Friends don' t ask friends to work for free!
By sharone74
@sharone74 (4837)
United States
November 3, 2007 5:21am CST
My friends constantly ask me to build them webpages, full sites, personal sites, vanity sites. Even though I am going to school to earn a degree in IT they never say that they will pay me, and when I tekll them that if they are going to tajke precedent in my busy schedule that they are going to have to pay me. Then they start asking me to do it for the advertisement and exposure of my site building skills. And when I tell em no they get all huffy! It's not like most of my friends have ever been asked to do anything but be a friend to me. When I have asked them to use their profesional skills for me, it is always with the offer to pay them like any other client. I don't understand why I don't get the same type of respect in return! It's not like I am going to school to embark on a meaningless career and while I am a starving student is when I need the money the most. If anyone has room to be huffy it should be me!
Do your friends do this to you, try to employ your professional skills but will not pay you for them like other people do everyday? What do you do about it? Do you take on their projects or laugh it off?
2 people like this
9 responses
@ellenjiang (1)
• China
3 Nov 07
A friend in need is a friend indeed,I always come to my friends directly without taking measures on payment.what's the true meaning of friendship?
1 person likes this
@seabeauty (1480)
• United States
4 Nov 07
So what you are saying is that she should provide her help for free even though web page building uses up so much of her time, time she needs to spend studying?
Friends shouldn't constantly ask for favors, to me that is not a true friend, that is a user.
@deserve40 (1656)
• India
3 Nov 07
It is sad. Infact the real friends will never ask you do something for them. It is you who feels that something is to be done for a done and you do it ofcourse free cost but they should never ask you to do it free.
Another thing is that they know well that you are still learning and so you need money and so they should help you to earn money. Your field is such that if someone helps you, you can easily earn enough money for yourself. This type of people are very selfish. Try to remain away from such friends.
I was luck enough to have friends who used to help me to earn extra money with the help of their contacts so that I could be comfortable in my studies.
@sharone74 (4837)
• United States
10 Nov 07
these are the type of friends that I need. However I live in Superficial Southern California.
@spoiled311 (5500)
• Philippines
3 Nov 07
hmmm...yeah, some friends tend to be abusive. i am also prone to such because i work freelance and i am selling my brains.
but i still offer my services for free, and my friends also still ask me to host their parties, etc. for free. but that's okay. but if it is about their business, i am so blessed because they offer to pay me. :-)
maybe you can tell them about it? web development is a difficult job. my friend does it for me, too, but sometimes, i give her a love gift and i give her jobs. just give and take. i think it is abusive to just use her talents.
1 person likes this
@sharone74 (4837)
• United States
4 Nov 07
I am so busy what with working on my business sites (2) my blogs (3) and my educational requirements that they should be the last people on earth who should want to add to my current workload would you not agree?
1 person likes this
@sparkster (181)
•
4 Nov 07
yeah, I know the feeling, whenever my friends pc's go down they always ask me and expect me to go and give it a full over service for free, even though this time last year my friend was paying his own uncle to repair it every time it broke. The saying 'you soon find out who your true friends are' is very very true! It seems that people will take the p*ss if they can but they seem to get a buzz from knowing someone that can do the job for free. Anyway, you should just tell them straight 'why waste my time working for you fo free when I could be earning money doing it, if you want me to do it you'll have to pay me'.
1 person likes this
@jamesarmstrong (251)
• China
4 Nov 07
I think if I have the time I will help my friend without paid. But if I am busy I will refuse their requirements.
And you know , Friends always help each other.You can get help from your friend some day.
1 person likes this
@jedhimura (194)
• Philippines
3 Nov 07
Indeed, i do have lots of friends like that... im a working student and an game organizer at same time, so i have a lot of games and software installer, they always asked me to install it w/o pay! and i say what the heck! sometimes, if your are not serious of what you do that will be the respect you get from them... try be a little more serious when it comes to your business.. hehe
@seabeauty (1480)
• United States
4 Nov 07
If they expect you to pay for their services then they should offer to pay you for yours. It's that simple.
They are taking advantage of you. You saying no to them is the right thing to do.
@Dask1221 (160)
• United States
3 Nov 07
I would not let your "friends" take advantage of you like that. You are courteous enough to offer to pay them anytime you ask for something, but they don't show that same courtesy. It's not right. I don't really think they are real friends to you if they are going to act this way. And you're right, you are the one who has the right to get huffy, not them. You are doing them favors and getting nothing in return. Even with friends sometimes getting just a "thank you" gets old. If they are going to treat you like that, I would test your friendships. Ask them to do something for you, without offer of payment, and see what they say. If they say ok, then it may be worth keeping them as a friend, but if they say no, then toss them. You don't need people who are going to take advantage of you like that as friends.
1 person likes this
