Template Monster Lied about product. Lied about tech support. Lied about location. Complete scam. Internet, Internet

Let me say this plainly. Do. NOT. purchase from these scam artists.

I could write a book on my recent experience with TM. It all boils down to customer service, tech support, and simple lies as to who they are and what they are. 

I purchased a template and followed the installation instructions explicitly. I know enough about systems to know what's right and what's wrong.

After installing, nothing but trouble. Several elements of the template were missing and/or totally inoperative. Add to that before purchasing I asked them twice on their horrible ineffective and misleading chat service some very pointed questions about the template. I made it VERY clear what I wanted to work without the need of going into the HTML to make changes. I was assured things such as background, logo placement and color changes were all there and did not need HTML.

Baldfaced lies. All of it needed HTML.

Then began the tech support odyssey. Without going into lengthy detail, it was misleading at best. They insist there are phone numbers to call for assistance. Not true. These numbers are nothing more than message services and do not connect you at any time to a live person. And they will NOT do everything in their power to call you back promptly.

Their chat services is a massive waste of time. Despite being told several times that all of their support agents are based in America and native English speakers, the syntax and verbiage used made it clearly evident they were merely reading from a computer screen and English was a second or third language. Often they will ask the same questions over and over again and the consistent response is "You will have to submit a ticket for further assistance".

This tickets are viewed through another web site and will take at minimum 2 days to get a response. Once again, you can tell these are not tech agents but former fast food employees and toilet cleaners reading from a screen with no real knowledge. IN every single one of my detailed questions, they responded asking questions that were already answered. I literally had to make the same response and demands 3-4 times before getting anything even closely resembling a proper answer.

It took me 2 weeks to get the information I wanted. They consistently wanted me to give them access to my server and get Admin control to fix the issues. I did this once and they screwed it up even worse. Damned if I was going to give them further ability to make the template unusable. 

I demanded explicit, detailed and specific instructions on how to make the necessary changes, including the installation of a video box that was completely missing and they blamed on "improper installation". WHat I got in response, finally, was limited instructions that did not address every issue. That's when I gave up.

Here's an example. The template included a front page video player that, as I noted, was missing. When they were unable to give me any sort of usable response to this, I found a plugin (yes, we're using wordpress) that was able to put a video on the front page. I got a response, 2 days later, saying "it seems as if you have fixed the video issue. Di you still need our help or can we close this ticket?" The video player WAS NOTHING EVEN CLOSELY RESEMBLING what was supposed to be there, indicating they didn't even know what they were talking about. 

Now let's get to another lie. I asked several times where they were based, as I will not do business with any company that does not have tech support based in America and speaks native English. They claimed every time to be in Queens NY. Go to their website and do some cursory investigation, and you will find an address listed there.

Dig deeper. That address is a restaurant. I checked it several times. They are based overseas and their tech support is also overseas. They are not native English speaking, and as detailed have absolutely no tech experience at all.

I've managed, by myself, to make the template usable for the time being. I have to or my business shuts down. I also paid via PayPal and won a dispute against them as TM never even responded to PP's request for answers. 

Don't be a sap and get pulled in like I did. STAY AWAY. At every possible turn.