The expensive mistake isn’t when you lose a project. It’s when you win a wrong one. A bad client would always ask for more while paying less.
And whenever we had clients like this, they left us drained, stalling our agency cashflow. Thankfully there are warning signs of a bad client you can actually notice.
Some of them would demand a discount and justify their demand. You will also find that bad clients talk differently when you hand them over project deliverables.
This article lists 10 red flags for you to easily spot and 5 ways you can deal with such clients.
10 Warning Signs of a Bad Client
If you previously had multiple back experiences, and you want to make sure you don’t feel the same in future, look for the following signs of a toxic client, and prepare an offboarding plan –
1. Starts Bidding
You send a clear proposal, and their first move is to haggle. They argue about the deposit or want to change how you get paid. This isn’t a real negotiation; they’re just testing what they can get away with.
This one is the biggest red flag because it tells you exactly how they’ll act for the whole project. If they don’t respect your value now, they will question every invoice later. It means you’ll probably make less money on the job.
If you prepare a clear proposal and send it to the client prior to the meeting, it won’t leave much room for the client to negotiate any further.
2. Ignores Your Process from Day One
You ask them to fill out an intake form, and they say, “I’ll just tell you on a call.” You state your business hours, and they text you at 9 PM on a Saturday. They refuse to play by the rules you’ve set to make projects run smoothly.
A client who won’t follow your process sees you as a gig worker, not a professional partner. This leads to chaotic communication, missed deadlines, and burnout for you and your team. Your well-designed workflow doesn’t stand a chance.
This is why we built the Agency Handy. Your clients will get project updates from day one. If something from their end is missing, they will know it through the portal and communicate directly with your team. The goal is to keep everything transparent so you don’t have to face any chaos.
3. Complains About Every Past Provider
During your first call, they spend 15 minutes trashing the last three agencies they worked with. They paint a picture of incompetence and missed deadlines as if they were the victim every single time.
When a client has had a problem with everyone they’ve ever hired, the common denominator isn’t everyone else. This person is likely impossible to please, and you’re next on their list. They are showing you exactly how they’ll talk about you in six months.
4. Unable to Set Fixed KPIs
You ask them what their goals are, and you get a vague answer like, “I’ll know it when I see it.” They can’t provide clear direction or define what a successful outcome looks like.
A project without a clear goal will result in endless revisions and scope creep. You can’t hit a target that doesn’t even exist. This client will rely on their feelings to judge your work, which is a recipe for frustration and unpaid revisions.
If you send them an intake form asking them to inform you about goals and KPIs before you even begin, this can make things less hasslesome in this case.
5. Everything Is an Emergency (For Them)
They contact you on a Friday afternoon needing a major project done by Monday morning. Their lack of planning has become your emergency. They expect you to drop everything to accommodate their last-minute, high-stress demands.
This behavior shows a lack of respect for your time and your other clients. It creates a chaotic work environment and sets you up to deliver rushed, subpar work. Even if you somehow manage to deliver a few projects, it won’t be a sustainable and practical thing for the long run.
Things won’t get messy when you will use an all-in-one project management tool like Agency Handy. Clients will clearly see when projects started, what’s in-progress, what’s the estimated delivery time from their own portal.
They will have no room to demand something out of nowhere. And even if they do, they will have to accept the delays for their on-going tasks.
6. Uses Words Like “Just” and “Quickly”
“Can you just whip up a logo?” “This should be a quick task for you.” This type of language intentionally downplays the value, skill, and time your work requires. They don’t even value your skills; that’s why they’re asking in this manner.
Clients who talk like this are already framing the work as cheap and easy. That mindset makes it much harder for them to justify paying what you’re worth.
7. Scope Creep Starts Before the Contract
You’re on a call about a new website, and they suddenly say, ‘And you can probably do a quick brochure, right?’ They’re asking for freebies before you’ve even agreed on the main project.
This is a glimpse of what’s to come. This client will constantly ask for ‘one more small thing,’ which means you’re always doing more work for the same amount of pay. They treat the project scope like a suggestion, not a set plan.
8. Unusual Delays in Communication
They take five days to reply to your email with a critical question. Then, they send a one-word answer that doesn’t give you what you need to move forward.
When a client ghosts you, it stops all progress and delays the whole project. You can’t do good work if they don’t give you what you need, and it throws your whole schedule off.
9. Won’t Sign a Contract
This is a simple one. A client who is hesitant to sign a clear, fair contract is telling you they don’t intend to play by the terms. They may want the flexibility to bail on payment or change the scope whenever they feel like it. No contract means no protection for you.
10. They Ask for an Unpaid “Test” Project
“We’d like you to do a small part of the project for free to see if we’re a good fit.” Professionals provide portfolios and case studies; they don’t do free work to “audition.” He’s a red flag client who either doesn’t have a budget or doesn’t respect your time. Either way, you should walk away.
Signs of a Bad Client According to Redditors
Redditors also discussed signs of bad customers in various subreddits. Here are the most valuable ones we found –
A redditor on smallbusiness subreddit commented,
“Telling you how to do your job. Being rude/disrespectful. Not valuing your time. Extremely disagreeable & not looking for solutions.”
Another person commented on the same thread,
“If they talk trash to you about your competitors that they’ve dealt with previously. 99% of the time a client does that it turns out they were the issue, not the other company.
Mentioning “we were using so and so but have had some issues/are looking at options” etc is acceptable. Just a generic, polite way to say they are unhappy with the service.
When they get down into specifics “they effed up this and this and didn’t show up on time” etc etc that’s a bad sign.”
How to Deal with a Bad Client
Practically speaking, most agencies, small businesses, as well as larger ones would try to retain customers, figuring out how to deal with bad clients to some extent. If you think the same, here are some useful suggestions to turn the situation around –
1. Write Everything Agreed Upon and Send to the Client
This is the number one rule of client management, and for good reason. If it’s not in writing, it’s like it never happened. After every single call or meeting, just send a quick email saying, “Hey, just to confirm, we decided on this and that.”
This simple habit saves you from the classic “But I thought you were going to…” headache. It’s your proof. It holds the client accountable for what they say.
If emailing is convenient for you, with the Agency Handy messaging tool, you can send the same message directly to your client’s portal, which also has everything related to their project.
2. Stay Calm and Look Forward
When your client is spinning out, the last thing you should do is spin out with them. The smart move is to do the opposite: stay super calm and professional.
Just use simple, neutral phrases like, “I can see why you’re frustrated.” Then, immediately switch back to fixing the problem: “So, what’s the first thing we need to tackle to move forward?”
You’re the expert they hired to solve a problem, not their punching bag.
3. Let the Contract Do the Talking
Bad clients will always try to get more work for free. To stop this scope creep from eating up your profit, you have to set some clear boundaries. The easiest way to do that is to just point back to the contract.
When they ask for something extra, just say: “Absolutely, I can look at that. It’s not in our original agreement, so I’ll send over a separate quote for it.” It’s a polite and professional way of saying “no” to free work.
4. Make Your Schedule Transparent to Clients
This client’s bad planning is not your emergency. If you let them, they’ll completely mess up your schedule with their urgent demands.
So, when they demand something “by tomorrow,” let’s assume today is Sunday, don’t just say you can’t. Give them a new, realistic timeline. Try this: “I can definitely get that done. I can start on that next Tuesday and have it for you by Thursday. How does that sound?”
You’re still being helpful, but you’re keeping control of your time.
When you invite your client to the client portal showing all in-progress tasks you’re doing for him, they will hesitate to assign a new task forcefully.
5. Know When It’s Time to Fire Them
Look, sometimes a client is just a bully. If they’re yelling at you, disrespecting your team, or never paying on time, no amount of money is worth the stress.
It’s a tough pill to swallow, but experienced professionals all agree: it’s okay to fire a client. The peace of mind you’ll get is almost always worth more than the money you’ll lose.
Just have a clear offboarding plan, hand over their files professionally, and move on to better clients.
To Conclude
Out of 10 signs of a bad client, a few will be clear red flags depending on what you do and what types of clients you deal with. But when you spot a red flag client in the middle of a project, you’d better continue by carefully handling the situation.
If your experience with client management isn’t that good, trying client management software for small businesses will keep things well organized.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should you let go of a client?
You should let go of a client when the relationship becomes unprofitable or toxic. Key signs of a bad customer include consistent late payments, verbal abuse towards you or your team, a constant disrespect for your professional boundaries and the project’s scope.
How do you get rid of unwanted customers?
To get rid of an unwanted customer professionally, start by reviewing your contract for its termination clause. Then, communicate your decision clearly and in writing, providing a specific end date for the engagement. It’s important to complete and deliver all final, paid-for work before you send the final invoice
How can you end a freelance contract?
Ending a freelance contract requires a formal process.
- Check the termination clause in your agreement
- Provide a formal written notice about ending the contract on a specific date.
- Fulfill all your contractual obligations
- Deliver the completed work, and then send your final invoice for smooth handover of all project files.
