Loyalty is a two way street. Many of us have 'preferred' clients who were there during the earlier days, but you need to remember that you were still working ha

Loyalty is a two way street. Many of us have 'preferred' clients who were there during the earlier days, but you need to remember that you were still working hard providing a service to them before and now. As a business, it's up to both sides to ensure and maintain a worthwhile business relationship, unless you're desperate for the money and are willing to compromise. A few more points to consider: * As others have mentioned, $25 is very low for consulting. Try shooting for at least hourly salary * 1.5. * Think of what rate they would pay your replacement given today's market rates. * You've likely grown in skill and experience from 4 years ago, so your rate should show it. * There are other ways to show loyalty, such as market rate with 10% discount or providing a value added service. * The nitpicking and increased expectations comes naturally when you're taken for granted. At this point there's very little you can do to win. * Opportunity cost. The time you're investing doing work you feel is inadequate can be found looking for and doing better gigs.