To Whom This May Concern:
I'm on a modeling website called ModelMayhem.com. The volunteer moderators have me on probation (meaning I can't post anything publicly on that website) for a week for "outing" a girl who scammed me out of over $300! And, to a full-time college student paying her way through school, that is a LOT of money! I don't make enough to just write that amount off. She didn't even give me a receipt, so I can't write that expense off on my taxes! Here's what's been happening:
I try to help people avoid those who are corrupt in this industry! I've had a very bad experience with Valeria Figallo these past 2.5 months! I could give you the long version, but the "shorter" one would be more to-the-point & probably all that's necessary. I was referred to her by a photographer who was planning on using her services as well (he never did after I told him what happened!). So, I emailed her asking her rates. I know nothing of the cost or work of website creation, so I have no clue about how hard each & every one of these bits are!
I told her in the beginning (early April) that I need the website completed by May 12 with the following integrated features: picture gallery, calendar, blog, testimonials, video player, music player, CMS, shopping cart (so I can gain back the money that I spend on her work), & paid/password-protected section with everything integrated into the site (i.E. It doesn't make sense that I'd want a whole section of my site dedicated to a link to another site's blog, etc.), & that I want a verbal progress report every other day minimum. I told her that if she had any questions, didn't understand something, or thought I was too bossy, to please let me know ASAP so we can get things sorted out immediately. This website was to be for my fitness training, dance instruction, & modeling businesses, so it's only fitting that I advertise myself as traditionally-professional as possible (i.E. No nude on the Home page). I need to be able to edit the whole website myself after it's finished because I'd rather not be dependent upon someone else forever. She replied with this:
Hello Jessica! Thank you for contacting me. Wow you have so many talents!!! Here i will send you all the info you need about my services and the packages i have, if my packages don't fit your needs you can specify exactly how many sections you need and the exact idea you have in mind so i can give you a custom budget. You have a very nice portfolio, hope to work with you!
*vf design studio*
HTML or FLASH?
HTML and Flash are both used to build websites. The difference would depend on the audience that you are trying to reach and sell your service... Flash enables smooth animations and html sites have a more static look.
If you want something simple and easy to see i recommend html, if you want something fun to see and unique i recommend flash.
PRICE:
Since the sites are custom made, it all depends on how many sections you need, the idea, animations if flash, etc... If you already have an idea or budget in mind let me know and we can discuss it, if not you can check out some packages i already have:
Basic Website PACKAGE 1: $200 USD
- 3 sections (home - portfolio - contact)
- Basic flash or html
Website PACKAGE 2: $300 USD
- 5 sections
- Flash or html
- Optional flash intro
- Optional: Music Player
Pro Website PACKAGE 3: $500
- 5-15 sections (the ones u want)
- Flash or html
- Logo Design
- Optional: flash intro
- Optional: Videos
- Optional: Music Player
- Optional: Fullscreen Option and Exact Fit (resize to fit the size of the window)
- 5 promote banners
Pro Website PACKAGE 4: $650
- Flash AND html versions of the site (an enter/intro page with options to choose between the flash or html version of the site)
- All the sections/galleries you need.
- Logo Design
- Optional: flash intro
- Optional: Videos
- Optional: Music Player
- Optional: Fullscreen Option and Exact Fit (resize to fit the size of the window)
- 5 promote banners
PAYMENT:
The payment can be via:
* Western Union Online - www.westernunion.com (or in a location)
* MoneyGram Online - www.emoneygram.com (or in a location)
* Xoom - www.xoom.com
* Bank Account Transfer
(in my current location theres no paypal system), feel free to check all my references.
UPDATES:
I give 1 FREE update monthly, but you can also update the photos yourself, the updading method depends on the gallery system of your site, i would give you detailed instructions on how to do updates after the website its finished, YOU DONT NEED TO HAVE OR KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT FLASH OR HTML CODING, just a bit of patience to learn and memorize the few steps.
OPTIONAL: HOSTING AND DOMAIN SERVICES:
I can setup the site in any hosting and domain company you are using, but i also offer a host/domain plan of $200 YEARLY, and includes:
- Domain/URL (www.yourname.com)
- Hosting
- 5 email accounts with your domain ([email protected])
- FREE unlimited photo and info updates for the site.
—
VF DESIGN STUDIO | www.VFDESIGN.com
Valeria Figallo | www.valeriafigallo.com
Email: [email protected]
aim: valeriafigallo
Cellphone: 992722189
blackberry chat pin: 205879f2
That looks very professional, & after much debate between her & another designer in Miami (I've decided to go with a local person this time around), I chose her because she gave me an all-inclusive package for a great deal & can be finished by May 12! Since I'm a full-time student & don't have many training clients (due to the amount of time I must spend studying), price always plays a huge factor in my decisions, especially in this down economy. I chose the largest package because my total budget was $1000, & sent the first half through Western Union as per our agreement. During the month that I conversed with her, she became flakier, disappearing for 3-4 days at a time when she originally told me that "I'm online usually sometimes in the morning, but mostly all afternoon and night, "
I was expecting her to come up with a layout for me to add content to, but she kept procrastinating & asking me for more content &, toward the end, not understanding the design pictures I sent to her (I don't have expensive designing software, so the best that I could come up with at the time was taking pictures of hand-drawings).
This is what she sent to me on May 13th:
Honey, ive uploaded a temporal page to your domain, in the contact ill have the submit form by tomorrow, are there any specific fields you would like there?
Like:
Name:
Phone:
Address, etc etc etc?
So I sent her an emergency email with things to change because my real deadline (I planned for a few days adjustment, just in case) was May 16th. Everything, even the contact form, should have been clear as glass in my drawings! She didn't respond to my email for almost 2 weeks! When she finally did, it was in response to this one post:
http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php? Thread_id=453399.
What else was I supposed to do? She wasn't responding to any of my efforts to contact her directly! To this day she still has my money, & that's seriously all I want back because I paid her for a website that she didn't deliver, deal broken. Unfortunately she's using her leverage from building websites for the Moderators on that website, so basically I feel like I got scammed out of my money, & she's not doing anything to prove me wrong! I've only posted one other time saying not to work with her. This is her last email to me:
I don't really care if you post in the f*in forums, and FYI its considering OUTING in the model mayhem forums, it will just get you banned from the site.
I know you've been posting cause ive made the websites of almost all moderators of the site and ive also got many messages of some satisfied clients shocked by the things you say, i really haven't made a complaint for outing on the site but im getting tired of it.
Im not a scammer, i didn't scam you, i didn't stole your money, im an artist and i like doing websites and i was in the process of doing yours. But i will not tolerate someone, especialy a AMATEUR thinking my work is crap. That's my limit, and you pushed it.
Its such a shame, and if u want to know why i dont reply your emails its because i hate fighting and i hate the way you express yourself, so i decide to avoid drama and i just dont reply.
This is why I encourage people not to work with her, because she takes people's money & then uses lame excuses like she got sick, her boyfriend broke up with her, & she works in a poor south American country, in order to not finish her work. I'm sorry, but that's not acceptable or professional. Don't get me wrong, I loved her work in the beginning (the reason I hired her in the first place), but now that I see what kind of person she is, she just spoiled her own image.
I hope you work with a much better and more professional designer than her.
Hope you have a great evening anyway! I'm sorry for the drama.
Jessica
Model, fitness professional, dance performer/instructor, singer
P.S. Some of those moderators are biased because she's done favours for them, & they're watching my every movement now because I'm not keeping quiet like all the other people she's scammed (I know of 10 others)! You know, she tried to excuse her actions by her residing in a poor south American country? I gave her $315... That's over $1000 in her country! So she's living like a queen over there.
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