A Big Hole In The Invoice

(A business client is moving into a new office space and doing heavy renovations to it before they move over, including running network cable through the walls and getting all new furniture. My husband is their IT guy, and he is installing the new network cables and outlets it’s hooked to, as well as setting up their phone system. Due to the schedules of the plasterers, etc., he comes in at night, under his usual after-hours fee, which the client approves. One day, the client comes by to see him at the new building as he’s working.)

Client: “Yeah, hey, so do you have, you know, like those drill attachments that are really big? Like, you know, about this big. ” *indicates a diameter of about three inches*

Husband: “Yeah, I’ve got a set of those at home. Why? You need to borrow them?”

Client: “Well, it’s these desks, see. They’ve got holes for all the cables on this side, but we’ll need the holes to be on the other side.”

Husband: *takes a look at the existing holes* “Yeah, I’ve got something this size. I can bring it in with me when I come back tomorrow. Do you have a drill?”

Client: “Why? Don’t you have one?”

Husband: “I do. Do you need one?”

Client: “No, but you will.”

(It ends up that the client wants my husband, the network guy charging almost a hundred dollars an hour, to drill all these holes in the desks.)

Husband: “Are you sure you want me to do that? I mean, it’s not hard, and I’d have to charge you for my time. You could do it yourself really easily.”

Client: “No, no. This is a networking thing; you need to do it.”

Husband: “Okay, just so long as you know I’ll have to charge you for it.”

Client: “Yeah, yeah, that’s fine.”

(My husband gets the holes drilled and presents an invoice when the work’s done.)

Client: “What the h*** is this charge for drilling the holes?! That’s completely outrageous!”

Husband: “I did tell you that I would have to charge for my time. I was here until two am drilling them.”

Client: “But this is for hundreds of dollars, just to drill a bunch of holes! It’s ridiculous! You shouldn’t be charging me for that; I could have just done it myself!”