I was in the process of rebranding my business and needed a new website and logo.
I am perfectly capable of using a premade template and clip art to create a website, but I do not have graphic skills or "under the hood" coding skills. I also do not have SEO skills.
I am able to add images and insert text into a webpage. I can create pages and categories.
My website needed a custom template. A specific type logo and a number of specific features. Two key items I needed were the ability and instructions on how to host and play video on the actual website and instructions on how to back up the site.
I know it can be done. I do not know how to do it.
I know how to buy and use a template or use a template program. I do not know how to do any of the coding to change colors, backgrounds and such. That is was I needed.
I particulary needed assistance on reviewing and editing content and how to get the best SEO result.
I had a very clear idea of what I wanted. I just did not know how to design it.
I contacted Carsley Crabtree, of Ridgeway MO to discuss his services. His website touts his work ethic and his marine father.
Commencing on more or less Dec 4, I had a lengthy conversation with Crabtree and sent him many samples of what I wanted as well as sample webpages I liked. I did this so he would have visual references.
I told him what my long term marketing plan was so he understood the big picture.
I also sent him a breakdown of the various industry search terms that would need to be incorporated into my site.
Initially we discussed what I understood to be a less robust site (I believe we were discussing wordpress, but he may have been talking about another type of site build) and he would do monthly maintenance. After thinking about it overnight, because we offer many services, we decided to go with a full joomla site that would incorporate all of my services.
I did not want to pay for something now that would have to be redone from scratch at some point in the future. It made no sense to me to pay for something that would become obsolete. It made no sense to spend the same money twice.
After discussing this with Crabtree I decided to use my budget to pay for the required Joomla base features and add additional features at a later date. The additional features would include an ecommerce feature, the ability to have video blogs, and other items, a membership only area, an ftp site for clients to log in to get data. Video testimonials. I understood I would have to pay extra to have those featured incorporated later.
It was and is my understanding Joomla offered me a platform for all of the features I needed at this time as well as what I needed to add in the future. I understand that Joomla supports more complex requirements than other systems.
I signed a contract with Crabtree, as an expert, for webdevelopment. It was my understanding that it would include the design of the logo, based on my stated direction. It would include the website design, review of the text to make sure I was using the proper keywords, insertion and review of keywords, meta tags and such. It did not include the writing of the content or adding the text and images.
The first time I saw the logo it was in mostly final form. I was shocked as it was not what I asked for AT ALL, and in fact incorporated things I specifically stated I did not want.
At this point Carsley made it clear he expected me to pay for revisions, even though the design was clearly not what I asked for. He did not accept any responsibilty for the design being so different than what I asked for.
I ended up redesigning the logo myself to tone down the negative elements.
Carsley pretty much told me he knew better than I did and this was what I needed, vs what I had specified.
Because I knew I only had a limited amount in my budget, and I had signed a one sided contract I had to proceed.
My choices were
let him revise it - and pay extra
accept it and pay for it
refuse to accept it - and pay for it
When the website design was submitted, I was equally agast. It was not what I asked for. I submitted some suggested revisions. What he came back with was so different than what I had specified that I could not believe my eyes.
It had become clear to me Crabtree was not going to deliver what I asked for as far as design. He either does not have the skills to do what I asked. Or it appeared he decided what I needed and was unwilling to give me what I asked for.
I was prepared to defer to him as an expert. But I was and am not happy with the result. Moreovoer, any time spent trying to correct this error was going to cost me more money.
So, despite the fact that I stated I felt I was being coerced into paying for the design, he continued to demand immediate payment. To get the website up and running I felt I had to pay. I agreed to do so. The only other option he offered was to have him continue to work on it, but I would be required to pay additional money, or refuse to accept it and pay him the full amount.
I offered that day to pay by pay pal or credit card. He does not accept them and required I write him a check.
I decided I had to have him do my website hosting because I was expecting problems with the website and did not want him to be able to claim it was because of my hosting company.
I sent the check to him.in a matter of a couple of days I received a strident email from him because the check had not arrived as quickly as he expected. Please note. I received the final invoice on December 29 and he had his check on Jan 5. This was not an overly long transit time!
He would not release the SEO report until after he had been paid and he would only enter the seo tags, show me how to do the back up, show me how to do the video or any of the other things we had discussed unless I paid him more.
The SEO report contained search terms I had sent him, as well as generic information readily available easily on the internet or local library.
Carsley has now refused to accept any questions, emails or work with me. He took my money and left me high and dry. I am out money, I have a website that is not what I wanted or asked for. And I still do not have the important items I needed. It appears he has also blocked me from browsing his website.
I do not have recordings of the phone conversations, but I do have copies of our email correspondence. The content of the phone conversations are a he said, she said matter. But the emails clearly show what happened.
It defies logic that I would pay for something I could easily do for myself.
So, be foreward
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