Well. Let me begin by saying that no matter how hard I try, all the touchy-feely warm fuzzy examples I think of can't top this one that left me feeling a little sad. I do have a friend who taught me a valuable lesson this year: when you do business with friends, don't give them the benefit of the doubt. It's still business.
Long story short, in the summer I reserved a 2011 wedding date for a friend whom I trusted with a verbal agreement. We agreed to set in place the contract/deposit later when she was back home for the holidays. Mistake!
One day in November I read an e-mail on my phone that said I had a new Facebook message. Apparently, because of a $100 disagreement over the price of the contract she kept shopping around - without telling me, as I continued to reserve this date for her - and found a cheaper option.
The saddest part is that if she had just picked up the phone rather than sending me a Facebook message after the fact, I probably would have cut her that slack. We could have figured out an alternative.
So, moral of the story - no matter how kindhearted you are, how trusting and good-natured, money can still take precedence. Business is business; even if you've known a client for 15 years it's still important to have a signed contract, first thing's first.
My kingdom for a horse.
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