Fly-by-night web designers rant

hambone

Expert Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
1,513
Reaction score
2
Location
A liitle here, a little there; South Africa
Apologies in advance for the passive aggressiveness, but; nothing satisfies me more than seeing one of my competing websites outranking the Official Site on search.

I quoted the Official Site for a complete overhaul and a fixed number of hours in maintenance and was told
Sorry, your quote is far higher than one of [our board's] contacts.

The website hasn't been updated in 6 months, looks like a total shambles, no one is driving traffic or SEO all of which I would have done, for a reasonable hourly rate out of the agreed included maintenance hours. Moral of the story? You get what you pay for. Should have gone with the realistic quote Official Site, not your CEO's cousin's auntie's grandson.

Now, question - because I have extensive knowledge of the market for the Official Site and am passionate about the cause they represent - should I approach them again for business or just leave it alone?
 
Apologies in advance for the passive aggressiveness, but; nothing satisfies me more than seeing one of my competing websites outranking the Official Site on search.

I quoted the Official Site for a complete overhaul and a fixed number of hours in maintenance and was told

The website hasn't been updated in 6 months, looks like a total shambles, no one is driving traffic or SEO all of which I would have done, for a reasonable hourly rate out of the agreed included maintenance hours. Moral of the story? You get what you pay for. Should have gone with the realistic quote Official Site, not your CEO's cousin's auntie's grandson.

Now, question - because I have extensive knowledge of the market for the Official Site and am passionate about the cause they represent - should I approach them again for business or just leave it alone?

Leave them..
 
If you've got the time it's a chance to make some extra cash. The worst they can do is say no.
 
They'll come back to you once they realise that they're drowning in their own crap.

We've had clients drop us for some abscure reason, only to come back 6 months down the line for a complete [again] overhaul. Needless to say they've dropped us yet again, so I think they're just full of crap.
 
They'll come back to you once they realise that they're drowning in their own crap.

We've had clients drop us for some abscure reason, only to come back 6 months down the line for a complete [again] overhaul. Needless to say they've dropped us yet again, so I think they're just full of crap.

Just charge them double when they do come back! :twisted:
 
In the accounting audit profession its the same story.. clients going for cheaper quotes... Very interesting quote at the back of one of the accounting magazines last month:

If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur
 
Apologies in advance for the passive aggressiveness, but; nothing satisfies me more than seeing one of my competing websites outranking the Official Site on search.

I quoted the Official Site for a complete overhaul and a fixed number of hours in maintenance and was told

The website hasn't been updated in 6 months, looks like a total shambles, no one is driving traffic or SEO all of which I would have done, for a reasonable hourly rate out of the agreed included maintenance hours. Moral of the story? You get what you pay for. Should have gone with the realistic quote Official Site, not your CEO's cousin's auntie's grandson.

Now, question - because I have extensive knowledge of the market for the Official Site and am passionate about the cause they represent - should I approach them again for business or just leave it alone?

Can you prove the benefit you'd provide vs. the savings of the cheaper developer?
 
Saw this quote the other day and enjoyed it: "If you think hiring a professional is expensive, just wait to see how expensive it is hiring an amateur..."
 
In the accounting audit profession its the same story.. clients going for cheaper quotes... Very interesting quote at the back of one of the accounting magazines last month:

Saw this quote the other day and enjoyed it: "If you think hiring a professional is expensive, just wait to see how expensive it is hiring an amateur..."

:D
 
If you do go back just do not do it with a 'I told you so' attitude. If it was my business and I know we did wrong then the last thing I want is for you to come smirking and asking for business. So we made a mistake due to one of our board members recommending somebody else. It gives you no right to try and stuff that down our throats. We made a business decision which did not work.

I will however appreciate it if your approach was honest and caring and it may just result in all future work going your way as you helped me out of a tight spot.

So the questions is, are you in it to build long term business relationships or not?
 
I recently paid a web developer who hasn't delivered on his many promises, doesn't communicate delays or reasons for delays, doesn't apologise for going back on his word time and time again, has until Friday to finish his work according to the signed service agreement (he had 3 weeks and hasn't shown me anything - FML) and now just plain ignores me.

My repeated requests for working contact details - which were polite - were deleted from the company's FB website and the page has turned off posting on the wall sometime between last night and today.

I thought this guy was an established professional (found him on myBB nogal - his company's been around for a while).

Please pm details of a local web developer looking for potential work.
 
Last edited:
I recently paid a web developer who hasn't delivered on his many promises, doesn't communicate delays or reasons for delays, doesn't apologise for going back on his word time and time again, has until Friday to finish his work according to the signed service agreement (he had 3 weeks and hasn't shown me anything - FML) and now just plain ignores me.

My repeated requests for working contact details - which were polite - were deleted from the company's FB website and the page has turned off posting on the wall sometime between last night and today.

I thought this guy was an established professional (found him on myBB nogal - his company's been around for a while).

Please pm details of a local web developer looking for potential work.

Hope this is resolved now :D
 
Not happy that there was enough time to have my requests taken off of FB but not to get back to me...

I am "reconnected" with YOUGOTTOHAVEIT -you at least. :D :thumbs-up:
And I'm anxious to see how the project is developed from now on, but hopeful that YOUGOTTOHAVEIT will still hand me a solid product after all this unsavouriness.
 
Last edited:
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X