I am livid at HIT WEB DESIGN formerly known as Heritage Web Solutions. I have a small dog breeding business s and somehow they contacted me to sell their services. After viewing them on “financial Report” through their web site I remembered thinking to myself how bad can they be. Why surely this must be an integral and honest company.

My story goes like this. A sales man by the name of David Thompson called me Hit web Design to sell me their services. He was very persistant even after I told him that it was not in my budget at this time. Finally, he sold me into a package as he put it “it’s a custom site, not a template, to include five (5) pages, infinite pages for your “store” so that you can introduce your products and we will link your website to all the search engines and get you on the first page of all the browsers MSN, YAHOO, GOOGLE and so forth. And I’ll even throw in the logo ALL for $640.00 with a $9.98 monthly hosting fee.”

By the way, I have tried to make contact with this salesman to confront him about why he lied to me. But, he never called me back. I left endless messages and after 300 emails to these people I am totally convinced that they are a ‘FRAUD. This salesman told me “that it was a smoking deal and that the site would be up and running in two weeks. That never happened.

Sadly enough, that was not the case. This company is the worst nightmare I’ve come across. As of June 10 of 2009 till now September 1, 2009 the site is nowhere near finished. I’ve gotten nothing but the run around. The site went “live” a couple of days ago so they say. After so much aggravations and endless time spent gathering pictures, colors, links, and information for them. Not to mention what it has cost me out of pocket its criminal what they get away with. I tried looking up my domain name and it does NOT come up on any of the search engines.

I called Hit Web design to ask “where’s my domain on any of the sites?” And no one has an answer and their response is “talk to your account manager. Oh, I;m sorry he’s in a meeting, I’m sorry he’s not available to speak to you we’ ll assign another account manager, he’ll call you back etc., ” When I asked to speak to their higher ups it was all excuses and more run around because you never get them nor do they call you back. They all pass the buck to kill the customer’s time in hopes that you give up.

They assign different people to do the separate things to your website so they say. Which makes it very confusing to the customer. I wonder if some of these so called “designers” that freelance for this company are working out of their homes. They are clueless to what needs to be done even though you repeat it in emails in voice conversations to them over and over again. All of the pictures of my pups “for sale” and adult dogs (30 in total) with the descriptions for each puppy/adult that was sent to them within the very first week and they told me that they don't have them, they are lost lost, their computers arent' compatible with one another. They had me send it again, and again, and again, it’s a joke!

I had a horrible experience with each of them from the account manager Steve Peterson to the customer service rep Emily Marble, who was as clueless and vague. And everyone in between.

The logo designer was another ridiculous pass time and waste of my money. I’m on my second logo designer who just like the other one has taken their sweet time to respond or never respond at all. First of all they tell you, the customer to send them pictures, links the verbiage the font of what you want for a logo. This to me is totally weird since they are supposed to be “designers” professionals in their field. Guess what? They return the same pics and ideas I sent to them originally. And when you question them about it … they tell you they enhanced it and that’s their finished product. My 8 year old could come up with something “original” by far more creative and professional. That’s how it’s been since day one. It’s a mockery to the customer.

The emails that went back and forth to these so called “professionals” were copied to their higher ups and the so called manager that oversees their work by the name of Lance Card who never even bothered to call me back to address any of these issues.
They bate you and then switch the game on you and if you give them your account number they overcharge you and you can’t get your money back It’s going on three months and no real “live” website.

I found out just a day or two ago when I finally made contact with yet anot her person in their company by the name of Michael Ferguson through email that I have to pay extra for marketing on the different search engines. He also told me that it may take 6 to 8 weeks before my domain even hits the search engines but certainly not where one can view the site and be seen to sell my product.

Michael and Ben then tried to up sell other services so that I can possibly be found. He quoted me $100 for #1 SEO url’s make my store search friendly; #2 WTD FOR $39.99 guarantees $250 clicks a year; #3 $220 for site map “ a virtual” map of our site information.

They are forever upselling the customer with things that they originally promised and never included. I have no faith in this company at all. My website was to be a very simple but elegant website made up of 5 pages. It’s only three pages of which I provided everything as if I had been the designer. They wouldn’t even clean up the pictures. Just copied and paste on my site “as is”. Luckily I found one descent person Bonnie Meyer a designer who was able to work with me. But, it’s been a horrible experience.
I would like for them to refund all my money at the very least and/or a partial refund. Take the domain/ website, logo/watermark and walk away and have my website hosted by someone entirely different with integrity. Please advice as what I can do to help myself in this mess that I’m in. Write to me on [email protected] thank you. ******PLEASE ALSO READ
RIPOFF REPORT *******

GREAT SUGGESTION BY "LOVE TO FISH" HERE IT IS:
If you have a legitimate complaint about any company you do have options.

(1) File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau that covers that area.

(2) File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You can web search that to get their address. My suggestion is send your complaint in writing to them and send it certified return mail return receipt.

(3) File a complaint with the US Attorney General, Washington DC. They are just blocks from the Federal Trade Commission. Again my suggesting is do it in writing and send it to them certified mail return receipt.

(4) Another option would be file a complaint with the Utah State Attorney Generals office. You should be able to web search and get their address. Again send it in writing and to them certified mail return receipt.

(5) Write your Congressman. It would not hurt or those serving in the state of Utah.

Now remember they a government branch per say be it at the State or Federal level. They take complaints often in the order in which they feel are the most serious depending on their work load.
However more likely then not they will get to it sooner or later or if they get a lot of complaints may push things to the front order of things. Sometimes depending on the issue their hands are tied buy they are there to help.

After you mail it out, my suggestion would be this. Contact the company back perhaps by letter telling them you have filed a complaint with FTC or US Attorney General or State Attorney General or all that you did with, and tell them you are unhappy with the way they handled things. They may push to resolve it.

One thing most companies do not want is the Attorney Generals Office breathing down their back.