FTP - F*** The Punter

[Canary Dwarf]

I have just come across possibly one of the biggest rip-offs in web design: £230 for a FTP login.

I got a call from a potential client asking if I could help him out because he felt he'd got a raw deal with his website, after a monthly service contract jumped from £40 to over £300.

He'd paid a year's hosting up front so I agreed to load his new website (when built) onto his existing server, so asked him to phone them for ftp logins.

Get this: they wanted to £230 to give out ftp logins, that's after paying for a site design and build AND hosting.

Fortunately, very fortunately, he had bought his domain elsewhere so he can now point it conveniently away from them.

 

[Former Member 1]

Am I reading this correctly?

They've charged the fellow for hosting to which they will not grant him access?

Might be worth running this past Trading Standards as it seems like a clear rip-off. And I for one would like to know what scoundrel follows such a practice so as I can advise all and sundry to avoid them!

 

[Gordon N]

I second Matt on that one - I've heard similar stories in the past but I thought this kind of ripoff tactic was put to bed some time ago!

 

[johnthesearcher]

Hi Marc

Great post.

The post serves as an informative 'warning' to all new starts and existing businesses that unscrupulous practices are still prevelant and care should be taken in the selection of service providers.

The fact that we (as members) have access to the data and subsequent discussion points highlights the many, many benefits of membership to the SBF forum.

John

 

[Employment Law Services]

I dread to think how they've constructed the website itself........they'll probably be looking for another £230 to do 'seo' which would actually translate to tweaking title and description tags.

Check references, investigate hosting options thoroughly and always, always ensure you own the entire site - all files, copyright, etc when finished.

 

[stugster]

What company is it?

 

[Lanarkshire IT Services]

Hi All

What a laugh but sadly that's all too true especially when the customer doesn't have the first clue.

That's when the cowboys appear. Watch out for the cactus lol.

I'm helping a local church with their Joomla website because their "web guy" bolted and is unreachable however still trading. It turns out he set up a Joomla website with the template that comes with Joomla and charged them £800. Then flew the nest.

£800 for something which can be setup and installed FREE, Joomla being open source of course.

Even with my limited Joomla knowledge I managed to get it sorted - new look, template, photos articles etc.

I had the same nightmare trying to get FTP details etc from him.

So yeah F*** The Punter right enough

 

[Baldeagle]

How many of the web design companies on here automatically sign across copyright of the web site to the customer on completion without charging extra for it?

 

[Canary Dwarf]

Baldeagle, this was a templated site with very little creative value, We wanted ftp access to the server to upload new files, not to alter any copyrighted material or claim it as our own. Copyright is a right of the creative work's author, but in web design, it is normal practice to licence the client to make alterations without infringing copyright.

They pushed my client into a corner. He wass given an ineffective product and being charged to make an attempt to better it. No doubt covered in the terms and conditions, not illegal, but bad practice. Within four months he is now having to pay a new designer to provide him with a website which actually works. He will be allowed FTP access to the new site, should he request it, under our terms and conditions, and he will be provided with an ftp username and pasword free of charge, although I doubt he will ever want or need to use it.

 

[Baldeagle]

As far as charging the extortionate fee for FTP access it is only "bad business practice" for their previous designers if it has a negative effect on the potential revenue the company can earn from either that client or any future clients as a result of their actions. It would certainly be both unethical and underhand in my opinion but its not the worst I have heard. I know of 2 companies (and there must be more) who have lost their entire web presence, email etc as the previous developers (now bust) had registered the domain name in their name under their master control panel.

Technically any web designer could turn round to their clients and be perfectly within their rights to charge a £230 annual fee to license the copyright of "their" site every 12 months making it impossible to move away from an unscrupulous developer.

 

[Former Member 1]

How many of the web design companies on here automatically sign across copyright of the web site to the customer on completion without charging extra for it?

Web Designers are in no different a position to any other creative in this respect... And anyone who's properly trained and knows what they're doing (many AREN'T and DON'T; and I'm not referring to anyone here but in general) will have clear processes in place for this.

Most legitimate creatives will have a clause in their T&Cs assigning copyright on settlement.

As far as charging the extortionate fee for FTP access it is only "bad business practice" for their previous designers if it has a negative effect on the potential revenue the company can earn from either that client or any future clients as a result of their actions.

It's "bad business practice" for a number of reasons. Etiquette and morals have long-since been abandoned by the corporate monsters who 'know' the people they hack off can have almost no effect on them. Essentially they have embraced the practices of the Spiv as quasi-legitimate business strategies; and that is part of the 80's hangover that sees a country brought close to its knees socially and economically. Nobody is held to account any more, and nobody gives a damn about anyone else...

And to an extent that's true of the smaller cowboy operators too. But thanks to networks (such as the SBF) it's now the case that a cowboy can not only be 'run out of town', But actually run out of SEVERAL towns at once... they are far LESS untouchable than they once were...

It's bad business practice because it's immoral, unjustifiable and once it starts to emerge who is behind this it might well finish off not only THAT business but any future business the principals are involved with in the future... Oh; they'll make a quick buck OK, but it might well be their last once word gets out!

 

[NealeGilhooley]

name and shame them please, even put in the odd allegedly if you wish