Where’s the Rush?
A freelancer friend was lamenting this the other day – he’d worked his tail off to get in what was labeled a rush job by the client, and then he waited. And waited. And is still waiting for word on the project status….

I hate this – these pseudo-rush jobs that have to be done INSTANTLY, yet apparently get lost in limbo for days, weeks, months on end (in one case, I’ve been waiting a good two years for feedback – it’s probably not coming, right?). I’ve been victim of the “I need it instantly!” request/demand. I’ve also learned to screen calls and send repeat offenders to voice mail to cool their jets. If it’s a repeat client, I’m more likely to accommodate. If it’s a new client, I’m more likely to draw boundaries with this nifty tool called the rush fee. Some of my freelance chums have relabeled this the “aggravation fee” for obvious reasons. More recently I was out of the office for a few days and despite my email auto-response stating I was away, I was still getting “Oh my gawd! We need you now!” messages. Somehow, amazingly, these people survive without their instant dose of prose. Go figure. And equally amazing – when they find out about the rush fee, it’s suddenly not so much of a rush. Take your time, in fact!

Have you been the victim of a pseudo-rush job? Have you dropped everything to finish this job quickly and then waited for word or worse, payment?