Corporate Website Design Web Development Website Production Victoria Australia

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Website Design Woes

The excerpts below are examples of things that can go wrong with website development but before you pick up the phone and call us or email us, please make sure that you have exhausted all avenues, which include

• Call your developer and talk to them to try and resolve the issues. Email is not always an ideal form of communication. 
• If you cannot resolve the issue with your developer and you decide that the project is a dead loss, then if the project is under a certain dollar amount (this varies from State to State), you may be able to take legal action via Consumer Affairs without having to hire expensive lawyers. You will need to file your case in the state, country that your developer's business is located

If however, you decide that legal action is not viable, your current developer has become hostile and you still want to finish your website, make sure that you have access to your website code(if your site is in asp.net you will need the uncompiled project files from the developer as these files are generally not stored on the website). Check that there are no ongoing licencing payments to your current developer and that the terms of your contract state that you own the website code and are free to modify and continue to develop the project. Make sure that you have all website databases and files and full access to the website hosting account, including ftp login. It is best that you get a hard copy of all files and code on CD.

Document errors and bugs

Then make a list of all the things that don't work and document these things with printscreens. (When you click Printscreen on the keyboard and then PASTE into WORD - it will produce a snapshot of what is on your computer screen)

Then send, your project brief, link to current site(if you have one)and documented error report to us and we can see if we can give you a quote to fix the problems. Most projects are beyond repair because the code is simply that bad. Your project may seem almost complete but the developer may have used bits and pieces of free code they found on the internet , and this code will never piece together to be a cohesive, functional and effective website - it may seem to work, but software needs to work ALL of the time, and most of the time, won't do. It may sound unbelievable but we have seen the code and database design produced by some very high profile website development companies and the standard of code is appaling and these companies often failed to remove the evidence of where they picked up their free snippets of code from. With high rates of staff turnover, many development companies lose key personnel and the knowledge to finish your website. It is only during the finishing phrases of development that the cracks begin to show.

Do NOT terminate with your current developer unless you absolutely have to and do not terminate any contract until you have secured all passwords to your site and you have the entire project code. The only way to be sure that you have all the code and files is to have a duplicate site set up on another web server.

You need to be shrewd, because most of the time the developer holds all the cards and they can do quite a lot of mailicious damage from removing code to stop the site functioning or they can delete all the files and leave you with nothing but an invoice. If you are not shrewd, you will not even have a working model to use as a prototype for future redevelopment.

A few real stories - no names for legal reasons

"I have just spent about an hour browsing your web site and wish that I had found you all months ago. I have a web project that was begun last May for my home based business and almost from the beginning it has been nothing short of a nightmare. I was promised a professional website with a fully functional shopping cart for $4500.00 and a time frame of 4 to 5 weeks. The first draft was submitted to me in about 10 days and while the graphic design was wonderful...the shopping cart was full of bugs and functionality issues.   After submitting a list of revisions back to the designer, I was assured that the changes would be made promptly. However, the project dragged out for months with changes made halfheartedly, if at all. I'm sure you have heard all of the horror stories so I won't go into a lot of detail. I'll just say that right now I'm stuck with an unfinished web site and a web designer that I can no longer work with. I am presently debating whether to start from scratch or have someone finish the present web site. The designer I was working with has refused to refund my deposit even though we had a money back guarantee if the site was not completed in the 4 to 5 week period. I know it sounds like a big mess and you may not want to get involved. If that is the case then I certainly understand "

"It all started when due to budget restraints I went to a recommended Webmaster - who after 6 months basically failed dismally. I then was recommended again to another Webmaster who also failed (con artist) and some two Webmasters later I'm still having problems with my website. These are all stories in themselves with court threats and then personal threats made against my family as all I asked for was a working website. As I’m also a very fair person these so-called webmasters have taken advantage of the situation and my good nature.  The familiar line ‘I need more money because this needs to be done’ or ‘…now that we are at the next stage I need 50% paid up front…’ Unfortunately I found out the hard way where things don’t start once the money is paid and I’m then led to believe they are doing something until the money I gave them runs out - of which they come back again. I then find they haven’t done anything and to get them to do things that was paid for, then spent by them is a nightmare as they have no incentive as the money was paid and spent!!! So very simply I have lost considerable money over the past 18months – serious $$$! However in this latest instance the website is completed but not running."