# Incompetent motherfucker **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 18, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150 "2012-04-18T14:05:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/21 "2012-04-18T19:49:16Z")
Got the IMF on IM – Me: I thought you needed three stories for today? IMF: using the rest on the 24th Me: by “the rest,” do you mean all three? because none today IMF: oh, i thought we used some…i haven’t looked yet…but yea, all of them then Sigh. Got hold of the other person, who gave me the rundown – apparently all being used next week, one way or the other. No, I don’t have a contract – yes, I understand the implications of that. As several have chimed in to say, the market sucks at this point and I’m actually happy to have a client that I’m invoicing about $1200-$1500 a month, and that pays that money within 30 days. Even when said client pulls incompetent motherfucking shit like this on a not-entirely-rare basis. Mostly I just needed to vent. Everyone does, from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/22 "2012-04-18T20:50:27Z")
Glad to hear that everything seems to have worked out (if I’m understanding correctly.) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/23 "2012-04-18T21:02:58Z")
Oh, you want _coherence_ in my rant? I only rant coherently when I’m paid to. 😉 Yes, what happened is that they switched the date they’re running this from this week to next week, at the last minute, and without telling either me [no surprise there] or the editor in question, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/24 "2012-04-18T21:32:24Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > And let’s not forget about the depressed pricing and stupidly extended net terms. What used to be a $750 1000-word feature now pays $500, and instead of getting the money in 30 days, you get it (maybe) in 45. And by 45 days, I mean Accounts Payable won’t even look at your invoice for a month and a half, and maybe cut the check after 60. Assuming the editor actually remembers to send the invoice to AP, of course. > > Fuck the lot of 'em. And that they don’t contact you saying there is a dot that they aren’t sure whether it’s a comma, please correct it. The 45 days will start counting again from the date the new invoice is received, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/25 "2012-04-18T21:32:26Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > But only if they fuck their mothers competently. “Gee mom, given that I have such a large hat size, your pussy is amazingly tight.” ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/26 "2012-04-18T21:35:52Z")
Oh Wow! I’ve _never_ heard you write words like that, **Twicks!** Oh, wait… 😉 This happens every once in a while. :backs slowly out: Q ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/27 "2012-04-18T21:36:53Z")
Oh Wow! I’ve _never_ heard you write words like that, **Twicks!** Oh, wait… 😉 This happens every once in a while. :backs slowly out::o Q ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/28 "2012-04-18T21:46:42Z")
I don’t get it. You did the work. Why aren’t you getting paid? Anyway, if he doesn’t pay up, I know a guy… ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/29 "2012-04-18T21:52:23Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Meh. Negotiate for a kill fee if you want to get paid whether they use it or not. You have set up your business so this outcome is entirely possible, and then you rant about it when the outcome occurs. That is weird to me. Yes, we all realize that human emotions are something you have trouble understanding. You did name yourself after one of the most unsympathetic people in existence, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/30 "2012-04-18T22:10:09Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > “Gee mom, given that I have such a large hat size, your pussy is amazingly tight.” Wow. You totally went there. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/31 "2012-04-18T22:16:24Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Wow. You totally went there. That’s what she said! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/32 "2012-04-18T22:21:45Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I don’t get it. You did the work. Why aren’t you getting paid? Anyway, if he doesn’t pay up, I know a guy… It looks like she is getting paid, but in the newspaper and magazine industry, there are several ways payment to freelancers is handled. Some pay on acceptance. Some pay on publication. Some have "kill fee"s in which they offer to pay a certain percentage if the story, for any reason, gets scrapped after you submit it and it’s been accepted. Some don’t. ---
**Author:** ![dngnb8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@dngnb8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dngnb8)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/33 "2012-04-18T22:24:18Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Wow. You totally went there. > [@Lobohan](#): > > That’s what she said! Going there… How would the OP know this guy is an IMF? Did he interview mother afterwards to determine his level of competence? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/34 "2012-04-18T23:52:48Z")
Lots of sympathy. Even as a graphic designer paid by the hour (no matter what they do with the product), we’ll occasionally get a non- or late-payer. But we can see 'em coming a long ways away… …except my friend Michael. He’ll be all excited about this new client “who’s going to revolutionize the way \_\_\_\_\_\_ does \_\_\_\_\_\_!” And we roll our eyes and say “Okay, but how much did you get up front? So when this guy disappears with your artwork, you’ll have a few bucks in your pocket…” He’s spent more time in small claims court than actually designing. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/35 "2012-04-19T00:28:42Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Lots of sympathy. Even as a graphic designer paid by the hour (no matter what they do with the product), we’ll occasionally get a non- or late-payer. But we can see 'em coming a long ways away… I have become better at this myself lately, been burned a few times, and every time makes me that much less prone to bend the rules or give someone a break. The ones I ALWAYS start bidding high and insisting on deposits are what I call the “salesmen”. The phone call is always very upbeat talking about how they want a new go to guy or dependable service for a long standing customer relationship and how hes going to be referring me dozens of his customers and friends, and I am sure that for someone of your skills this will be a trivial problem you can resolve in less than an hour. The last time someone gave me that speil, it was RAID5 array with 2 dead drives on a 12 year old windows 2000 server. The backups had not been updated to reflect new software they had added on their own so none of their work in progress had been backed up. Drivesavers actually managed to get all his stuff back, in a week, for $4k. After all that he still acted disappointed that we apparently “lacked the skills” (or clean room, or people who fix borked hard drives for a living) to do it ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/36 "2012-04-19T00:59:59Z")
Surveys show that mothers across the country prefer their fuckers to be competent. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/37 "2012-04-19T11:26:47Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Do you understand that sometimes people are in a weak bargaining position and can’t avoid situations like this? Why do you hate the free market? ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/38 "2012-04-19T15:52:54Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Do you understand that sometimes people are in a weak bargaining position and can’t avoid situations like this? Of course Twickster would have asked for a kill fee if she could have gotten one. > > Do you not understand how business works in the real world? Sometimes people don’t want to give you what you want them to give you. Twickster accepted the deal without a kill fee. That’s the point you are missing. > [@BigT](#): > > Yes, we all realize that human emotions are something you have trouble understanding. You did name yourself after one of the most unsympathetic people in existence, after all. Nope. I’m fine with human emotions. But the OP discusses a business situation–there’s no crying in business situations. Twickster made a deal that had several possible outcomes, one of those outcomes occurred, and Twickster acts all surprised and shocked as if she were struck by a random stranger on the street. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/39 "2012-04-19T15:59:22Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Twickster accepted the deal without a kill fee. That’s the point you are missing. No, I’m not missing that point. Sometimes you don’t have a choice but to accept a deal with some disfavorable conditions. That doesn’t change the fact that it sucks and you might want to complain about it among friends or on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150/40 "2012-04-19T16:01:12Z")
Why did you take the job without health insurance? You’ve got nobody to blame but yourself now that you need it! Why didn’t you buy a car with side-impact airbags? It’s really your fault you were horribly injured when somebody side-swiped you! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incompetent-motherfucker/619150.md?page=3)