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c/business-legal-advicekim_johnson51kim_johnson514d agoProlific Poster

Used to let clients dictate my contract terms, now I walk away after a bad experience in Cleveland

A client in 2022 kept adding clauses that shifted all liability to me, and I ended up losing $4,000 on a project after their supplier messed up. Has anyone else had to draw a hard line on contract negotiations to protect their business?
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3 Comments
wendysanchez
Honestly, you're saying you "walk away" now, but that $4,000 loss is brutal. How do you actually spot those liability-shifting clauses before things go bad, or do you just have a hard rule against any changes now?
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mila_murphy21
@wendysanchez that $4k hit is rough, no way around it. But honestly, it's like those "small print" clauses we all ignore when signing up for free trials or app updates. They sneak in liability shifts same way companies put auto renewals in tiny font. I've noticed this pattern everywhere now, not just contracts. Even on social media, people change terms of service overnight and we're supposed to just accept it. My hard rule now is if they want to add a "hold harmless" line for basic stuff like a coffee spill, I'm out. It's just not worth it. That $4k taught me that big red flag is usually hidden in the middle of a paragraph that looks boring.
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the_anthony
Had a buddy lose his shirt on a similar deal with a client in Phoenix. Now he walks if they try to add a single new clause.
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