Captivate Designs

Captivate Designs has worked with the client to resolve all issues. The website was completed, despite extensive delays in both response times and deliverables to us.  Pursuant to the terms of the services the website is completed and a portion. In addition, the website was completed and...

therefore the client is not eligible for a refund based upon the terms of agreement.  The completed website can  be viewed at [redacted].

Review: On 8/**/13 I signed an agreement with [redacted] to create a website similar to one she said she had designed.

After months of waiting, the delivered website was not close to the sample website in look, feel with all browser and mobile devices.

After review in February 2014 it was agreed that I would provide the mockups on the site design.

Mockups were delivered and many more months passed, with little to no communication from CaptivateDesgins.

I was now in my "season" where I was not going to have the advertising to increase my business.

[redacted] then passed my project off to another developer on 4/*/14 as the work still was not completed after receiving the mockups 2 months earlier.

It took until August **, 2014 when [redacted] "apologized" for the issues and said I should be contacting her directly, even though she had been copied on the majority of the emails to her Developer [redacted]. August **, 2014 was the first I was able to get a single "static" page to advertise my business.

September **, 2014 was the last communication I received from [redacted] where she stated "I should have more time to focus on your project in the coming week so we can get this wrapped up". Status updates were requested, but were not returned. My 1 static page has now been taken down.Desired Settlement: Even though over a year of my time was wasted along with lost revenue with no website trying to support a Small Business like [redacted], my only request is the return of my web design fee of $1,050 paid on 8/*/13.

Business

Response:

Captivate Designs has worked with the client to resolve all issues. The website was completed, despite extensive delays in both response times and deliverables to us. Pursuant to the terms of the services the website is completed and a portion. In addition, the website was completed and therefore the client is not eligible for a refund based upon the terms of agreement. The completed website can be viewed at [redacted].

Review: In November 2012 I contracted Captivate Designs to redesign an existing website I had for three years. I purchased the background, provided all the pictures and wrote all the content. It took [redacted] 4 months to complete the redesign. In February 2013 I was concerned about the progress and product. So much so I hired another designer to provide feedback. I paid [redacted] an additional $300 to correct the issues based on this feedback and the site finally went live mid March 2013. Since that time I experienced excessive issues with spam, had ongoing problems with the blog and at the end of May the site was hacked. This led me to discontinue my blog as I believed it was impacting my credibility with my readers.. [redacted] admitted several times the hacking was a first for her. She restored the site by uploading the same files not realizing they were corrupt. And the site was hacked again within two weeks. To educate myself about hacking, I have spoken with at least six designers . I learned the platform she used is WordPress and while easy to manage, requires measures such as complicated passwords and site scanners to ensure it's security. No such or similar measures were taken with my site. I also learned the files were corrupted after the initial hacking and the encryption and scripting needed to be revised before uploading. This did not occur. [redacted] stated after the second hacking, she reviewed the files and found nothing malicious. She did not make any effort to clean the files the first or second time, nor did she check the functionality of the site after restoring. I brought it to her attention that links and buttons on the site were not working, for which she apologized. In that [redacted] claims to have no experience with hacked sites and her initial attempt to remedy the problem resulted in another hacking (as predicted by the other web-designers ) I no longer have confidence in her ability to correct a problem that has been compounded since going live; starting with excessive spam and concluding with getting hacked twice. That she suggested the hacking might be the result of an "enemy" of mine, validates her lack of experience. She has offered me the files, which more than likely remain corrupt and will require me to pay more money for someone to clean them and or confirm they're safe to be uploaded. At this point I have no site, not even the one I started with as it is unrecoverable. I appreciate the time [redacted] has invested in the project. At the same time the product has been faulty and resulted in me investing an inordinate amount of time to address the ongoing issues, not to mention I have no site. All of what I am sharing is documented in her e-mails.Desired Settlement: I have paid [redacted] ~$1000 for the redesign and site management. I remained faithful to the contract despite ongoing issues. After the site was hacked, [redacted] suggested I find someone else claiming I can't be satisfied. That I paid her an additional $300 in February would suggest at the time I wanted to believe [redacted]'s claims to get the job done. I have requested the $900 I invested for her to format all that I provided, on a secure and functioning platform to be returned in that I have paid for a product that does not exist. work and I will need to start from scratch. I am less whole now than when I entered into a contract with [redacted] has denied my request. I explained to her I had no alternative but to file a complaint with the Revdex.com.

Business

Response:

Dear Sir/Madam:

It is with great regret that I have to write this response, because I feel like I have bent over backwards to help this customer. Starting by lower my initial quote to $599.00 and $29.99 per month instead of the initial $1500.00 I quoted her, to provide her with something that is of quality at a much lower price because I wanted to help her after our initial conversation of where she was in her business.

Yes, the client did provide, content, an image to use as a background for the website, but this is all pretty standard when it comes to building a website, and it is the responsibility of the client and she was aware of that when she signed up for our services in fact it is outlined in the statement of work that she signed (please see the attached). This goes to show that the client has a lack of appreciation for what I do as a designer and developer and do not value what I do.

Secondly, yes the website did take 4 months to complete, because I had to produce over 8 mockups because she kept changing her mind as to what she wanted, including providing new and updated content each time as well as what name she would lead for her company, which I did not charge her additional to take care of. As it is clearly outlined in my statement of work attached that the client should provide the FINAL CONTENT as it is to appear on the website at the start of the project.

I did charge her an additional $300 because she had already approved the website and consulted with a coach who provided her with suggestions and in order to make those changes I charged her an additional $300.00.

Through out this process we have tried our best to accommodate her needs and to work with her, but she just never seemed satisfied.

Unfortunately, her website was hacked, top websites get hacked everyday at the government and other sites, it is not because it is without security.

I did perform all the necessary steps needed to resolve the issue. BEcause of [redacted] ventrolic attitude towards me and the fact that none of my clients websites has been hacked in the 6 years I have been building websites, I concluded that she must be rude and ventrolic to others who would want to see her website down.

Nevertheless, I let [redacted] out of her $29.99 per month commitment with us which would be a loss of over $290.99 in order for her to find a company that she feels more happy with.

At this time we feel that the stressful nature of working with this client and all the work and revisions that we performed on the website, does not make her a viable candidate for a refund and we will not be issuing [redacted] a refund. We wish her the best of luck with her future endeavors.

This is the original website that [redacted] owned, and she came to us for a redesign, we believe that we significantly improved the design of her website and the design alone is worth what she paid. http[redacted]

Please see below the numerous samples off website we produced for her.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

Please know the primary reason I reached out to the Revdex.com was to increase public awareness; in that what happened to me could happen to others. Captivate Designs (CD) was aware of my intent. I was hopeful it might compel a degree of accountability, a trait that was lacking throughout the seven months I worked with her and remains evident in her defense.

From CD's perspective, the onus lies with me, the client- it was all my fault - she "bent over backwards" and I could not be satisfied. She even suggests the hacking of the site may be a reflection of my behavior and someone wanting to do me harm. A position more revealing of her mindset, than my personality, particularly when the first hackers did not attempt to be anonymous. They boldly displayed their website link. I can assure you, I have not affiliations with any terroristic like groups. I submit "bending over backwards" is a subjective term and may mean different things to different people. Similarly "unable to satisfy" could also be considered subjective. In addition to what I revealed in my initial complaint I offer the following examples as to why I reject her notions and her defense.

It took 4 moths for the redesign. I acknowledge my personal circumstances delayed me in getting content. CD however received everything they requested at the beginning of January and the site did not go live until late March. Redesigning a website is a creative process and revisions are expected. While I could not access the links to the 8 mock-ups she provided, it maybe worthy to consider this was as much a reflection of her: 1) not listening or understanding my initial requests 2) not following through on verbal and written requests. 3) Typos and alike.

The chronic problems I experienced with the blog were out of my circle of influence. That my blog readers would receive "test messages" while her assistant attempted to fix the blog, was also outside of my realm. CD was included on an e-mail I sent to my readers, explaining I needed to pause on the blog given the ongoing. problems. I never heard anything from CD. There was no effort or acknowledgement regarding my inconvenience. Keep in mind, CD was also aware of the fact the blog was the motivating factor for the redesign. Is this an example of "bending over backwards". Is it unreasonable for me to want the blog I am paying for to function properly? CD apparently believes this represents how I can not be satisfied.

I reported excessive spam from the onset. I even reached out to fellow bloggers who used WordPress to discern their experience. It took weeks before CD added a security measure. And shortly before the site was hacked, CD finally changed the coding, something she explained she believed was already done. I suspect fixing a problem inherent to the site is an example where she believed she was bending over backward.

Once the site was hacked the first time, her e-mail response was void of any empathy. Someone who claims to "bend over backwards", might consider a phone call, particularly in that this was the first time this ever happened to her in 6 years,... so she claims?

In that I believe knowledge is power, I spoke to several web designers as well as tech support to make every effort to ensure the site was not hacked again. I learned some things, for example while widely used, WordPress can be vulnerable to hacking when certain precautions are not used, i.e. the login should not be "admin"- . CD set-up the account using "admin" as the login and never recommended I change it. I also learned the files needed to be checked for malware before uploading; omitting this step would increase the likelihood the site would be hacked again. CD admitted to simply uploading the files and not surprising, the site was hacked again. Though she would prefer to believe the hacking resulted from someone wanting to do me harm??? I dare say, blaming the client and suggesting people want to harm them is a a uniquely interesting tack, and one that lacks professionalism.

After the second hack, my site was down for more than a week. I heard nothing from CD and finally reached out to her. Another example of her bending over backwards? She claimed she had reviewed the files and found nothing malicious and offered to upload the files that day. It was also at this time she suggested I find a new web designer. Perhaps a reflection the tide had changed and she was out of her league? I am hardly an expert regarding malware, though I learned it is tricky and unless you know what to look for, it's hard to detect. Given CD stated this was a new experience, it was reasonable for me believe CD might not know what to look for. It took five days to receive the files she was ready to upload that day- no doubt another example of her bending over backwards. Once I received the files I had no alternative but to find a company that knows how to clean corrupted files. I forwarded the files I received from CD and in fact they were infected- no surprise. The files have been cleaned, I found a new designer and I am up and running again. While this experience was draining and costly, throughout, I demonstrated patience, all my communications with CD were respectful, I referenced her expertise and extended compassion toward her when she was experiencing personal challenges. In the end, in her mind, she bent over backwards and I could not be satisfied. Things that make you go hmmm?

Lastly, CD and I never negotiated her contract. She was offering a promotion and also explained she wanted the opportunity to work with a coach to expand her portfolio. I dare say there were times, I wondered if the service I was receiving was a reflection of the "discounted" price. In that I am whole again, I no longer request a full refund. Refunding a portion of my investment given the chronic problems and inconvenience, not to mention the cost I incurred to clean files she was paid to manage, would be a reflection of respectable business acumen. It would also be synonymous with "bending over backward".

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

[redacted] and I disagree on what has transpired in this case and I do feel that the steps that we took to remedy the situation were in good faith. I wish [redacted] best of luck with her business and future endeavours.