Web Design Forum: Best of friends! - Web Design Forum

This is more of a rant than a blog entry, so bare with me. This is a little story about how friendships can be swayed for money.

It all started a week before I was due to start my new job as a Junior Web Developer. My best friend, Peter, approached me with a potential project to be done for his Dad's next door neighbor. I wasn't too keen on the idea because I knew the project would be messy and unorganized... turns out, it was. I wanted to get a contract done so I wouldn't be wasting my time, invoice accordingly and make this seem very professional as a start to my freelancing portfolio.

I did a few designs for the guy and he didn't like them much. I ended up with my Peter sat beside me and he was directing me as to what the guy wanted. I ended up with a website that was nothing to be proud of, but the customer wanted it that way. That was fine - so I started coding it right away when the client approved the design, and from that point, I had been promised money for weeks upon weeks to buy the domain/hosting + half of the development fee.

When the website was coded, although lacking content, I hosted it temporarily to show the client and he was fine with it.

NOTE: All the information I was receiving was through Peter as I wasn't allowed to have any direct contact with the guy

So a week without word goes by, I still have this unpaid for website on my server, until suddenly, Peter messages me on my second day of my new job.

"Taylor, I am going to pay for the hosting and domain with my own money and get the money from the client later"

I wasn't happy with this, it's not his responsibility and if the client want's his site, he's got to front the money for it. Peter insisted on paying for this hosting and it got to the point where I said to him, tell the client this project isn't going ahead until he pays me the full amount now (as all the coding had been done)... I also added in that if he didn't tell the client - I will. This set him straight on the defensive, which instantly made me think, why is he so concerned about getting this site done? He phoned the client (apparently), then phoned me back 5 minutes later saying he now miraculously has money from the client and that's the money he was paying for hosting/domain with.

At this point, I'm convinced he has had money and spent it. The next day, at work, he text me and says:

"The client has paid for the website now, but I don't know what I've done with my wallet"

I'm quite angry at this point, getting messed about with this website for weeks and all these lies are spinning out from nowhere. The same night, I discover Peter has been to the cinema to watch a young wizard (Harry Potter). How does someone with a misplaced wallet manage that?

Today I decided it was time to phone the client himself and get the full story. The client was really nice about the situation, despite being told that he has paid out £300 over the last week, and none of it has gone to the designer/developer (me) for his website. The day progresses, more lies were spun and Peter expected myself and the client to believe that he can't refund the clients money because overnight, he has found a new designer/developer and the money is on his way to him.

He has lost a best friend of 5-6 years, for a poxy £300... friends a?

P.S: This is quite a cut down version of the story and you'd have to know past experiences between me and my best-friend to understand why I have ended this "friendship".