I need advice bad!!!

[webs_mvp]

I used to be friends with this lady at work and I found out that she was not a nice woman and she talked about me and was the main reason that friendship between me and another co-worker was destroyed. I was very naive about the friendship or lack there of. In our last big fight she told me that we were simply co-workers and were never friends. Well, before she and I had the big fallout I had started designing a website for her side business. I took pictures of her and video of her to go on her website (two videos and over 140 pictures). I was only going to charge her $100 for a $3500 website, but I was doing that because I thought she was my friend.

The problem that I'm having is that I don't want to do her website anymore. She hasn't paid me (and knowing her background I don't think she will pay me, she's good at not paying people including her landlord). However, if I tell her that I'm not going to do her website it may cause even more tension (by the way she's smiling in my face now and acting like nothing ever happened) and I can't just hand the pages that I've already created over to her because I own them as they are my creations.

Can someone give me some advice on what to do?

[TinyDancer]

Do you still work with this person?

Would you not be turning over the webpages out of spite. . . or because you don't think you'll get paid?

Could you not give her the pages until you get some sort of payment?

Did you set out any kind of price at the onset?

Have you confronted her about the talking behind your back? Are you still "friends?"

Sorry. . . lots of questions!

I think that I if I did turn the webpages over I had completed, would require to recieve payment before I did. Afterall, you did do the work, right? You might not be able to charge her much as a) you didn't complete the job and b) if you signed up for this gig when you were friends, and there was an assumption that she would get the "friend" discount. . . well, it's only fair that you stick to that b/c she might not have used your services otherwise.

Because you have not completed the pages, and if you truly can't continue working on this. . . I guess you're under no obligation to continue.

[Chameleon]

Part of me wants to say hand over $100 worth of work so that when she doesn't pay you, you are only "out" $100 and you won't feel gross about still giving in to her despite her being such a backstabbing bitch. Have you watched "Notes on a Scandal"? If you haven't, go rent it!

Do the minimum to get her off your back and be "busy" from now on. No other explanation just say "Sorry, I'm really busy and can't help you" ad nauseum. The woman sounds like poison, the more distance you can put between you, the better. Don't give in to guilt-trips or any more of her manipulations. Hopefully you don't report to her?

[wordsmith]

If you haven't been paid for any work or "delivered" any finished products, I'd just end and "business" arrangement you have with this person and not worry about it anymore. Just withdraw from the project...it's not as if money has exchanged hands, and you'd be the one really out for your time, anyway.

[winneythepooh7]

If you haven't been paid for any work or "delivered" any finished products, I'd just end and "business" arrangement you have with this person and not worry about it anymore. Just withdraw from the project...it's not as if money has exchanged hands, and you'd be the one really out for your time, anyway.

Agreed. I see absolutely no reason to continue even trying to make nice with this woman, let alone handing over access to a free website. Screw her! You've done nothing wrong.

[dengeist]

I agree with Winney and Words, just stop working on the website.

From what you said though, it seems like she's the type of person that will eventually confront you about not completing her site in a bully move. That's when you bring up payment like you did here and shut her down.

[shorty]

I wouldn't give her anything either. Does she know you've finished any pages? If not, then just don't tell her and it's not like she can bother you about getting them. If you have, then I guess you'd have to explain that you'd give them to her once you are paid.

I'm sorry you're having to go through such a toxic work relationship. At least you found out now before something even bigger happened. I don't really know what to tell you. Maybe you could try following her lead and act like nothing ever happened. Just be polite and act like you're just coworkers, not friends. That might be hard, but it would make it less complicated if something else happens in the future.