HELP! Am I Being Cheated??!?

[thenicevoice]

Hi Everyone....

I hired someone to create a website for me. I asked them to include a messageboard. After 3 months no progress whatsoever, I decided to fire them. They are claiming that it cost $1200 to hire someone to write the
script for the back logs and database of the message board and now I owe them $1200. Does that seem outrageous?

They also told me that the message boards that are powered by V Bulletin would not allow me access to ANY information of users who register for the messageboard.....is there any truth to that?

Thanks in advance.

[MrNase]

You can do everything if you are the admin

[TripleH]

If you require registration before a user can post, then no, it is not true... When a user registers, you can see their Username, Email address, and whatever else they put in their profile.

[thenicevoice]

Thanks for the quick responses!

This company is saying that obtaining a message board powered by V BULLETIN is like leasing a car. I can "use" it....but I don't "own" it. They claim that I wouldn't be able to send "e-mail blasts" because I would not be able to see the e-mail addresses of the registered users. This is their "reasoning" behind hiring an "outside tech" to write the scripts for the msg board. This $1200 "outside tech" will be able to configure the board so that will have access to user information.

Does this sound crazy?

((FYI...I don't know the LEAST thing about msg boards, web design, etc))

[UHN_ED]

You do not owe them anything unless they made you sign a contract saying that you would owe even if you fired him.

You will know everything about users in vBulletin, except passwords.

[thenicevoice]

You guys are the absolute best. Thank you so much.

[Matthew Gordon]

You can access any information the user entered upon registration, except passwords as they have been encrypted. This includes username, e-mail, homepage, etc., and any custom profile fields you have added. This can be done using the Admin Control Panel and, among other ways, phpMyAdmin if it is installed on your server.

Mass-emailing your users is built in the admincp as well.

[vBadvanced]

Tell them to go (you know what) themselves. Even if you had a contract with them, they still lied to you.

[sabret00the]

^^^ what he said, those guys are outrageous and them lies unbeleivable.

[i am coo man]

Can you tell us the webdesign firm/site so that no one else falls into the same scammish pitfall?

[thenicevoice]

Can you tell us the webdesign firm/site so that no one else falls into the same scammish pitfall?

I will be happy to PM the name of the company to anyone who requests it.

Again...you guys are wonderful and I sincerely appreciate the info that you all have given to me. I can't believe these people are trying get over on me.

One more question...can someone please define what it is to "writing scripts"?

[vBadvanced]

One more question...can someone please define what it is to "writing scripts"?

I would assume they mean exactly what it sounds like... Writing a script, or writing the PHP code that will run the forum. If you know anything about HTML, it's kinda the same, just a different language.

[John Diver]

that is when you code a script, ie. a script is a "program" you run on the internet.
To write it, you write the code for the program.

Please tell me the name of the company also.
Thanks,
John

[thenicevoice]

Got it! Thanks a mil!

I'm getting more and more angry as I think about these idiots. They did nothing...not even a UNDER CONSTRUCTION page for me....I sent them $700 as a deposit...and then as soon as I grow tired of waiting for them to begin the project, they suddenly need $1200 for a message board that costs $160.

[filburt1]

Did you use PayPal or a credit card? Both should offer payment protection, especially PayPal who is big in fraud protection nowadays.