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How Do You Prove That You Worked X Amount of Hours?

Thread title: How Do You Prove That You Worked X Amount of Hours?
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08-27-2012, 05:21 PM
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BoyWonder is offline BoyWonder
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  Old  How Do You Prove That You Worked X Amount of Hours?

I have a client that decided to pay my hourly rate, and then, I tracked my time, but when the invoice came, she wanted proof that I worked the amount of hours that I said i did. The only answer that I could come up with, is for us to consult a non-biased 3rd party programmer, to explain to her that a project at that scale would take x amount of hours. Did I do the right thing? Does anyone else have an alternative solution outside of recording your screen?

08-28-2012, 02:08 AM
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Village Genius is offline Village Genius
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Signed time sheets are proof enough to argue in court, it is what everyone uses. If you are lying it is fraud and such accusations shouldn't be given or taken lightly. Your response should simply be "are you accusing me of fraud?"

If they are going to pull a move like that I would stop working with them at my first opportunity.

08-28-2012, 11:46 AM
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Access to raw time sheets and ways you will account for time when you're getting paid per hour is something to deal with in your contract. It is not acceptable for a client to decide that they need more or different documentation after the work has been completed or the bill presented.

If you didn't actually log your time as you were working . . .or didn't log it in a useful and legible way. . .then responding with confidence to this kind of query can be a little tricky. (Creating time logs after the invoice has been presented is fraud, too.) If this is the case, expect that you may have some price negotiation in your near future. I imagine this client wouldn't accept a notarized statement...;^)

08-29-2012, 12:22 PM
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[I assume that you meant the recent post in the thread about first contact with a client for this one, instead, so I'm responding here.]

So, what's the issue?

The client says
  • you couldn't possibly have spent as much time as you claim?
  • you spent too much time?
  • you exceeded your estimates and she didn't realize it was an estimate and not a firm bid?
  • it's about the time but it's really that she doesn't like what you've done or needs you to do more and it's easier to try to "get" you on quantitative issues than qualitative ones?
  • something else?

Unless there's something going on that you're not describing it doesn't sound as if there's any fault on your part. Have you tried asking this person what she wants? If this is all a ruse to get a lowered price, I'd suggest holding your ground.

PS It did occur to me after my last post that if you're under 18 your signature by itself doesn't "count" on a contract.

08-29-2012, 01:39 PM
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According to a New York law that my mom's lawyer friend dug up, I can not be liable in breaking a contract, thats true, but the other party that is over 18 is liable.

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08-30-2012, 12:15 PM
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Originally Posted by BoyWonder View Post
According to a New York law that my mom's lawyer friend dug up, I can not be liable in breaking a contract, thats true, but the other party that is over 18 is liable.
You might want to doublecheck though, that the contract is actually enforcable on your side. It's not just that you can't be held liable, described here: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encycloped...ics-33367.html. It's the question of whether the client can declare the contract invalid because you are underage (i.e., not a legal person ;^) should you have a disagreement.

The simple way to get around this might be to have a legal adult co-sign with you. . . .a parent...a guardian. . .your banker. . .the local Mob boss. . .

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12-31-2012, 04:09 AM
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You shouldn't have to "prove" anything.

The invoice is due. Tell her to pay it or refer back to the terms in your contract.

You don't question doctors, lawyers or mechanics - web design should be no different.

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01-03-2013, 02:44 PM
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I disagree, "johnny." I would not pay a bill from a doctor, lawyer, accountant, plumber, electrician, mechanic or other without some kind of itemization or description of work provided. And I wouldn't pay the bill without questioning charges I thought were inflated. I do this whether the contract is implied or actual.

And now, for a bit of shameless self-promotion: If you want a copy of the time & tasks worksheet I use (an excel file), PM me with an address to which I can send an attachment. I've recently revised my business management programs, am now only offering courses on request. Worksheets and tipsheets are free for the asking and once I revise the website will be downloadable from there, with a you-have-to-pay-for link to a walkthrough of each.

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01-03-2013, 08:14 PM
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derek lapp is offline derek lapp
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buy a time tracking app.

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01-17-2013, 08:52 AM
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Readymakers-sales is offline Readymakers-sales
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Think a time tracking app is a good idea, try it.

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