Webmasters.us Jay Amelia Baker Hired to build website for my son's business. Stated that it was a one-time fee, but kept asking for more money for other things. Spent over $2,300.00 and received nothing in return. No website, no trademark registration certificate, etc. Seattle, Washington

I went online to Bark.com looking for someone to build a website for my son's business. I was contacted on 01/28/2023 by text stating, "This is Jay from Bark.com"  After speaking with him and checking out their website, everything seemed legitimate to me.  Jay said he could build a professional website for me for $299.00.  He also stated, "No monthly fee, just onetime cost only!" I paid the $299. through Cash App to a Marene Ali which I verified with this Jay to be correct.

Throughout the process, he showed me a very amateurish looking website. It looked like a template from some other site that he was just making changes to. I was able to make corrections to it, and it appeared to be coming along.

I was then told it would cost $1,189.36 for 3 years of hosting and 10 years for domain. Again, I paid that through Cash App to the account with the name Marene Ali.

Later, I was told that it would cost $1650.00 for a lifetime patent and trademark through the United States Patent & Trademark Office. I informed Jay there was nothing to patent and to just register the logo and name to be trademarked at the cost of $725.00. He then told me that there would be a shipping fee of $55.00 for each registration certificate that would be sent directly to my home address. The total came out to $851.71. Once again, I paid through Cash App to Marene Ali.

In an unusually short time after claiming to have registered the trademark, Jay said that he received the information from the USPTO and asked for more money.  I reminded him that he originally told me there would be a one-time cost only and he's been asking for more money along the way.  I also said that he told me the registration certificates would come directly to my house.  Why now is he saying he received the information from the USPTO when they should have sent me the certificates directly.  I told him that I would not pay anymore money and to finish the website.

There was little contact after that.  The last I had heard from him was on 03/07/2023 stating that they turned the website live.  There is no website.  I paid a total of $2,340.07 and in return received nothing.

I only recently heard from him on 03/28/2023, after I notified Bark.com and they removed him from one of the businesses they deal with.  I informed him that I wanted a full refund and he stated that the site was up and asked if I looked at it.  I told him there is no site and he tried to say he can fix it (which is what he said throughout the entire process).

After speaking with several other people who build websites, they said that the entire thing sounds shady and that the website should have been completed long ago.