I am having many arguments with my client about the terms of a large project and need some advice. The client is a middle man linking me up with the company that needs the website, so the end customer is this company that my client knows, that I have no connection to, other than through him.
I agreed to do freelance work for an extremely reasonable price, way below what its worth.
What (I) the freelancer wants
I tried to come up with an extremely reasonable contract that contains information about payment due dates, if any changes are made to project scope additional fees apply, project files are to be delivered after no balance remains, $30 late fee per day will be applied daily after exceeding 5 days after the due date.
Are any of these terms unreasonable? Aren't the terms usually a lot worse?
What the client wants
The client refuses to adhere to my contract and wants to create his own contract that says that payment due dates may change at any time and I will be paid 7 days after I show progress with the site (which can be whenever he wants). Progress with the site will be shown using CFT which forces me to transfer files to his server, so this means I deliver half the project before I get paid and last but not least, no late fees. Since when do clients make the contract between them and the web developer?
I'd appreciate any advice, with this situation.
Many thanks in advance!