Re: Travel Time and Charges Question

[Andrew Plato <intrepid_es -at- YAHOO -dot- COM>]

This comes up with our consultants all the time.  Here is my answer:

It is not the client's fault (either of them) that the weather was bad
and your plane was delayed.  Charging them for this time is like a
"punishment" for putting you in a position of not being able to work.
That is not really fair to the client.  Neither the client nor you can
control the weather and plane delays, therefore it seems unfair to
bill them for that.

Since you were not working during the delay, you should not bill the
time.

This is one of the little joys of being a consultant. You are only
paid for the exact time you are working, not for the mere presence of
you.

I always try take some client related stuff to edit or read on the
plane that way I can bill at least the flight time.

Time is money. :-)

Andrew Plato
President / Principal Consultant
Anitian Consulting, Inc.
www.anitian.com


---rivka <rivka -at- DIRECT -dot- CA> wrote:
>
> Hello everyone:
> Please reply offline, and I'll summarize the results for
> the list.
>
> What do contractors do about charging for travel time on
> trips for the contracting company?
> Do you charge just for time in the air?
> Door to door?
> What about delays due to weather or other unforseeable
> delays?
>
> The situation in a nutshell was: my flight home was
> delayed by weather while on business for Client A. I was
> unable to work on anything for that client during the
> delay,and forced to delay work for Client B that I had
> intended to do that day on arrival home.
>
> The situation in more detail was:
> I was delayed for 8 hours in flying home from a trip on
> the client's behalf. I had planned to work on another
> client's materials when I returned home that day, and
> was unable to do so because of the flight delay. Nor was
> I able to do any further work that day for the client
> for whom I was travelling, as I did not have access to
> notes, computer, and other things I needed to continue
> the job.
>
> The client is only paying at the moment for the actual
> flight time.
>
> What do you folks think?
>
> Thanks.
> All constructive comments and experiences appreciated.
> Rivka
>




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