>Sounds to me like you're left high and dry - This is one of the pitfalls of being an independent developer we don't have the resources to invest in too many unsuccessful proposals.
>
>Maybe it'd be worth trying to invoice them for the work you have done, if they still have a copy of your plan then they could still use it for another developer - and that would have cost them money.
>
>That's all I can suggest really
>(aren't your fingers tired? :)
>
>Will


Hi Will,

Actually, my fingers don't get tired anymore, since I ramble online like this all the time (laughing). I don't get out much lately, so my primary form of expression seems to be posting on message boards...:)

Well, I tried invoicing this guy and explained why I felt that I should at least be partially compensated for lost hours. I told him that he was under no legal obligation to pay the invoice, but that it would be the ethical thing to do. When I did that, he emailed me with a nasty note in disbelief that I had the nerve to charge him for a proposal. I explained to him that I was not charging him for the proposal, but for the time it took to create the contract and the lost hours I had scheduled for developing his application.

He ended his letter by telling me that he bases his ethics on the premise of treating people according to how he expects to be treated. The funny thing is that I looked on his web site, and he has a cancellation policy which keeps 100 percent of a client's money if they cancel within 10 days of the start date (laughing). I only asked for $250.00 as compensation for the cancellation. Talk about a double standard!

Dave