How to Deal with Overcharging Advertising Specialists

How do you know whether the price your specialist has quoted you is fair, and that you are not being overcharged or cheated? As in most business dealings, a 'fair' price means one which the supplier is prepared to charge, and the customer prepared to pay. However, you can easily establish what the 'going rate' for the job is simply by asking other professionals to quote.

When your requirements are fairly simple to explain, as with typesetting and printing, it is always a good idea to shop around, and get about three different estimates. (You should still ask to see examples of their work, however, to ensure that the cheapest isn't also the worst quality.)

With designers and copywriters you can't do this. It's not really feasible to give a full brief to three different people in order to get three different estimates for each job. However, if you phone a few freelancers and give them an idea of what is likely to be involved, they will often be prepared to give you an indication of what they would charge. This will not be a firm quote and if you subsequently hire them, you won't be able to hold them to it, but it will help you decide whether the quote you have received is about right.

If you have defined the job fully, and agreed with your supplier exactly what you're paying for, there should be few problems with 'hidden extras'. But if you don't know what is included in the price, you could find yourself paying more than you anticipated. This doesn't necessarily mean that the person concerned is trying to cheat you. It can simply be the result of a genuine misunderstanding about what is included and what is an extra. So before you accept an estimate, make sure that you both agree what it includes, preferably in writing.

If a dispute does arise over charging, it can usually be resolved amicably; most professionals prefer this if only to protect their reputations. But very occasionally there will be a problem which wasn't foreseen and which can't be resolved so easily. Where do you stand then?

• If the supplier charges something as an extra which you think ought to have been included, then look at what was agreed on. A supplier is only obliged to provide the service specified in your agreement (whether written or verbal). A photographer would be entitled to charge extra for reference prints, for example, or a typesetter for a special typeface, if neither their estimate nor your purchase order or brief mentioned them.

• If the supplier makes an obviously unfair extra charge, such as charging to correct their own mistakes, then you should simply withhold payment, even if it is not mentioned in the agreement. You obviously can't cover every eventuality in your agreement, and if the supplier is foolish enough to pursue a claim for such a payment in the courts, you will find the law on your side.

Bottom line, keeping a fair level head will get you everywhere.