I've noticed quite a while back that some of our clients have mastered a certain game. It's usually clients who know they've asked too much of us. If you push anyone working 'for' you too far, they'll be a whole lot more reluctant to reply 'how high ?' when you ask them to jump. Our clients, in general, know this. Most of our clients pretty much don't push us too far: if we say we're working on it, we're working on it, and most of the stuff they can do themselves. But some push us far, and keep pushing limits like "I *know* you said no, but how 'no' is it REALLY ?" or "I know I only have 40 hours of total support and I've made you guys put in about 250 hours so far, but could you please handle this very, very urgent task that will only take 50 more hours ? And could you call me back in an hour and please tell me it's done ?"
These clients know that it helps to make it up to us. If you stay on someone's good side, you can push them VERY, VERY far. It's the difference between being a friendly drunk in a bar and an annoying drunk: both might vomit or knock things over, but the friendly one's likely to be semi-cared for where the annoying one will simply get thrown out and left in the street. Web developing isn't that much different. It's awfully easy to ignore someone's email for a while if you get hundreds a day and you're not too fond of that specific person.
In the past, clients who pushed us too far have sent us custom-made cake, or sent us jokes they received, or sent us champagne or small gifts related to their department, or just dropped by to 'finally meet', etc. It's actually a rather nasty game if you ask me, since it's completely manipulative: they pretend to suddenly be your friend so you'll go that extra mile for them ONLY because they NEED you to go that extra mile. And in our department's case, where we already go several miles further than we should for our clients, that's a long way's away.
So a client is taking me and another coworker out for dinner tonight. After all, it's cheaper than actually paying for the extra hours we put in on her request.
Oh, and you were wondering what a Rikanopfrul is ?
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