Why do old clients expect the same discount for new projects?
Clients often feel entitled to past temporary or one-time discounts on future, smaller jobs and react angrily when rates return to normal. This creates intense social pressure and can even damage relationships with the people who originally referred them.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Stating the standard fee and itemizing the one-time discount clearly on the initial invoice so the customer understands the full value.Did this help you?
- 2Standing firm on standard rates despite complaints and losing the client relationship.Did this help you?
- 3Cutting deliverables or scope of work to match the lower budgetDid this help you?
- 4Refusing to work with clients who push for massive rate reductionsDid this help you?
- 5Offering tier-based contracts tied to minimum volume thresholds rather than upfront discountsDid this help you?
- 6Walking away from the project entirelyDid this help you?
- 7sending a plain, honest note explaining that costs have risenDid this help you?
- 8giving notice a couple of months in advance at the beginning of the calendar yearDid this help you?
- 9focusing on product qualityDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I get this a lot where someone asks about a high volume of work, then comes back asking for the same daily rate for a much smaller piece of work.”source ↗
“She expected me to keep working for 250 bucks just because that is what I charged her before..”source ↗
“She complained to my referring client, who chewed me out for abandoning her and dropped me.”source ↗
“costs went up on everything and i finally had to raise my prices after holding them for two years. i was terrified my loyal customers would feel betrayed.”source ↗
“The one client who tried to negotiate me way, way down is one of the few clients I refused to work with, because it was clear they were going to be a headache right out of the starting gate.”source ↗
“I had a client sign my contract with my rate and then a month later come back asking for a lower rate (retroactive) because “they would make up for it in volume” down the road.”source ↗
“I had one client negotiate me down (still was within my range, but at the absolute bottom). I told him that that fee was my last, best offer and that I wouldn't go lower. He asked if I could go lower. I declined the project.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 18How to respond when a client says your rates are too high
- 5How to follow up with a client who picked a cheaper vendor
- 5Clients who refuse to fix underlying problems before repairs
- 28How to handle clients who demand refunds and bully you
- 2Client disputing billing terms and rates after receiving the invoice
- 6How to tell a client their bookkeeper is incompetent