🚀 go-pugleaf

The files are your tools.

Imagine if you take a car to get repaired. The mechanic put in a new transmission and head gasket.
He delivers you the car.
You ask.. "well can I have the tools you used to fix the car?"
What response would you get?

I don't personally hand over any working files unless a specific agreement is made. Giving away my working files means a few things:
A) Hours of work would be saved by someone wanting to repurpose the project or reuse it. having my files could potentially save the client money in the future.
B) There's no need for the client to come back to me should they want alterations (Job security)
C) I loose control over what my company puts out. The client could be claiming it's my work, when in reality some secretary somewhere has made hundreds of edits to the files I would not have made. It's as much my branding as it is theirs.

If there's no specific agreement in place, I'd try a friendly discussion about why the working files are not what was paid for. What was paid for is the press-ready file, most often a PDF.