Cherryone Web Design RIPPED ME OFF OF $5,000 FOR A WEBSITE THEN DESTROYED THE FILES! chicago, Illinois

9/2006 I contracted Cherryone to build a website.  I gave them clear written instructions, pictures, diagrams and content for the website - all they had to do was program the functionality. I already had a website from another company.  All I wanted them to do was make a new website just like my own with a more professional look and easier to use.

By 11/2007 (14 months later) they still hadn't completed it.  I paid them over $6,000. 

I had a contract for specific functions and forms.   They came up with a great home page design the first 6-weeks.  After that it was constant phone calls with no answer and emails not answered and promised deadlines missed.  Everytime I did get a person to talk to, I was told it would be done the following Friday.

I was told on several occassions that the person working on my website left the company and didn't leave my files behind so that was why it was taking so long.  They had to keep recreating it.  I went thru several programmers.

I told them I had to have the website done July 2007.  It was not

In Nov 2007 they called me and said it was done because they had already worked on it long enough.  They said I kept asking for changes to what they did and that is why it wasn't done  - NOT TRUE. 

Nothing on the website worked!  All links went to the home page, the shopping cart didn't work and the static pages weren't even there!  They said they would not work on it anymore until I paid them the balance of $1,100 dollars plus a $300 termination fee. 

I refused to pay for website that didn't work. I told them if they finished it, I would pay - they refused. 

April 2008 - I hired a lawyer to send them a letter to refund my money.  They ignored it.

June 10, 2008 - I reported them to the BBB - they ignored the BBB's letter

June 23, 2008 BBB sent them second letter - they replied that I had used their website for 2 years and was just trying to get money out of them - NOT TRUE I've had the same website design and host company since 2004!

August 2008 - reported them to Lisa Madigan, Attorney General's Office.

2010 - I am taking them to court!