Demaestro - 5:29 pm on Nov 26, 2010 (gmt 0)

The Used Car Salesmen: Right before asking you to submit a quote for the work he tells you that he has already received some great quotes under what he was originally budgeting for, but wants to see if you can best them.

On a real note, the ghost partner can be somewhat dealt with by including a paragraph in your work contract where the client contact with approval authority is defined and named. Although I am sure that wouldn't stop some similar situations at least it gives you leverage.