Plenty of people treat a promise as something they can casually toss away. Forgive the bluntness: sometimes a person's word is worth no more than a fart. Maybe cheating once brings a windfall, maybe it brings nothing at all. Either way, what happens the next time they need someone to trust them?
I didn't really want to write about this. It has happened more than once or twice, and it leaves me feeling sorry that people like this are still around.
I've made some skins for PJBlog and built a small reputation from it. Eventually people started asking me to make custom PJBlog skins. Turning a hobby into some income is a decent arrangement, and it has also improved my practical skills. Compared with when I started, I think I've come a long way. By now I've made quite a few custom skins and tried many different styles. The feedback has generally been positive, which still makes me happy.
But among the people who contacted me, some left me speechless. They'd add me on QQ, say they wanted a custom skin, and we'd discuss what they wanted: which functions should work differently, what style they had in mind, the price. Then I'd start working. When the skin was done and I tried to tell them, their QQ account was gone. Or there was no reply at all, as if the account had died. Or they'd tell me they no longer wanted it. The worst was when I sent them the finished skin and they took it and disappeared.
I don't understand their thinking. It's almost as if messing with someone is fun for them. I think I've been fair to deal with. I'm glad to help people, and when someone adds me on QQ with a question, I do what I can to solve it.
Making skins is just a hobby. It isn't going to make me rich. I don't ask for a deposit before I start. I finish the work, and if the person is satisfied, they pay. I think that's a reasonable way to do it. If you genuinely want a custom skin, I'm happy to talk. But don't use cheap tricks. It isn't as if I've never made a skin for free. What I hate is being played with for no reason. Don't waste my time.
People need to keep their word. Without credibility, a person has no foundation. I start from a position of believing everyone who comes to me with a custom request. I hope the people who do ask will make that trust feel deserved.
And I hope no one forgets that honesty is one of the traditional virtues worth keeping. There is no point in this kind of pointless game. Thank you.