Client Work | Potential Red Flag | Advice appreciated
I am a freelancer, and I build websites. A couple of months ago, this business owner contacted me through my website. I checked them out and, on paper, everything looked good.
I replied to their enquiry and sent them a link to my booking tool so they could arrange a discovery call. At that point, I genuinely thought I’d be starting a new project before Easter, yay.
However, they replied rather harshly to my first polite email containing the calendar link (first red flag), complaining that they could only see a limited number of available dates and times. I double-checked and realised it was my mistake: the settings were configured to prioritise the earliest available slots. I amended the settings so they could view my full availability, then replied and apologised.
When it came to booking the meeting, though, they scheduled it for the end of May, despite the fact we were only in the second half of March at the time. So, effectively, two full months later. (second red flag).
The meeting is still scheduled for the end of this month, but I’ve worked with clients in this industry for many years, first agency-side and now independently, and I have a strong feeling this person would be a nightmare client, which is something I really do not want to take on again.
At the same time, I want to avoid any damage to my online reputation, especially as we haven’t even spoken. However, I also know that some petty and entitled people can be vindictive and may be tempted to leave a negative review despite no work ever having been carried out for them.
Would it be acceptable to say that I’m no longer available because I’m fully booked long term? How would you gracefully get out of this situation?