How do you understand (based on your experience) that you should not respond to an order (freelance)?

Question

Freelance

How do you understand that the customer is inadequate? Do you have any preconceived ideas that you already understand from the description of the project that it’s not worth it? What is disturbing?

Answer 1

There is also a good marker - the customer thinks that he knows better than you how to do the job, as a special case - "This will take no more than an hour for a good professional"

Answer 2

With experience comes an understanding of when a future project can be imagined from various little things.
For example, a client is spamming messages (dumping his entire stream of thoughts into a chat). Obviously, the same behavior will be on the project - endless ideas and alterations.
You are right about the women. If this is a direct client, and not a manager of any agency, it is better not to get involved. You will see live all those feminine sides that are ridiculed in jokes. Well, there is a very high probability that the project will not be completed.
A client who is very poorly versed in the issue simply will not be able to correctly convey the task.
There is a category of clients who think they have come to the slave market. Well, or to Khitrovka at the beginning of the 20th century, where all the poorest sections of Moscow gathered to get hired for rough work for a pittance. Such, you know, are their own kings. They will not come down from their throne to answer your questions properly and will not accept any of your "pathetic" ideas.
A lot of all sorts of characters) This is life. Again, I repeat, understanding will come with experience, when you already understand from the first minutes of the conversation - what kind of person is in front of you.

Answer 3

If the client dismisses the offer to sign a contact or discuss the amount of work, estimates, payment details (terms, method of transfer) or does not offer to discuss it later, this will most likely cause problems.
I also refuse when the client cannot explain what he wants, because I definitely can’t do it, I don’t know what myself :) and when it comes to details, there will be a dispute, which often ends with a break in the relationship and usually without payment :) I don't take on projects on topics that are unsympathetic to me - all kinds of parsing of other people's data (those who order such systems are initially not very decent in my opinion). I do not like projects related to financial speculation (any currency trading), because I like to create systems that produce something useful.
I also do not take on projects that require skills that I do not have or that I would not like to use.
I try not to work with those who have too limited a budget. Usually, on such projects, in the middle of the work, funds run out and attempts begin to blind the fig knows something on the knee. In this case, the client will remain dissatisfied, and even realizing that the reason is a lack of funds, he will put pressure on you and try to find your fault. Again, it is fraught with non-payment.
If simply in communication the client is inadequate. When working remotely, problems in communication will lead to problems in everything.

Answer 4

1. The client is incompetent. This is a common occurrence and is often immediately noticeable. Sometimes it is not noticeable, and subsequently one has to suffer from such inattention.
   
2. The customer is not eligible. Starting from inadequate cost of work, ending with grammatical errors in the letter. No matter how these mistakes are justified, at least nasionalnyst - in 100% of cases they are a sign of upcoming problems.
   
3. The customer specifies the required technology stack in too much detail. Usually this is a consequence of the previous paragraphs, plus inexperience.
   
4. Again, a consequence of the previous paragraphs, an application for development is placed (specifically programming), and the prescribed requirements relate to design, while the logic is not described in sufficient detail. I tried to communicate with such - as a rule, it is pointless. I ask questions to form ChTZ, but I do not receive answers. They think like this with "screens".
   

Answer 5

Any moment in communication with a client that can cause you a negative should already be a red flag. Because at the stage of project implementation, all these features are multiplied several times.