Is this web designer trying to rip me off?

Question

I have a quick question, I paid 300$ for a guy to re design my wordpress website, basically just make it look better. When everything was complete he sent me 2 attachment pictures of basically my same homepage but with a couple extra pictures. He said that it would cost about 700$ to implement the design. My question is am I getting ripped off or does that seem fair? I didn’t think it would cost a $1,000 for someone to make some small changes. Anyway I’m 300$ in the hole and all i have for it are 2 pictures. my website is http://www.suredates.com and I can show you the pictures. It would really help me. Thanks in advance

Answer 1

If you told the designer I want "x" done and he/she accepts money for that but delivers something less and wants more to do what was originally asked for... I think you're being ripped off. But we don't have many details. It is bad practice to not have a clear work order that you both understand. The designer may not have understood what you were asking for... BUT it is the designer's job to be clear and thorough. You aren't supposed to know what everything is. You ought to have a clear contract even an itemized email... and only pay 50% upfront.



It should never cost $300 to just add a few photos. Wp or other CMS site updating should be hourly rate. Change of design without child theme $300-400... with a child theme would depend on the details. A static site should be even more simple for anyone experienced with handcode. I'm assuming the site isn't huge or a total rat's nest underneath.



So I say yes. By accepting your money they agreed to deliver something and didn't.

Answer 2

I'm thinking you didn't know what you were actually wanting/asking for. Comparing the photo of the updated site and your current site, the web designer did his job. Your current site is unprofessional and not too attention grabbing. If you needed a web developer, you should have done more research. Is $700 too much for JUST a design and no implementation, maybe, but it's your job to shop around and compare people/companies, and you need to know what you REALLY want. You can't give a vague idea and expect them to be able to read your mind.

Answer 3

The designer did exactly what you told him to: redesign the website. If you seriously consider his work to be "basically my same homepage but with a couple extra pictures", then there has to be something wrong with your eyes.



Your current site looks like an amateur messed with a downloaded theme; the redesign you got from the designer looks like an actual professional website.



Just compare the "It all starts with a date" sections. The one you have is the bare essentials, and really ugly. The one in the image is an actual design.



It is pretty obvious to me that you're underestimating and undervaluing design work. Don't take it personal though, because sadly, this is very common: http://clientsfromhell.net



Having said all that, $700 to implement those changes seems a bit steep, but redesigning Wordpress themes isn't exactly easy, especially if you aren't familiar with the theme the client uses. Speaking from experience, even small changes that might seem trivial to a non-professional can take half an hour or more.

I'd guesstimate that implementing all those changes can easily take 10 hours at least, depending on how badly (or not) the theme is written.





Look what I found:

http://clientsfromhell.net/post/134461291423/i-worked-as-a-graphic-designer-for-this-client-for

...coincidence?

Answer 4

Actually if he did not make the changes (only sent you ideas/ images ), then you got ripped off! Since he did not do what he was paid to do.... It sounds like this guy is running extortion racket, he suggests changes for $xxx and $xxx more to implement them... When the money was for making the changes, not suggesting changes. He is definitely in the wrong, and you need to let him know this and demand your money back.



You did not ask for two images or what could be done, you paid for actual work! If you paid with a credit card, then dispute the charges and you will win. If you paid by paypal, dispute the charges, and most likely you will get your money back. If you paid by check, see what your bank can do.



Best wishes

Answer 5

A Web designer is supposed to change a lot more things to make it visually appealing so that people are attracted to your site not just add photos. What he also needed to do was add more organization things. I think he did a bad job of making a "good site" by adding two photos.

Answer 6

Yes

Answer 7

What did you mean by redesign? It looks like you were not specific about what needed to be done. So, it looks like that you have been ripped off.

In any job, if you do not clarify your request the people will rip you off.

Answer 8

If you accepted the transaction then you wasn't ripped off.



I would feel ripped off if I ever paid for bottled water... or paid to eat Movie Theater food.



In the end if you accepted this then you ripped your self off.



Next time shop around.

Answer 9

It could also be unseen stuff like making the site responsive so it looks good on mobile, also streamlining the code so it loads faster, re-formatting the pics with latest jpeg/tiff codec, SEO which is placing your site higher up on search engines, adding safety features to stop attacks like putting executable code on the server, adding legacy code so site can be viewed on older browsers like IE9, changing fonts, colors to ones the user has on their system. Yes there s a lot going on behind the scenes and alot of work updating older sites to work on modern day devices.

Answer 10

No respectable web designer would use word press. I taught 7th and 8th grade students to create real functioning web sites with HTML5 and CSS using only NotePad++. I even taught my students how to write a "Web Design Contract." He gave you what you asked for.

Answer 11

Just compare the "It all starts with a date" sections. The one you have is the bare essentials, and really ugly. The one in the image is an actual design.

Answer 12

you are a pimp and yet you dare not to pay this poor guy??? this kind of sites you have requires a lot of work both in design and programming because they use htlm5 drawing on canvas.

Answer 13

Yes.

Answer 14

To be blunt, "Wordpress" and "Web designer" fit together like "Paint by numbers" and "Professional Artist"...



Wordpress was created as a blogging program, using it for any serious web site is a joke (sorry to upset the people that can use wordpress, but that's how it is).



Either the "Designer" is a complete scammer or he assumes you are gullible for asking a "professional" to work on a DIY project; or a bit of both.



Sorry to be so blunt, but you need to understand the realities.





Note that your site is full of markup errors - typical of a wordpress page...



See the results on the W3C validator, here:

https://validator.w3.org/nu/?doc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.suredates.com%2F

Answer 15

are their new features or anything new you didn't have before if you are not concise on what it is to a T it wont make since to anyone wanting to help you

Answer 16

Look into Fiverr.com

Answer 17

yes

Answer 18

yes

Answer 19

HOLLY CRAP YEA YOU GOT RIPPED OFF

Answer 20

yes they are.

Answer 21

these are the pics he sent me

Answer 22

i have no ideas

Answer 23

maybe