if you don’t know how to do something, there’s no shame in saying so. but if you lie to me and waste my time, only to have me find out you never knew what you were doing, please don’t expect to get paid.

so far, i’ve hired two different developers to help me create a non-Flash version of à deux’s website. the first guy was a total crook who took the deposit and vanished. the credit card company was understanding and i got the money back.

the second guy started out great. he said all the right things, was very reassuring, seemingly tip top. the price was right and he promised a quick turnaround. then, when we’re 3 weeks behind schedule, i get an email to say he’s moving to oregon and my stuff is packed up with his computers and he needs more time.

what?! who schedules project right before a move? and what “professional developer” doesn’t have a laptop with him at all times? i’m married to one so i know the drill. so i send him a sternly worded note asking him to stop all supposed “work” and refund my money. then his wife calls.

he’s sick and they had to move to oregon to be with family and he’s so close to being done and please give him a chance to finish it … blahblahblah! i’m not completely heartless. i recognize personal situations can pop up. but the lack of communication is what got me. his personal issue is effecting my business and he can’t be bothered to apologize or give me a firm completion date or anything. the wife came at me like i owed him something. all that did was confirm my “this guy’s is unprofessional” view.

it’s not like i’m asking to build a site from scratch. the design is done, i just need it coded. he told me he knew all about how to handle the slideshows. he told me it would be simple to manage in the backend. today, ONE MONTH after we signed the contract and 3 weeks late on his delivery date, i get a link to his testing server to look at the work he’s done. W.T.F?!

sure, it resembles the original design since i gave him the colors and images. but it lacks elegance and some basic functionality. spacing is all wrong, the slideshows don’t work, words are running into images and the source code is a mess! i’m no coder but he’s obviously an amateur.

he used my contract to teach himself something he assured me he knew. now i either have to find a developer who isn’t a liar (unlikely) or spend time making the changes and perfecting the site myself (which is why i hired someone in the first place). sweet!