Re: The customer (was FMTSRC)

Hello Booth, Nina, James, Doug, Don, John, and possibly sundry others:

Well this was originally an off-topic aside but it has become more relevant.  I 
am now curious.  First some 
comments about the comments:

James wrote:
>How about: "money talks"?  ;-)
>They have it, you want it.

Yes, I want other peoples money.  It's necessary to my survival but I do not 
have to compromise to get it.

John wrote:
>Customer hasn't paid $$$ yet ?  :)

Facetious argument.  If I have performed the work satisfactorily they are 
contractually obliged to pay.

Booth wrote:
>My personal assessment Simon is that the customer is always right.  This can 
>be demonstrated simply by doing
>the exercise of proving him wrong.  Once the customer is proven wrong it is 
>but a trivial task to
>demonstrate the customer is now in the group called "ex-customer" and can know 
>longer be called a customer.
>qed, the customer is never wrong.

No, even one as abrasive as I can explain to a customer why they are wrong 
without losing them as a customer.  
Anyone that touchy is someone I wouldn't WANT to work for.  Nor someone who 
constantly requires obsequious 
behaviour.

Nina wrote:
>i've seen that happen more than once.  no one likes to be proven wrong!  and 
>sometimes it's the way you do
>it.  no one likes a know it all.

>the best you can do is gently suggest - and if they say no, you can decide 
>whether you want to code in a
>style you don't like, or don't take the job at all.

I agree with this.  The customer is paying me for my technical ability.  If 
they cannot accept my advice then 
why would I consider the job? If they can persuade me I am wrong then I've 
learned something.  Being proven 
wrong is a learning experience.  It is not possible to be right all the time -- 
even for me; I thought I was 
wrong once but I was mistaken (hee hee hee).  (By the way there are two shift 
keys within easy reach of your 
pinky fingers :) )

Don wrote:
>Actually, there's a corollary to that law:

>How many NEW UNITS will I sell if I add feature x.  Which really should be
>written to be:  How many units will I LOSE if I DON'T add feature
>x...because my competition has HAD feature x as a base or affordable add
>on function for some time....:)

Isn't that marketing survival?  If your product can't fill as many check boxes 
of an RFP you might not get a 
chance to bid.

Doug wrote:
>It's called the "Golden Rule"; otherwise known as, "He who has the gold, makes 
>the rules".

Again, I don't have to put up with crap from a customer just 'cause they have 
the dollars.

Now to satisfying my curiosity -- if you'll indulge me.  Am I the only 
independent/contractor/consultant who 
turns down work because the customer is an idiot, the project is doomed, the 
platform (hardware/OS) is 
horrible, the work isn't interesting or challenging?

I know of contractors who really don't care what they are asked to do or how 
they have to do it as long as 
they get paid.  I can't work that way so I don't -- it's one of the reasons I 
stay away from application 
coding.

Regards,
Simon Coulter.

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