I don’t know about the weirdest thing, but one thing comes to mind from earlier today. Fairly sure it qualifies.
I’m a freelance translator. (And my rates are on the inexpensive side for the languages I do. I’m modest with them because I haven’t been doing this for very long yet. Colleagues tell me earning twice my rate isn’t uncommon.)
I’ve been negotiating with an until-recently-prospective client who just told me he’d like me to do the work for less than one seventh of the rate I suggested.
To be clear: he didn’t say “sorry, you’re outside our budget, no deal.” He said “we’d like you to do it for 13% of the money, is that okay too?” Yeah. Is the Pope a Hindu?
And this isn’t some poor old lady who has to choose between Christmas presents for her grandkids or a new hip. We’re talking about corporate outsourcers here, asking me to translate an e-shop selling expensive sports equipment going all the way go up to € 6000 apiece.
I’m told that kind of audacity – not to mention bewilderingly unreasonable cheapskatery – is alarmingly common in the field.
If this doesn’t seem strange to you, imagine asking your plumber for a discount just because you don’t feel like paying that much.