Aw Lora....your story takes me WAAAY back. Ten years ago I was a new longarmer and it seems the wolves come out of the woodwork trying to get something cheap. I had a woman with whom we discussed every aspect of her KING sized quilt and I was so very careful. It was lovely (I thought) and you can't even imagine my horror when she proceeded to pick it to pieces and complain. One of her biggest complaintsbwasnthat when I stabilized the edges I took too big a seam. It was 1/4" but I soon realized what all the complaining was about...yep...$$$! She bad-mouthed my work to our entire quilt guild and for a new longarmer that can be devastating and difficult to recover from. She wanted a full refund! I did refund half her money because even though she SAID she was unhappy with it, I still did do the work. It was a Batik quilt with piecing front AND back.
Later on several women in my guild informed me that I was not the first quilter she did this to...and it gets better....
I moved away from the area a year later and I was told that this woman was showing the very same quilt in a quilt show and won a ribbon!!!!
So so you see, dear heart, there is always someone jockeying to get a freebie. By the way, you aren't charging enough, in my opinion. Charge at least 1.5 cents a square inch and when you get comfortable, in six months or so, bump that up to .02 cents. People place more value on your work if you charge a proper price for it. Longarm quilting is hard work and you should be paid accordingly.
Welcome to the world of longarm quilting!
PS: Never let a customer leave your home without a WRITTEN INVOICE with the full price they are expected to pay when they pick it up.
Last edited by Michellesews; 02-09-2016 at 04:52 PM.