A reminder about assuming the worst

Last week I ate a big plate of crow.

Here's the distasteful story...

1. Killing the crow

I finish a small project for a client and send him an invoice for $1,600.

Three days later he emails, “I went ahead and paid you $1,500.”

Wait…what? 

I go from confusion (“Did he not like my work?”) to feeling disrespected (“Is he trying to pull a fast one?”) to full-blown indignation (“Oh, HELL NO!”) in about 4.3 seconds.

Fortunately, I have learned (the hard way) that when I fire off an email in a fit of anger, there’s a 99% chance it will be an email I regret.

2. Cooking the crow

So, I wait (mulling and stewing over this serious fiscal and professional injustice).

The next day, I send a carefully worded email saying, essentially: 

“Hey, I need to ask why you paid me less than the amount I invoiced. It's true we did several similar projects last year, each for $1,500; however, like every other business, as my costs have risen, I’ve had to adjust my pricing. If something wasn’t right with the work I delivered, all you had to do was let me know. I would have fixed it right away. As it is, I feel a bit insulted.”

His reply?

“Len, I loved your work (as always). But I never got an invoice from you. I was simply trying to get you paid ASAP. I’m glad to send you an additional $100.”

3. Eating the crow

Red-faced, I rush to check my new billing software…and discover I have the client’s email address wrong by one letter!

The client has done nothing wrong—and everything right. I, on the other hand, have made an honest mistake, but then compounded it by assuming the worst of an honorable man.

I feel like a total idiot—and tell him so. I apologize profusely.

He is exceedingly gracious, which makes the crow a bit easier to swallow—and oddly, also more disgusting.

Here’s the reminder I can give you (with crow still stuck in my teeth): 

When it comes to eating, what you want is to eat, drink, and be merry...eat to your heart’s content...eat high on the hog.

What you don’t want is to eat a big helping of crow that you foolishly killed, cooked, and served yourself.