The archive
Issue #014
Client Horror Stories 8 min read· 29 Aug 2026The Six-Month Prediction
A client with an attitude. Sunglasses indoors. He scoffs at my quote. 'I can get it done for half the cost if I outsource it.' I smile. 'See you in six months.' My associate asks how I know. 'They always come back.' Six months later, he walks in a complete mess. And the quote is higher.
CTO takeaway
The lesson, minus the scar tissue.
- Cheaper isn't always cheaper. It's often more expensive in time, stress, and damage control.
- When a client chooses the cheapest option, they're not saving money—they're betting on luck. And luck is not a strategy.
- The 'rescue operation' quote is always higher than the original. Fixing a broken project is harder than building it right the first time.
- Sunglasses indoors is a red flag. So is scoffing at a quote. So is saying 'I can get it cheaper.' Trust the signals.
- Sometimes the best thing you can do is let a client make their own mistakes—and be there to catch them when they fall.
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A comic, a story and a takeaway every other week. Written for founders who inherited a codebase they didn't choose.
