I also have had huge problems with Ultimate Pet Websites, in addition to the many I have read online, and specifically with William Rilenge, Owner, with whom I have had harrowing discussions in which he has been nice only in one instance in which he backpedaled for time by claiming that he was out of town and would negotiate with me the next week, then a few days later was the same nasty person he's always been and ended up threatening me with legal terms (which he misspelled, by the way). It is my belief that he bought this time for himself in order to do research on how to intimidate me. He threatened me with lawsuits which would be frivolous and also has been threatening to post about me online "in force." What he can post about me, I don't know - for being a dissatisfied customer who wasn't serviced properly and who wants a refund? He has been incredibly argumentative and unyielding regarding the issues I've had, intractible and recalcitrant to a magnitude I have never experienced before from anyone running a business, to such a degree that it made me really consider his mental health status, and for that alone he almost "won" because he's, frankly, frightening to me in the degree of insensibility and anger he expresses. But, maybe this is how he operates - by scaring people into thinking he's so crazy they will "forget about" their money and any claims they have to have it refunded by virtue of the lack of professionalism this company has exhibited in regard to my projects.
The first designer which was assigned to my projects, Luke Cuenco, made excuses for delays, either didn't read or couldn't imbibe the information I sent him (I have written documents with his myriad excuses and apologies from him for "missing" what I'd already sent him when he asked for the same information again), and it is my opinion that he was incompetent regarding my project.
When he finally produced something after the deadline I was promised, it looked like a template that was thrown together in half an hour, not ANYTHING like what I had sent in instructions and discussed via e-mail.in fact, I was able to put up an unrelated Web site of my own a few months ago that took me an hour, and it looks better than what Luke Cuenco produced. When I communicated that to Ultimate Pet Websites, they must have agreed, because I was assigned a new project designer, Jared Zollner. More on Zollner below, but for now it will suffice to say I was promised a second deadline by him of two weeks which he also missed, by two weeks. At that point I asked, again, for a refund.
When I asked for a refund after the first deadline I was promised came and went, my request was refused, and I was strong-armed by being told I may as well work with them because they would "never" offer me a refund. I had no choice but to accept a second designer, Jared Zollner, who promised me a Web site within two weeks. Another deadline was missed, and I didn't see a link to a proposed site until two weeks after that second deadline had passed. I was asked numerous times for copy and directed Zollner to my existing Web site, which ahd all the copy he needed which I had already written. Copy/Paste, right?! He still kept asking me for copy. I became more and more frustrated and in despair over the constant incompetence. He FINALLY put in some copy to a proposed site, but it wasn't in the correct places, which were (and are) visible on my existing site.in addition, on what was supposed to be the Home page, he got the nature of my business wrong. Two months into my project, and this guy had no idea for what kind of business he was even designing a Web site. This was beyond disheartening and disappointing.
When I looked at the link for that Website design, it was also NOTHING like the design and ideas I had discussed.in fact, after "working" (I only heard from anyone minimally every few weeks, so I doubt they were putting much time in on my project) on my project for over two months.in addition, the proposed look of the site link, by the way, was nothing like what I had discussed with them, described to them, or expected based on these discussions and my descriptions, and so I did not approve it. I requested a refund again, and was denied a refund - again.
I was asked to provide photos even though I asked them to insert stock images until the Web site was up to par and anywhere close to going live. For reasons I can not even explain, since they're supposed to be a Web design company, stock images did not seem to be available to them and none were ever put into their proposed design for my Web site.
As well, during that time, because so much time had passed, reference I gave them to Web sites I liked for colours and design which they requested I was then told were no longer available (they stated the domains had expired. I question whether this was even true or just another excuse for more delays, especially since one was a site they had designed - so, wouldn't they have access to its design...?!? Excuses, excuses!!!).
I had also paid for a second site in advance on which NO WORK was done, and 16 months later they are still refusing to refund the money for that project as well. Late in 2011 I was offered only a third of my money back in total for that project, which I turned down as that is NOT the half I should have been offered for that project, which was half my order, on which NO WORK was done. They refused to refund the half.
I have tried AT LEAST to obtain a refund for my second project on which they did NO WORK and have found William Rilenge unreasonable and unyielding.in one e-mail recently, where I am sure he was stalling for me and led me to believe he'd be sensible and promised he'd negotiate a resolution with me, he asked what my ideal resolution would be. Frankly, I should have been suspect at this point since he was never so rational in the past when I had spoken with him, or others representing me. I wrote back and told him I would accept a full refund, and this seemed to make him VERY angry. When I tried to reeson with him, he threatened me with lawsuits, including an action which he misspelled (and I seriously believe he stalled for time having me thing he'd reach a resolution with me in order to look up what types of lawsuits he could threaten me with).
In fact, not two weeks ago, he started e-mailing me at around midnight and threatened me again with lawsuits and told me he would be scanning the Internet for complaints written by me, telling me that he'd successfully sued other complainers and that one was even serving time in jail - OH, BOY, what scare and intimidation tactics! I feel like doing business with them is like doing business with the MAFIA! Then he sent me a "last offer" e-mail in which he told me that he would refund me (finally - after 16 months!) for the second project on which no work was done, BUT that would be it and if I accepted that refund that I was, essentially, agreeing to give up rights to any refund for my first project.
Then, he tells me via e-mail that no e-mail response and "silence" on my part will indicate acceptance of this refund "agreement" he came up with - AND THEN HE BLOCKS MY E-MAIL SO I CAN'T RESPOND! How old is this guy - 12?!? I used another e-mail address to tell him that silence or lack of response in any case is not a legally binding agreement, tacit or otherwise, and he then sent me a crazy e-mail in response, to which I have not responded since. I have the e-mails, including hard copies, and can prove everything I am reporting.
After being threatened in the manners I reported by William Rilenge, I don't even see how Ultimate Pet Websites could ever make this right again. After reading numerous complaints about them, on here and on other sites (just search 'Ultimate Pet Websites Complaints' and you can see for yourself), I am struck by how other complaints so closely mirror mine, so apparently this is their modus operandi and way of doing business, and I wonder how Ultimate Pet Websites can continue doing business in such a manner. Isn't there an attorney general in that state, or a better business bureau to which they can be reported? I intend to look into both, and more.
I wish I had avoided this company and NEVER paid them any money in advance. I am now out the $900 I paid them and have NOTHING to show for it, and don't have the money to hire a more professional designer since they won't refund my money, so they are impeding my ability to do business as I don't have a site right now that attracts customers well as it's 11 years old and outdated. I will be taking them to small claims court and adding in my costs for time spent on this matter, travel costs, any process server costs, and court costs. When I win a judgment, I will have it promptly executed.
I fully expect that a response by Ulitmate Pet Websites similar to those I viewed to others' complaints may be posted here. Please don't be fooled by it. The reponses always sound reasonable, but dealing with this company and William Rilenge has been anything BUT reasonable, to say the very least.
And, as a consumer and business person, I would certainly be concerned about the solvency of this company if they are willing to spend hours and hours e-mailing me, threatening me and arguing with me which instead could be used working on peoples' projects whose money they have accepted, all over a sum of my $900.00. That is a HUGE red flag to me that a company would risk complaints such as mine being posted instead of refunding that amount of money.
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