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I am writing this letter tocall to attention everyone out there who is looking for a web designer to
create a website DO NOT USE SMART DESIGN AND PRINT OR The Smart Marketing & Media Group Ltd

If you have been searching for a website creator, been quoted a small fortune to create it, been asked for money upfront and promised the earth both in terms of the service and the website content and design and have then been horribly let down by appalling service and well-below-expectations in content and design, then read on

I am creating an A business from the UK to South America and have been searching for a website creator to produce my website. I started searching in January and, four months later, feel compelled to w rite this account: 

My first bad experience took place in January after I provided my first web designer (who asked me for 402.50 upfront as a deposit (about a third of the total price)) with all the details necessary to start building my e-commerce site. As per their own website they offer you the world including 100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. Nearly four months later, I only had one page sent to me (which was all of my own design anyway!) , let alone have my website delivered to me  completed and to my satisfaction. I have requested return of my deposit and am still waiting For this very first occasion I confess that I didnt do my homework, such as contacting some of their clients to ask how they felt about the company that built their website. So I paid a very high price for not doing that. 

In a desperate urge to make some tangible progress, I made a search on the internet and I found a website called  WWDC which web design company be confident in your choice. Hmm.

I contacted them; and four web design companies contacted me. After talking to all of them I decided to go for one which, by WWDCs opinion, is a PINK POWER MEMBER (which means they
are great). Smart Design and Print were fantastic over the phone.  I asked if I could visit them and the answer was yes. The samples provided seemed like a dream come true for me; and the price was attractive as well but again - with 50% deposit to start the job (so nearly 800). Having been bitten once already, before writing my cheque, I decided - as a last thing to do in order to be 100% sure - to contact ten of their clients just to get their confirmation of how good the company had been. The feedback was devastating: the first call the phone rang and no answer. The second client told me that they would recommend them; however they struggled with the site optimisation (something the company claimed to be their speciality) and there was no support; and calls were not returned. It took ages for the site to be built. Also I was told that, having taken their money, they were constantly phoning to advise that the site needed a boost and that consequently more money was needed. Then on to the third company: this company told me that they would not recommend the web designer at all and warned me of the dangers of getting involved with them [web design company] because of lack of communication, requests for more money and generally not delivering what was pitched before taking the money. So this is a letter to show how horrible it can be and how you should not trust what you read in so-called review sites because you have to understand that these reviews can be made up as well in order to attract and then ensnare clients.

The other 10, got no better!!!!

The moral?
       
Be suspicious about paying a large deposit up front. Bona fide companies should not insist on that (e.g. would you expect to pay 50% for the price of a car before you took delivery of it?);
       
Make sure you get an agreement about how long they will take to build the website and what they require from you in order to do so (remember that you still have to provide the content;
       
Do your homework. Get a list of clients for which the company has created websites and contact
them direct;
       
Read the small print and be sure you understand what your money is getting and what it is not getting;  
       
Flashy sites, and grandiose claims are no guarantees of satisfaction;
        
Above all, please do not take a chance. It is a sure guarantee that you will suffer. Do some extensive research and you will be okay.

NAME AND ADDRESS
WITHHELD

Stay away from smart