My project timeline fell apart when a key vendor ghosted us in week 3

I was managing a website redesign for a local bakery in Portland, and everything was going smooth until our copywriter just stopped responding. We were 3 weeks into a 8 week schedule and I had to scramble to find a replacement from a freelance site. It took me 5 days and an extra $400 to get someone who could match the original voice. Has anyone else had a vendor disappear mid project and how did you handle the fallout?

3 comments

3 Comments

victorb7427d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, did you check if they were actually alive or just avoiding your emails?

wrenh651mo ago

Did you have a backup list ready before they bailed? That saved me on a similar project when our designer vanished halfway through. Now I always keep a running shortlist of three alternates for every vendor role in the contract.

hollyg591mo ago

Having a backup list just means you're planning for failure instead of picking the right person from the start. Contracts with escape clauses and clear deadlines do more good than a safety net that still wastes your time vetting backups.