Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Enough Is Enough

This is a rant against unscrupulous kin, those who have not a shred of decency about them, those who slam the door in your face when you are down and out but lay the red carpet when your star brightens once again.

If you think you are “them”, then perhaps you are, for only you would know. I make no apologies for what I am about to say; there is so much this old heart can take and I’m finally saying “enough is well and truly ENOUGH.”

And if this makes me lose the goodwill of a few relatives here and there, so be it. Can't be much of a loss, can it? Anyway, I’m too old and too weary at this juncture to cope with their deceptive ways.

Honest to goodness, I’m through with helping relatives, professionally that is. I’m sick to the core of being taken for granted, of having to argue my case when the bill for payment is presented, of having to beg for money that’s rightfully mine.

I am sick of relatives who have no scruples about making promises, like agreeing to a certain amount, and then when the job is done, relentlessly push for discounts and worse, holding back payments when their demands are not met.

On a couple of occasions in the past, I wasn't paid at all; the litany of excuses was a mile long. Yet, I found it in my heart to forgive and to give them another chance, only to get burned all over again.

I’m through with people who think because I’m their cousin/aunt/niece/in-law/whatever, I should only charge them a nominal sum and not a ringgit more. It’s as though I do not deserve to be decently remunerated, all because I’m kin.

Added to this is the fact that I am expected to bill them the equivalent of what I had billed my clients for the same services donkeys’ years ago. Hello! It's already 2010, okay? Where have you been living all these blinking years ... in a bleeding cave??

Asked to justify the ridiculously low amount, the answer was a plaintive “you have no overheads. You work from home, what!” Since when do these obtuse blockheads decide where I create determine how much I should charge?

Frankly, I should have been catty enough to retort that it doesn’t matter if I write your press release or plan your press conference from the comfort of my toilet bowl or my kitchen sink; it’s my professional talent you are after, is it not?

What really gets me frothing at the mouth is the fact that they wouldn’t bat an eyelid if some fancy-sounding, multi-national PR agency charges fivefold to do the exact same thing that I do.

They conveniently forget that I give them myself, an old hand in both Press and PR, and not some corporate communication greenhorns barely out of college who can’t even spell right, let alone handle aggressive, sometimes arrogant and most times intimidating pressmen.

Since you have decided you want to pay peanuts, in the future please get new monkeys. This old woman shall no longer play simian for you.

I make no apologies for my harsh words. You know who you are, so beat it. You are no longer welcome, professionally that is. May Allah swt forgive me my anger, disappointment and disgust.

19 comments:

an0nymous-ign0ranus said...

when i decided to go freelance a year or so ago, i had then decided to say no to relatives asking for writing assistance.

you quote RM500 for a three-page press release pun depa kata mahal.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

babe: GEE.. mahal? the minimum charge is RM2,000 for a two-page release! that too is based on subject matter. OOOO, sakitnya hati i dengar!!

mokja said...

sometimes when you are related,you think it doesnt matter what you do or what you say...the tie is always there.
blood is thicker than water..so they say.But money doesn't know blood,water or sweat.
Bila dgn relatives boleh pula nak bayar ..just pittance.Tidak pun nak free memanjang.
Seen that.

Anonymous said...

Sometime I wonder what is the purpose of blogging. my husband said 'tempat mereka meluahkan perasaan samada suka, sedih dan marah' I think he is right and we suckers enjoyed other people misery or joy. Take your pick. Sorry saya pun nak luahkan perasaan tapi tak tahu blogged only tumpang blog orang lain. Sorry!!!!!

Kama At-Tarawis said...

anon - yup, tempat meluahkan perasaan.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

mok - i do know that i will forgive and forget in the long run. i'm the kind whose angin is like the tide, marah now and later sejuk again..

Wan Sharif said...

Kalau simpan marah,
nanti jadi barah..
niat kena baik
janganlah niat nak putus silaturrahmi..
setakat tak mahu buat kerja untuk mereka tu OK lah..

kay_leeda said...

Kak Puteri...what I can't stand is that they'd say "harga adik beradik". And then we really need them to be around, tak de plak dia mengaku "adik beradik".

Aihhh...tok sah dok give face anymore. You want my service you pay, just like how you'd pay others (non relatives) you hire. After all "adik beradik" nak makan gak macam orang lain kan.....

Anonymous said...

my daughter suffered the same fate..tolong salah, tak tolong salah. lepas tu criticism after criticism. reluctantly paid and bad mouthed...iisssh memang tak berbaloi!

Kama At-Tarawis said...

wan - alhamdulillah tak pernah lagi sampai putus saudara. saya ni jenis kalau kecik hati, menjauhkan diri sekejap, pastu ok balik. tapi bab2 kenduri kendara tetap diutamakan.

kay - it's so true, dengan adik beradik buat sambil lewa. once i got paid after 6 months, tupun
lepas nego and nego mintak kurang. bukannya berpuluh ribu pun.. sedih betul. kita cari rezeki halal..

anon - it's the same old story kan? manalah tak sakit jiwa.. twice as painful sebab sedara mara bukan strangers.

zaitgha said...

these ppl are all over la kak Puteri, my small bakery pun selalu kena gitu....dgn Kings or kedai bakery bayar jer tak mintak discount langsung......mmg menyakitkan hati...

MrsMG58 said...

Inilah dilema buat business dengan sedara-mara kak! Tak setuju, dikatakan sombong. Bila kita setuju, dikatakan amal jariah pulak! Tak berbaloi langsung. I pulak jadi emotional tak pasal-pasal.

D said...

Let me amuse you with an anecdote, ok Kak Puteri? A close friend recently got very upset over some accusations and fitnah by other so-called friends. She lamented, 'Kenapalah aku ni tak faham-faham? Bukan tak pernah jadi benda ni kat aku dulu... Padahal umur dah 38 tahun.'

Another very optimistic friend tried to cheer her up, 'Tak apa, dear... At least it took you 38 years. Tahun depan, bila kau dah 39, benda ni dah tak jadi dah kat kau!!'

:) Moral of the story: it's never too late to learn a lesson - same goes to me.

Take care, Kak Puteri!!

DD said...

This is so true. The most famous quote would be... "takkan nak berkira dengan sedara mara/kawan kot". But aren't they supposed to be the one yg tak berkira jugak kan.

Unknown said...

SALAM,
WITH U, KAMA. CARE YOUR HEALTH !

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Zai - dalam ramai2 mesti ada sorang dua yg berperangai macam tu kan?

MG - betul sangat. takmau tolong nanti dikatakan sombong.. dah ditolong ambik kesempatan pulak.

D - hehehe, kak puteri ni asyik dok kena selalu.. i guess i am too gullible mwhen it comes to sedara mara sendiri..:D

LF - baru semalam i was thinking of you LF, dok pikir mana lf hilang sebab lama tak nampak. tq for yr kind wishes..

Siti Roffini said...

Puteri, you're not alone in this. Sometimes friends are more sincere than relatives. Some relatives are sweet and nice when they need your help but discard you like thrash when their problems are over.

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Puteri, will u be sending them a Christmas hamper this year in gratitude for their business & for keeping u busy since u got nothing else better to do at home?....kakaka

Kama At-Tarawis said...

siti - how true :(

tommy - hahaha, i'd rather send the hamper to myself..:D