Fired? Ouch...

[prhilton]

She was completely unprofessional. You can definitely do better. Even I got all heated just reading her email, and it wasn't even directed at me! Definitely use your article elsewhere if you don't get paid for it shortly.

Keep us posted!

[plastix]

Everyone gets major edits or rejections from time to time, but she definitely crossed the line and was unprofessional. Like others have mentioned, it sounds like it could have been a time zone conflict as well.

One thing I've learned about working with people over the internet is that people are very different when they are behind a computer vs. in person or on the phone (kind of like when some people get behind the wheel of a car!). If something like this happens again and it is at all possible, try picking up the phone and explaining yourself that way. I think you'll find people are much nicer and accommodating this way.

[Lillith]

Hmm possibly she is bipolar and neglected to take her medication. I have run into clients such as her from time to time. Sadly, there are more of them out there than you would believe. However, I have become pretty good at "sensing" a lunatic before accepting an assignment. I am betting you will start getting an excellent "sense" of a normal person and one who needs therapy. It's too bad this happened to you and it's always a shock the first time it does. You have received some great guidance here, though. Definitely post your article somewhere public if you are not paid for it.

[MoneyMakinMama]

Add me to the list of those who believe that her behavior was completely uncalled for and unprofessional.

I fired a client once for chastising me based on an assumption he'd imagined, which couldn't have been further from reality (he accused me of having someone else write a batch of his company's articles when the truth is that I'd stayed up all night to finish them myself). When the client threatened me with an "if this ever happens again" statement, I politely replied that not only did it not happen the first time, but he'd never have to worry about having this conversation again since we would no longer be working together.

After reading your story and the many other similar ones I've heard of, I am concerned about the (seeming) trend that suggests a lack of respect for what we do and who we are as professionals.

Chalk this up as her mental issue and move on. Better to lose $10 now and be rid of an unreasonable client...

~MMM

[Clairejoy]

seems like a horrible person to work for

[CurlyJoe]

@ Lillith,

I must take exception to your comment that this difficult client is someone who has bipolar disorder who has gone off their meds. Not everyone who behaves inappropriately has a mental illness, and a mood disorder like bipolar is treatable. It's a chemical imbalance that needs to be corrected in much the same way as diabetics need to take insulin.

The letter in question was rude but it's not evidence of bipolar disorder. I've been married for over 20 years to a wonderful man who happens to have bipolar disorder. He takes his meds as directed and has a perfectly normal life and he is far from being a "lunatic."

[Lillith]

CurlyJoe,

Please accept my apologies for my thoughtless comment. You are absolutely correct that not everyone who has no social skills is mentally ill. You are quite fortunate that your husband is happy to take his medication or do whatever he was advised to do in order to have a "normal" life. I have an ex-husband who was diagnosed as bi-polar along with a few other disorders but he preferred to drink in order to silence his speeding train thoughts, which, of course, did not work and never would. His moods DID, however, resemble those of a "lunatic." When he was UP, he was all over the place. When he was DOWN, he was evil and horrible, along with being quite irrational.

Again, I do apologize for insulting you and should have thought it through more carefully. It just seems that I was thrown back in time rather quickly and empathized with this situation, thus reacting before thinking.

So, yes, it is quite possible that this client is not mentally ill. It could very well be that she is just evil.

[CurlyJoe]

Lillith:

Apology accepted. I appreciate that something can take you right back to an earlier time and that if your ex was self-medicating with alcohol instead of getting appropriate treatment that it would be very difficult to deal with.

[Lillith]

Thank you so much for your forgiveness, CurlyJoe. I have learned a valuable lesson from this and will, in the future, choose my words much more carefully.

[AG1976]

When I read the client's response, a "b" word ran through my head, but it wasn't "bipolar".