us $5 per hour for a 3 month long project, and we would split it 50:50. I agreed because working part-time on the project would easily cover my monthly expenses and leave me with some savings.
I worked for almost 300 hours, while he barely contributed.
During the project, I got access to his email for some work and noticed some large payment-related emails on Razorpay. The numbers were nearly 3x that we were supposedly charging. I got curious and decided to look into it.
That’s when I found out he was actually charging the client $15 per hour.
At one point, we also did a fixed-price project (a landing page creation). He told me we'd be paid $300, but I later discovered he had charged the client $1,000.
Now, I understand that service-based businesses work this way—charging X from clients and paying Y to freelancers/employees.
But in this case:
- I handled everything - frontend, backend, database, optimizations, and brainstorming new features.
- He was kind of close friend with whom I did multiple projects.
- My vacation also got disturbed along with academics.
Eventually, I left the project, telling him I was joining XYZ Company as an intern and wouldn’t have time for it anymore.
We’re still in contact, but I’ve been avoiding any work he offers me.
PS: Thank God this is an anonymous app 🙏
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All WITCH companies do th this, Ca, lawyers do this. Dentists working on profit sharing do this Don't avoid him. Demand better rates but keep doing the work. Any business, until it gets big enough, can't set the terms. This is common for freelancers well. When the client base is big enough, on gets to pick the work on profit. Untill then we don't have a choice.
This problem is there even in salaried world. For the same job, IIT/IIM gets paid more.
That's true as I said in my post, but when you are a friend, and started doing a project I guess being open is very important, if this was an agency and me contract worker then I would not have any issue.
And most of the time in such cases they don't share what the client is paying, but here he was clearly telling me we are getting $5 only.
And thanks to ma durga I have enough work to avoid him 🙏
Cute of you to think he is your friend (close one as you said) It's important to realise when he is on business terms with you, he means business. If you consider him your friend, take him to your buddy spot if you guys have a common hangout place and tell him that you don't want to mix business and friendship. Keep things clear. Tell him you don't like it this way. Talk to him...
You will never trust any word of him and will always think about his backstabbing.
It will drain you, just avoid him completely
Hmm, that's also true that's why I avoided him and completely for the work purpose only.
But thinking about having a small healthy conversation with him
WITCH cos shortchanging is still better coz they have an employment contract. Your friend is a freeloading and lying partner.
Confront him and tell him that you need to trust him to work in future. He can be short term greedy and make more pennies off you and can be long term greedy and keep making immense money.
Tell him that his blatant lying has shook you and you are having hard time trusting him. If he wants to make more money, he better do something to win your trust.
Also, if you have his emails and you do all the work, why do you even need him? Start contacting the clients directly and cut him off.
I got access to mail for a short duration only, and this is about a year old incident.
About contacting the client, maybe I would have a chance to cover things.
My cousin did this to me. When I was freelancing, I agreed to do a small wordpress task for him. He agreed to pay 7-8k. After completing the work, he never bothered to pay me. When I asked he said that the client hadn't paid him. But continued to ask me if I'm interested in any more work, I declined saying I was busy. We are still in contact and still in talking terms but I cannot get over the fact that he stole my work and denied paying me. It happens. India is a fucked up country in this aspect
Relations and business are very hard to balance
Hi @TrueWinner I am also planning to do freelance work with my current job. Would it be possible if you could help me out with this? need some guidance from you. Also what tech stack do you use?
Firstly good that you vented out your thoughts here else it would have killed you inside.
If I was in your place this is how I would have made myself better
- I learnt a lot in these projects and my overall skillset has increased
- Money places a crucial role but I learnt the hardway let me be cautious next time
- Future freelancing will be benefited because I now know what to quote based on my skill set
- There are two ways to deal with this friend..demand for the pending money and make him realise he should not cheat others in future or let him go Karma will hit back. Choice is yours
Overall more than the money I feel you know what truly you are capable of and it will make you a technical strong person
Yup, and that's why I am not feeling sad i got to know how much i can do as a solo dev, I also learnt how to do client communication and be clear with expectations
Thanks
Har ek Friend zaroori hota hai.
If its one year old incident leave it. Keep healthy relationship because he has connection to get projects. So he is capable to get you more projects. Raise your per hour wage and it will be fine.
That's what I am thinking to do
