Problem with paid services, looking for input

[exploringnh]

So, I hired someone off of here to do some work on my site. I needed a new shopping cart. He installed the cart (magento) as was agreed upon, but he did not skin it. He is claiming that it was not part of the deal, but I believe it was. This person seems to have a lot of feedback on here and has coded quite a few hacks/mods. I dont want to call out any names yet. Am I wrong, or is he?

here is how it went down:

I post on vbulletin.org in the requests for paid services section:
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=212943
Post title: Need Magento installed and skinned
Post content: Title pretty much says it all. Im looking to have this done ASAP. I can pay in either PayPal or chocolate chip cookies, your choice.

I get pms from several members. Prices were pretty similar.

The first PM from the person I hired:

I can do this.

My Portfolio:
[lots of links to sites and hacks]
.Price for Installtion: $xxx
.Type of Payment: Paypal. I am Verified.

My PM back:

I think we have a deal. how soon can you do it?

I have some other work coming up as well. i would like to reskin the forum to match my new banner and have a sleeker look, as well as making my homepage match.

Maybe this could all be rolled into one project? I would hate to have you skin Magento only to have to redo it to a new scheme.

Feel free to email ..... for a faster response, or call .........

Thanks

Then we switched to email:

Hi,
I am xxxxx from vB.org. We can start installtion now.
You can other products I made here:
...

me:

Hi,

Sorry for not responding sooner, your email went to my spam folder for some reason.

So, I need magento installed and skinned, that part you already knew. I would like it to match the banner on my site (exploringnh.com). I can provide all the graphics in vector format if you need them.

How should we go from here? Paypal you half or something?

In the coming weeks, I will also need a re-design of my main site and a re-skinning of the forums. Is this something you would be interested in as well?

-Ryan

him:

We can start now, send the payment to xxxx and once, send me the details of your control panel.

Then there are a bunch of emails back and forth about the installation, nothing of importance.

Now, installation is finished and I am sent the details of it.

I send an email:

Thanks. It appears to be fully functioning. Are you still working on skinning it with my banner?

No response, so 6 days later I send:

Still havent heard back. Are you going to skin the installation?

No response still, so two days later I send this:

I dont want to be a ++++ about this, but I need a response or I will be filing a dispute with paypal. As I understood it, skinning was part of the deal.

Finally a response:

No, the price was for installation as I said in PM:
".Price for Installtion: $xx"

Me, in a confusing twist of emails quoted in a quoted email:

I said:

"Hi,

Sorry for not responding sooner, your email went to my spam folder for some reason.

So, I need magento installed and skinned, that part you already knew. I would like it to match the banner on my site (exploringnh.com). I can provide all the graphics in vector format if you need them.

How should we go from here? Paypal you half or something? I dont need the html by usergroup installed.

In the coming weeks, I will also need a re-design of my main site and a re-skinning of the forums. Is this something you would be interested in as well?"

You said:
We can start now, send the payment to xxxxx and once, send me thedetails of your control panel.


leading me to believe that we were all set, not to mention that my post on vbulletin.org mentioned skinning, as well as my note in the paypal payment and my first emails to you and even my PMs.

You cant tell me that you missed all of that.

The response from him:

"Hi,
I am xxxx from vB.org. We can start installtion now.
"

Clearly I said installation in PM and in the FIRST Email I sent you.

Well, thats a long post, but that is exactly what happened and contains all of the details. Who is right here?

[harmor19]

$75 is too cheap to skin Magento. I don't know how much I'd charge to bridge Magento and vBulletin but I know I wouldn't charge only $75 to install and skin the software.

Let it go and let him keep the money since he did get shopping cart software installed and working properly.

[exploringnh]

Originally Posted by harmor19

$75 is too cheap to skin Magento. I don't know how much I'd charge to bridge Magento and vBulletin but I know I wouldn't charge only $75 to install and skin the software.

Let it go and let him keep the money since he did get shopping cart software installed and working properly.

Other people were coming in with quotes of near that. There was no bridging to vbulletin involved. It is a standalone cart.

The price was the only thing that tipped you off that he wasnt including the skin? From my point of view, everything mentioned included skinning. At no point in time was there ever mention of not skinning magento.

[mikey1991]

You included the paypal email address too I'd edit that out.

As for who is right, he is, I'd say, it's your fault, for advertising for installation only. If you wanted it skinned, you should've included it in your original hiring post.

You're lucky you found someone to install a cart that isn't vB related by posting an ad on a vB support forum, though.

[exploringnh]

Post title: Need Magento installed and skinned
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=212943

How is that not asking for it to be skinned as well?


Apparently I wasnt as clear as I thought I was.

[TNCclubman]

I never hire people that respond with 1 sentence and the sentence is "No problem, send the payment to..."

Sorry but you need to have some internet street smarts. Just take it as a lesson learned. Dont click on the banners that say "You have won $1,000,000" You live and you learn, not a big deal.

Moral of the story is:

PAY AT THE END!

[exploringnh]

Originally Posted by TNCclubman

I never hire people that respond with 1 sentence and the sentence is "No problem, send the payment to..."

Sorry but you need to have some internet street smarts. Just take it as a lesson learned. Dont click on the banners that say "You have won $1,000,000" You live and you learn, not a big deal.

Moral of the story is:

PAY AT THE END!

So you are suggesting that this person is a scammer and I got ripped off.

[TNCclubman]

Are you asking a question or making a statement?

[mikey1991]

Originally Posted by exploringnh

Post title: Need Magento installed and skinned
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=212943

How is that not asking for it to be skinned as well?


Apparently I wasnt as clear as I thought I was.

Sorry, I mis-read it.

[lasto]

end of day m8 you got something for your money so it was`nt wasted.Ive been ripped twice and got nothing in return which is even worse,so as someone said above - let it ride and just get someone else to do the skinning.

I would not say u was ripped off,sounds more like a communication problem than anything else.Ive learnt the hard way and that is to make sure the other party knows exactly what u want before any deal is made.
As for scammer - not in same vote again as he did complete the job for you.