We’re lucky to know a lot of excellent web designers.
The kind of companies who deliver excellent customer service and genuinely do care about their customers.
However, some in our industry are not so genuine.
Unfortunately, we have heard a few horror stories about other companies in our industry, which really does anger us.
So we’ve decided to write about it here.
These website companies are tarnishing the industry’s reputation, and it needs to stop. And we don’t want you caught out by these companies.
Five reasons why we’re frustrated.
- You can’t find prices on their website?
- Surprise, extra charges!
- They always take longer than they promise.
- They sell you services you have no real understanding of.
- Getting changes done after your website launches is almost impossible.
Below we have broken down 5 of the biggest frustrations we see in our industry and what we do to try and tackle them.
Our goal is to help more people become educated before website design, so they don’t get burned.
1. You can’t find prices on their website?
This always baffles me.
Nobody likes surprises, so why don’t website designers list their prices on their website? Before you spend your time and energy, wouldn’t you want to get a sense of how much your project will cost? But no, you have to go through a song and dance before you realize the website designer is out of your budget (or out of his/her mind charging such high prices)
Hiring a website designer is a big investment and the decision to buy takes time. So never feel pressured when deciding on a website designer. Don’t get roped in to “if you sign up today we can give you a big discount.” It’s perfectly okay to want to fully understand what you’re signing up for.
What we do
At Acorn Digital we’re transparent and list our prices on our website. “Pricing” is one of the first menu items on our navigation bar, so you don’t have to hunt for them. We break down our prices by the number of website pages for small businesses, nonprofits, and e-commerce. We give you the final price, and you make the decision. That’s it.
2. Surprise, extra charges!
Have your eyes ever popped wide open when looking at one of your bills? We don’t like surprises either, so when you receive your final bill, and there are “extra charges,” what do you do? Oddly, you ask for an explanation and either negotiate the bill or begrudgingly pay the invoice and move on.
What we do
At Acorn Digital, we write up a quote (in non-techy terms) for the services we provide you, how much it will cost, and when each payment is due. We encourage you to reach out if you don’t understand or have questions about our price. Anything not covered in the quote is billed at our hourly rate.
3. They always take longer than they promise.
You researched, picked your website designer, and sent them the money they required to start your project. You’re told to receive a design sample within a couple of weeks, but no email appears in your inbox. You contact them and find out they “ran into a complication,” and you’ll have it by the end of the week. This scenario plays out over the next couple of months.
What we do
In our written quote, we break down your project into phases. Once we finish one stage, you’ll know exactly when to expect the next stage to be completed. We generally complete the prototype design within a week for small business websites within and launch your new website within three weeks (assuming you’ve given us the text for your website pages, logo, and other images.).
4. They sell you services you have no real understanding of.
You listen to the website agency’s pitch and nod your head, but you don’t understand what they’re talking about, and you don’t want to look like a fool by asking questions. Some agencies lock you into a long-term contract or sell you additional services you don’t need. For example, if you want a brochure website for your small business, you don’t need a customized blog for content marketing.
What we do
We listen to our client’s needs and offer a website package that best suits them. If you’re not selling products on your website, we won’t sell you our e-commerce package.
5. Getting changes done after your website launches is almost impossible.
Your new website is up and running, but you notice a few slight tweaks you’d like to have made, and you don’t want to “screw up” the site, so you ask your website designer to make the changes for you. You wait for a response email or text, but no response. Have you been ghosted? You either wait a long time for the changes or find another website designer. Unfortunately, there are a few rotten eggs, and they move on to the next project.
What we do
We pride ourselves on excellent customer service and quick response times. Here are some excerpts from our recent Google reviews:
“I was able to contact him by email or text, and he responded quickly.”
“He was straightforward to communicate with and understood my needs. Also, he responded quickly to my email and text messages to him.”
Check out our recent Google reviews and see for yourself.
Where do you go from here?
We hope after reading this article, you aren’t too put off by website designers.
As we said before, there are lots of brilliant companies in our industry who really do deliver excellent customer service. However, there are a few bad apples, but hopefully, this article has taught you how to steer clear of them!
And if you are still looking for a website designer in Cape Cod, feel free to contact us via our online form or call/text 508-364-7402.
