Originally Posted by Village Idiot Tell me, what is the point of a fully refundable deposit?

Tell me, what is the point about arguing with someone over $40??

Can't possibly be about the money. If it is, you're charging too little for your time.

Can't be about the principle. There is no "principle" in having one party go away unhappy.

Again: if you run projects like a successful business instead of like a hobby, it seems clear the right path to take. Successful businesses do everything they can to make a customer happy, even if they know they're going to lose the customer in the end. You do it because even if you lose the customer, you don't want the customer talking bad about you to their buddies, creating a cloud over your future business prospects. If freelancing is just a hobby, you'll still have your day job.