Dear Dakota | My Interior Design Client Went Behind My Back And Contacted My Furnishing Vendors

Dear Dakota,

What do you do when your client goes to your supplier and gets access to your trade pricing by pretending to work at your design company? I landed my dream job working on a penthouse with a fantastic client. I used all the Dakota Design Co. templates to set up the process, including contract terms and conditions. The client was great to work with, she always paid on time, and we got to know each other quite well. She's paid me in full for the initial contract but has been waiting on bespoke furniture orders that have been delayed in customs. I've been communicating with her about these pieces and was working with her on some additional work for wall paneling and custom desks. She emailed me yesterday to say she followed up on her two furniture pieces with the two different suppliers because she “didn't want to bother me” and got invoices from both. Now she's asking me why there is a difference between what she paid and what I paid to the supplier!

Needless to say, I am furious with the suppliers for providing this information to my client and for putting me in this awkward position. They are not my standard vendors, but the client requested I use them. To resolve this problem, I spoke with both suppliers who were extremely apologetic, one even sent an email to the client explaining the price discrepancy as an order fee. I've explained to my client that my design fees are set at a competitive rate and I do not offer my trade pricing to clients. As a gesture of goodwill, I offered her credit for the delivery fee on the other piece of furniture which is about to be delivered, but now she wants to cancel this order even though I do not accept refunds on bespoke orders, as stated in the contract that she signed. 

She then returned some of the ordered furniture that she slightly damaged along with some accessories purchased from my showroom. To maintain what was initially a great relationship, I accepted these returns and offered her credit minus admin fees and a reduced rate for the damaged pieces. I applied these credits to the bill for my additional work and communicated with my client kindly and respectfully throughout the whole project process as I would like to keep her happy because I wanted to photograph her home since the final products came out so beautifully. What should I do to prevent this from happening in the future?

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