I found this guy on Craigslist (that was my first mistake) offering to build custom websites for FREE. He and I emailed back and forth and even spoke on the phone a few times. Everything seemed legit until I was finally ready to get it up and going and he said he quit offering free websites. It was now going to cost me $250.00 but it included hosting and even a store front page where people could buy products from my site. I was very hesitant but I was offered "an amazing website" over and over and over again. So, I agreed to pay this and even have him update my current business card for me for $25.00. Then the payments started getting shady......
The Business Card Debacle:
All he did was add a couple more services to the back of my card. The font was so small that is was unreadable. When he was asked about this he stated that he "could not make the font any bigger and that was the best he could do". The services on the back of my business card are too small to read and look like blobs when it was printed. I originally thought it was a printing error but when I spoke to Vista Print (the company he recommends I use), they assured me it was the template he sent me. Travis also refused to send me the word document version of my business card stating he did the work (added 3 services), so he keeps that. All I received was a PDF of something I could not use.
The Website Fiasco:
He sent me a mock site (only the home page) and asked for the 1st half of payment. I confirmed that he could change the colors, titles of the tabs and the photos to my specifications, he said yes. I sent the payment. I made changes to the website as intended and he said he could not afford to buy groceries for his wife and himself and asked that I send him the other half of the money. I felt sorry for the guy. I sent it. Then a switch flipped with this guy. He told me I better be grateful that he has not taken my money and run. I was in total shock that was even an option for him. Then, the once free website hosting was “revoked” because he changed his mind. He then tried to charge me $30.00 then tried to come back today and charge me $50.00 for it. Who does that?!
Sketchy Payment:
Travis insisted that I pay using a Green Dot Card. I had never heard of this before. I insisted that I use PayPal and he stated he cannot accept payment via PayPal due to a previous scam he ran into in the past when he did a bunch of work for a client and she got her money back on it. I assumed he was honest and I paid $4.95 to get the card then had to put money on the card. He told me I could wait until the hard credit card like item came in the mail before I put the second payment on the card. This would keep me from paying two (2) fees of $4.95. Then he put the grocery guilt trip on me and I paid a second $4.95.
Final Conclusion:
This guy is a scum bag that preys on people’s emotions and then threatens you with extortion.
Email Supported:
It would have been a lot more had I not hooked you up with hosting with no out of pocket expense…and you still haggle about price? I think you should be grateful I even wanted to help you out, and didn’t take your money and run.
From: Stephani Crall (((redacted)))
Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2013 5:20 PM
To: Travis Ross
Subject: Re: Hi
No, I'm not going to do the brochure or the flyer. I would just like to get the website finished. This has already cost me a lot more than expected.
Sent from my iPhone
On Nov 13, 2013, at 5:56 PM, "Travis Ross" wrote:
Hey Stephani, did you still want me to complete the flyer and brochure? If so, I can get started on those tomorrow and have them completed by the end of the day. Sorry for the inconvenience with the green
dot…next time you can take the fee out of the portion that you owe me
To Me
Nov 26, 2013
Hi Stephani,
What you’ve also paid for is hosting, and unfortunately I’ve decided to take revoke my free hosting offer. Please make payment in the amount of $30 today to secure your website, and to receive the rest of the changes to your business card and site. You said this should be my responsibility to take care of hosting for my clients, so I’ve changed my policy, and I need to collect the remainder due.
Regards,
Travis
Travis Ross
To Me
Today at 4:34 PM
HI Stephani,
Sorry to inform you that you’re site is down due to the hosting account expiring…as it only had a few months left on it. All I will need is $50 to get your site back online for a year. Let me know how you want to proceed. Thank you.
Regards,
Travis
DragonKeeperDesign.com
Travis Ross
To Me
Today at 6:04 PM
I found out I could get a refund on that hosting account and I ended up putting your domain under another account “the one that expired”. Sorry I forgot mention this. I’m not trying to extort anyone. I was just trying to help you out, I’m sorry that you don’t see it that way.
DrangonKeeper Design Reviews
I found this guy on Craigslist (that was my first mistake) offering to build custom websites for FREE. He and I emailed back and forth and even spoke on the phone a few times. Everything seemed legit until I was finally ready to get it up and going and he said he quit offering free websites. It was now going to cost me $250.00 but it included hosting and even a store front page where people could buy products from my site. I was very hesitant but I was offered "an amazing website" over and over and over again. So, I agreed to pay this and even have him update my current business card for me for $25.00. Then the payments started getting shady......
The Business Card Debacle:
All he did was add a couple more services to the back of my card. The font was so small that is was unreadable. When he was asked about this he stated that he "could not make the font any bigger and that was the best he could do". The services on the back of my business card are too small to read and look like blobs when it was printed. I originally thought it was a printing error but when I spoke to Vista Print (the company he recommends I use), they assured me it was the template he sent me. Travis also refused to send me the word document version of my business card stating he did the work (added 3 services), so he keeps that. All I received was a PDF of something I could not use.
The Website Fiasco:
He sent me a mock site (only the home page) and asked for the 1st half of payment. I confirmed that he could change the colors, titles of the tabs and the photos to my specifications, he said yes. I sent the payment. I made changes to the website as intended and he said he could not afford to buy groceries for his wife and himself and asked that I send him the other half of the money. I felt sorry for the guy. I sent it. Then a switch flipped with this guy. He told me I better be grateful that he has not taken my money and run. I was in total shock that was even an option for him. Then, the once free website hosting was “revoked” because he changed his mind. He then tried to charge me $30.00 then tried to come back today and charge me $50.00 for it. Who does that?!
Sketchy Payment:
Travis insisted that I pay using a Green Dot Card. I had never heard of this before. I insisted that I use PayPal and he stated he cannot accept payment via PayPal due to a previous scam he ran into in the past when he did a bunch of work for a client and she got her money back on it. I assumed he was honest and I paid $4.95 to get the card then had to put money on the card. He told me I could wait until the hard credit card like item came in the mail before I put the second payment on the card. This would keep me from paying two (2) fees of $4.95. Then he put the grocery guilt trip on me and I paid a second $4.95.
Final Conclusion:
This guy is a scum bag that preys on people’s emotions and then threatens you with extortion.
Email Supported:
It would have been a lot more had I not hooked you up with hosting with no out of pocket expense…and you still haggle about price? I think you should be grateful I even wanted to help you out, and didn’t take your money and run.
From: Stephani Crall (((redacted)))
Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2013 5:20 PM
To: Travis Ross
Subject: Re: Hi
No, I'm not going to do the brochure or the flyer. I would just like to get the website finished. This has already cost me a lot more than expected.
Sent from my iPhone
On Nov 13, 2013, at 5:56 PM, "Travis Ross" wrote:
Hey Stephani, did you still want me to complete the flyer and brochure? If so, I can get started on those tomorrow and have them completed by the end of the day. Sorry for the inconvenience with the green
dot…next time you can take the fee out of the portion that you owe me
To Me
Nov 26, 2013
Hi Stephani,
What you’ve also paid for is hosting, and unfortunately I’ve decided to take revoke my free hosting offer. Please make payment in the amount of $30 today to secure your website, and to receive the rest of the changes to your business card and site. You said this should be my responsibility to take care of hosting for my clients, so I’ve changed my policy, and I need to collect the remainder due.
Regards,
Travis
Travis Ross
To Me
Today at 4:34 PM
HI Stephani,
Sorry to inform you that you’re site is down due to the hosting account expiring…as it only had a few months left on it. All I will need is $50 to get your site back online for a year. Let me know how you want to proceed. Thank you.
Regards,
Travis
DragonKeeperDesign.com
Travis Ross
To Me
Today at 6:04 PM
I found out I could get a refund on that hosting account and I ended up putting your domain under another account “the one that expired”. Sorry I forgot mention this. I’m not trying to extort anyone. I was just trying to help you out, I’m sorry that you don’t see it that way.
Love,
Travis