More Crappy Customer Service: Magentis Media

I'm sure that it is no surprise to anyone reading my writings that I have a little side "business" for showing restaurants.  I really enjoy it, but the current site has stagnated quite a bit and I've been working on porting it over to more modern frameworks and getting a better look and feel.  I tend to have a very high standard for work that I hire out, so I prefer not hiring it out and doing it myself.  If I pay for something and it ends up mediocre, I get really frustrated.  If I do it myself, and it ends that way, I just flog myself a bit and get over it.

Well, I realized that I don't want to do that anymore and I simply need to get over it.  Enter Magentis Media (which sucks).  So, I get a recommendation from someone to check them out, which turns out to simply be a "her" running a design shop.  Looks reasonable enough and I like the style.

The live help widget was nice, and I appreciate the responsive proactive approach to customers.  Oops, I guess that only applies to folks who don't pay yet.

Here's been my experience:
April 24th - Pay the deposit for the work.  I get back, nearly instantaneously (well, the same day):

I will have the firsft draft proposal on Monday.

Cool!  So, Monday rolls around and radio silence.  I email on Tuesday not really thinking much about it.  Tuesday goes by.  Silence.  Wednesday, finally I get an email back.  An apology, an excuse about how they weren't receiving emails and some rough concepts.

I spend a week reviewing.  May 8th rolls around and I send in my feedback and thoughts.  Nothing.  May 14th, I send another email.  This time I'm actually started to wonder what the hell is going on.  Maybe she just hates email.  Oh, but on May 16th she responds and says everything is ready and I'll receive the revised concept that very same day.  Must be my lucky day.

Except it isn't, because more silence.  This was actually expected, because so far Caroline apparently works in inverse dog years, where 7 days is an hour and that's somehow acceptable.  So, after not hearing anything at all I finally decide to just close the relationship.  Consumer rights, and all that.

I email her this morning informing her that I expect my deposit refunded in full, and that I am extremely disappointed.  Ah hell, here's my email:

Caroline,
I've been more than patient with you and have had nothing but constant delays.

I'm cancelling our arrangement and expect a full refund to be processed within 48 hours.  Your complete lack of communication, follow through and failure to deliver is unacceptable.

Failing to receive a refund will result in an immediate chargeback.  This is not up for debate, I simply do not have the time to devote to these matters.

-Jay

I suppose I could have warned her a bit first, but really, she's not a 4 year old.  She's in business and so am I.  I'm not going to coddle someone who is running their own business.  I don't have the time for that.  I do, however, have the time to write a blog entry and publicize her failures so other people don't get caught up.  The response is priceless, though.

Hello Jay,

 

I am very sorry about this.  I am quite overwhelmed with work at this moment.  I really try my best to please everybody.

 

Unfortunately, deposit  are not refundable since it covers up for the intital design proposal on which we spent an amount of time, that would be unfair to initiate a chargeback. 

 

I you can give us until monday morning, I will be happy to have the revisions.

 

I apologise for this unusual delay and hope you will understand.

 

Regards,

I like how she just magically decides that the deposit is not refundable.  I never agreed to a non-refundable deposit.  I also like how she spells horribly.  What email clients don't have built-in spell check?  Firefox even has built-in spellcheck.

After another email informing her of her fault, I got this gem.  Really, it's beautiful:

If this is what you want to do.  Do it.  Remember chargback are illegal practice, you made a deposit for a first draft proposal and you received the designs.

 

Also please take not that any of the material/concept proposed can be used in any part or in totality.

So, she agreed to me doing a chargeback.  Cool.  But then she says it is illegal!  I'm so confused!

Chargebacks for failing to receive services hired are illegal!  I guess consumer protection is for the birds.  Really, if you have a paying customer do the right thing.

Why is it so hard to simply say, "I'm sorry I totally punted, ignored your emails and really, the job you hired me to do.  Here's your money back."  So, my part is done.  I filed a dispute with AmEx which took me half the time of writing this entry and now she's going to deal with a lot of paperwork and the dispute.  If she ignores it, she's out the deposit.  If she doesn't, she will have to explain how she failed to explain it was a non-refundable deposit and then try to change after the fact.

So, I salute you Caroline of Magentis Media.  Your business sucks.