Web Design, Web Development, SEO Schemes, Scams and Rip-Offs

Scams Regarding Web Design, Web Development, SEO

This article is about Web Design, Web Development, SEO schemes, scams and rip-offs. It’s not a particularly a fun topic but it is an important one and one that should be discussed.

We’ve had many clients who have come to us during the middle of their project (while working with another company or provider) because they’re stuck in a bad situation and need rescue. What is more unfortunate is that many of these clients who were caught in these schemes, scams, and rip-offs came to us earlier but was swayed by a “lower price” provider because their pricing was “more attractive”. There are a few sayings that we feel are always important to keep in mind:

  1. You get what you pay for.
  2. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
  3. If it’s cheap, it ain’t be good; if it’s good, it ain’t cheap.

If you need a some sort of Web service such as Web Design / Web Development, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Marketing, Online Reputation Management, Graphic Design Services, or something related, there are a few reasons why you are looking to hire someone:

  1. You can’t do it yourself
  2. You tried doing it yourself but realized you can’t get it done correctly
  3. You feel your time can be better spent elsewhere so you want to have someone else do the work (instead wasting time for repeated trial-and-errors, hours of research and study, or taking tutorials and classes, etc.)

Most small business owners are not experts with websites and its related services. How can we avoid the schemes, scams, and rip-offs while shopping? Again, we start with the three sayings:

  1. You get what you pay for.
  2. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
  3. If it’s cheap, it ain’t be good; if it’s good, it ain’t cheap.

 

We’ve probably heard them a hundred times before. The number one reason victims fall for a scheme, scam, or rip-off is because they found it difficult to resist that “low price”. Have you ever bought a used car that seemed like a really good deal but turned out to be a “lemon” and there were so many problems that the car ended up costing much more than your had initially thought? If you have, you know it’s not a pleasant experience. If you had bought such a vehicle for business purpose, you probably found it to be an even more unpleasant experience because in addition to the headaches and costs, it probably kept your business from running smoothly translating into lost time, lost opportunities, and lost revenue!

An exceptionally lower price is the largest red-flag to a scheme, scam, or rip-off. Everyone wants a good deal but like as. If this person’s or company’s price is significantly lower than your other choices, there probably is a reason for it. You as a business owner, are in business to make a profit so you wouldn’t work for free and you would especially not work at a loss and neither would someone else. Their “marketing plan” is obviously to offer prices that is much lower (and more attractive) than what is commonly found so they can catch those potential clients that are hungry for a good deal and draw them in.

Below are some of the ways clients had been taken advantage of in schemes, scams, or rip-offs. You can use these examples to look out for what to avoid.

1. You get something very different than what you originally discussed or asked for.

You may have hired an agency/provider for a website and expected your website to come out looking or functioning a certain way but you got something very different. When you ask to have these things corrected, you get a lot of excuses or your calls and e-mails are ignored. In this case, the agency/provider did as much as they felt was necessary and decided they don’t care anymore.

This is also something very unintelligent on the part of the agency/provider because they only see short-term. To them, if they can avoid you and save themselves from additional work, they feel like they have “pocked extra money” or “saved some money” (less hours working = more money in their pocket). They don’t realize that if you never return as a customer, it will actually cost them more money.

2. The hired agency/provider stops in the middle of the project tell you that there is much more work than was predicted and asks you for more money (over what was originally quoted).

This puts you in a bad situation. You are on a schedule or have a deadline and the project appeared as if it was going well then they stop to say “we discovered your project is much more work than expected and we cannot continue unless we get more money”. Essentially, the dishonest agency/provider is holding your project hostage and is asking for more money. They know you’re in a bad situation and they know you want to get out of it. If they can get you to think “I’ll just pay a little more to get this done and over with”, then they have accomplished their goal.

3. The hired agency/providers completely abandoned your project and disappears.

Some of the reasons why this happens:

  • They felt your project wasn’t “worth it”
  • They felt the client was more trouble than what they were worth
  • They realized it is a project they could not handle
  • They felt they have completed as much as your pay was worth
  • They just felt like it (for personal reasons, because they didn’t want to continue, etc.)

Whatever the reason may be, this is not just irresponsible but this can cause a lot of problems for you as the client. Situations like these are more likely with freelancers or individuals than with an agency or company. The reason is, some (not all) freelancers or individuals feel like they are “their own boss” and they can do as they wish. They also tend to feel as if they have less at stake. If they quit on you, they probably won’t have to face the difficultly of talking to you or seeing you again because they will just ignore your calls and e-mails.

Agencies and companies tend to have more than one individual working in them so there may be managers and other higher-levels-of-authority overseeing the workers and projects. Agencies and companies also have more at risk such as the company’s reputation. It doesn’t mean that this doesn’t happen with agencies or companies, but it is less likely.

It is also important to point out that projects with individuals or freelancers tend to appear less expensive because they have lower overhead but again, the client is also assuming more risks. You can use the above examples to serve as a look-out or an early indicator to any potential problems.

Let us share with you ten-points how NetServices works differently and how our clients have greater peace-of-mind when they hire us for their projects:

  1. We put your project in writing.
  2. We’re here for the long-haul and we see long-term. We know that if we take care of our clients, they will return if they need something in the future. We’ve had many clients return to us for future needs and also because they had tried someone else and realized what they were missing without us.
  3. We work closely with clients throughout the project. We need client feedback for revisions, changes, and improvements.
  4. We frequently update our clients so that they know what is going on with their project. Clients are never ignored and are never “in the dark” with their projects.
  5. Nothing in this world is perfect and the same applies to Web projects. If there is something wrong, if there is an unforeseen delay, we contact the client and we inform them. We do not avoid them and hope that the problem will “magically go away”.
  6. We never change the price of the project. We sometimes take a little extra time before giving a price quote but the price quote we give is the price the client pays and not a penny more.
  7. We take a little time to research and discuss clients’ projects between the staff to estimate the amount of work required and to come up with a fair price quote that balances the clients’ needs and our needs. This way, there are no surprises for us and no surprises for our clients and they know what to expect each step of the way!
  8. Projects are often divided up and worked on by multiple staff-members, not just one individual.
  9. Each project is overseen and managed by a project manager to ensure the quality of the work.
  10. It doesn’t matter if it is a $2,000 project, a $20,000 project, or a $200,000 project, we treat each project as if it were our own and our clients know it and they appreciate it. This has done several things for us; it has brought clients back to us again and again, and it has lead us to bigger projects. (As we said, we are in business for the long-haul.)

As this article comes to a close, we’d like to remind you of the three sayings:

  1. You get what you pay for.
  2. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
  3. If it’s cheap, it ain’t be good; if it’s good, it ain’t cheap.

Now that you are aware of some of the warning signs, you can better protect yourself and prepare yourself to avoid problems down the road.

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