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Programmers: charging more for 'emergency' or 'urgent'

by Andrew H
7 replies
To the programmers: do you charge more for 'emergency' work?

I'm thinking along the lines of: if a long term client calls you in the middle of the night and urgently needs something done. This could be for several reasons (website was hacked, need a new feature added immediately for whatever reason, etc.)

If the problem isn't caused by 'me' (web hosting issue, etc), I feel I should be charging an enhanced rate for this work. Currently I just do it and charge my normal rate and the client is just happy to get it done.

How do I go about charging more for this? Do I state that 'oh there is an emergency rate for urgent work during off hours/weekends' - how do I do this without sounding like an asshole?
#charging #emergency #programmers #urgent
  • Profile picture of the author Veneration
    Originally Posted by Andrew H View Post

    To the programmers: do you charge more for 'emergency' work?

    I'm thinking along the lines of: if a long term client calls you in the middle of the night and urgently needs something done. This could be for several reasons (website was hacked, need a new feature added immediately for whatever reason, etc.)

    If the problem isn't caused by 'me' (web hosting issue, etc), I feel I should be charging an enhanced rate for this work. Currently I just do it and charge my normal rate and the client is just happy to get it done.

    How do I go about charging more for this? Do I state that 'oh there is an emergency rate for urgent work during off hours/weekends' - how do I do this without sounding like an asshole?
    Personally, I would simply tell them your work hours, days, etc., and what you charge per hour. Be sure to let them know ahead of time that if they need something done out of this time, that there will be an extra fee. You could make that a flat fee, such as $20 plus what you charge per hour, or $2-$3 more an hour ($20, $2, and $3 just being examples). This way your customer knows ahead of time that anything they may need urgently will cost them a little extra, and they are not surprised by the fees.
    This is simply the way I would do it, hope it works for you. I would try and help you with the entire thing, but the information you gave me wasn't exactly specific.
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    • Profile picture of the author RobinInTexas
      It depends on how hungry you are for business. If you are working full time and turning away new business, you should charge a lot more.

      If you are looking for new customers/clients the best source is happy satisfied clients who can give referrals and testimonials about how much the love your work.

      If you are somewhere in between grab the price of a pizza to compensate you for the trouble.
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      ...Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just set there.
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  • Profile picture of the author GoForJacob
    I charge my rate + 1/2 for rush work. I don't just slap a small business site together though. I build interactive interfaces and applications that require a TON of testing. If you need something that would take three months done in two, you can bet I'm going to charge more.
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  • Profile picture of the author htmlthis
    Depends on the client and how much work I have on my hands right then. I normally let them know my working hours and days from the begining. If there's something that needs done outside those hours the client normally offers to pay extra.
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  • Profile picture of the author jaimegm
    Normally clients want you cheap, always available and happy. My suggestion is keep yourself happy and establish your regular prices, your working time (Normally 9-5) and your prices for urgently and out the hours an extra suggestion is to make a quote before a well described work.
    Let me tell you this when I started to make programs independently, I was thinking that every client was a good client, Now I think different: those prospects that accept my conditions can be good clients.
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  • Profile picture of the author brutecky
    Im never wanting for work and I always charge more for a rush job. Normally I tag on a 20-30% premium.
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  • Profile picture of the author Andrew H
    Hmmm. So I figure the solution is to just state this at the beginning of the relationship with the client. It's never new clients that this is an issue with, it is always existing clients. So when signing a new contract I will include a clause that explains off hour work is an additional %50.
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