Dear Dakota,

Our clients feel nickel and dimed paying for freight, receiving, storage, and white glove delivery. I want to consolidate these costs and collect them when invoicing for the product. How do I calculate what this number should be?

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Dear Dakota,

With the holiday season approaching, should I consider offering holiday decorating as a seasonal service?

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Dear Dakota,

How do I not give away all my ideas, solutions, and advice during a free consultation walk-through for a potential project? 

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Dear Dakota,

I have been working with a builder for almost 3 years. He is continually changing his process and his projects are a time suck. He is not accountable for his own process and I found out last week he threw me under the bus to cover his own ass. I'm finally at a crossroad and wondering if I need to stop working with him. However, his business is a consistent cash flow. One of his "project managers" hates working with designers. He will purposely not call anyone on my team for tile walks, paint walks, etc. because he doesn't want to deal with us telling him things are installed incorrectly. I have spent hours and hours of my time with his clients and honestly feel bad for them. I know they have no idea what's going on behind the scenes and I feel totally stuck. HELP!

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Dear Dakota,

What’s the best practice for handling requests from clients about furniture that shows wear and tear or gets damaged after a period of time from regular use after they’ve moved in and the project is finished? Seems our clients expect that everything we source should be durable, and if it’s not, we should address the issues no matter how long it’s been.

On the one hand, I understand the frustration that some pieces aren’t as durable, but on the other hand, the less durable pieces are often the ones that were sourced with budget in mind (per client's request) - so they are not custom pieces, and not manufactured with high-quality finishes. So it is not surprising that these issues come up.

Our contract states we are not responsible for quality defects, but clients still view us as being on the hook since we chose these items for them. However, we want to preserve the relationship so we often submit the claims to our vendors. Some will gladly send replacements, but others won't. I want our clients to have a good experience and love everything we choose for them - so I try to make sure even the budget items last - but there has to be a better way to move forward - I can't be on the hook forever.

I don't know how to tell my clients they can't expect me to be there forever to help replace items without paying me for the time.

I'd love to hear your insights.

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Dear Dakota,

Should I charge clients a different flat fee for projects my junior designer completes versus ones I complete?

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Dear Dakota, 

How do you deal with difficult clients and know when it's worth it to keep going or get rid of them when things feel really tough?

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Dear Dakota,

I’m needing some major help lately.

My weeks are completely bogged down with constant repetitive phone calls and emails regarding our process.

This has never happened to me before, and in the last several months, it is all I am dealing with. 

HELP!

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