Web site help required

[Vistisen]

An eBay shop brings us back to PayPal where Dave's woes with ecommerce began

 

I think there is a difference between using pay-pal via e-bay than as a private person.

[DJM Dave]

There's no diference i'm afraid to large sums of money going into an account, whether private or business over a short period of time, setting off the e-bay/paypal algorithms and being on hold again.

[beast66606]

But all of that is easy enormously go to sort if you know what your looking for (spoken from the IT guy view)

 

Gordon

 

I've only worked in IT for 30 years now, probably don't know what I'm talking about ...

 

Personally I'd wait until Dave has chance to follow up on this, it might be a genuine mistake and trying to hack around in other peoples work is not going to go down well,

[Gordonotron]

Wasn't meant as a insult, more I didn't want to ramble.

I always find the IT community is quick to forget we know what we're talking about in technical terms while leaving those without a clue sitting wondering what we just said. It's a handy life skill I find

[adb968008]

I think there is a difference between using pay-pal via e-bay than as a private person.

Using ebay is:

 

1. Going to incur 12-15% in Ebay/PayPal fees

2. Setting an expectation of delivery within 14 days or triggering refund disputes process

3. Incurring other nasties.

[DJM Dave]

I've only worked in IT for 30 years now, probably don't know what I'm talking about ...

 

Personally I'd wait until Dave has chance to follow up on this, it might be a genuine mistake and trying to hack around in other peoples work is not going to go down well,

Hi mate,

 

normally i'd agree wih you, as he has said he has had family and i.t. problems, but t contract was for a web site ready for loyds to check and get intergrated within 1 week.

 

Thawas on the 2nd June, and things hae gotten slower and slower with excuses or nothing.. No response to e-mails, that are simply now bouncing, no picking up the phone to my calls, no responses to my texts to his mobile......simply nothing. And has been nothing for the last 9 days now on all formats. i've mailed his personal e-mail and his 'sales@' work e-mail (although they may be combined), and still nothing.

 

and a bit 'deja vu' i checked on companys house and he missed his confirmation date and still hasnt filed it up to this morning and its 6 weeks late!

 

now i dont think i have any other choice to be honest, i need the web site ive paid for now, not next week or the week after.

i dont want to get tough with the guy, but this last 2 years has tought me that being Mr Nice guy isnt helping me one bit as you get sh a t on more than you get cake.

 

hope you understand my frustration.

Cheers

Dave

[beast66606]

 dont want to get tough with the guy, but this last 2 years has tought me that being Mr Nice guy isnt helping me one bit as you get sh a t on more than you get cake.

 

hope you understand my frustration.

Cheers

Dave

 

I totally understand, as suggested write and state he should either provide the website contracted or hand over the work done so far. - including all user ids and passwords and any doucmentation.

 

By allowing others, at this stage, to attempt access to his work you run the risk of him claiming you've breached hs terms and conditions by allowing someone else to take over - before formally notifying him of contract termination, assuming you have a contract. He may be ill for example. A few years back I went to the GP for a minor complaint and after an urgent blood test I was in hospital for a week, nothing serious but if that happens as a sole trader it can hit the business. I'm not defending him, just saying make sure you know he's dodgy before going down a route which could burn bridges if he isn't and has a genuine excuse.

Depending on how the website is constructed it could take someone new a long time to get to grips with it.

 

 

I note that your djmodels.co.uk domain appears to have expired

 

I'm just playing the devils advocate here and won't be offended if you don't agree !

[Gordonotron]

With the greatest respect to good I.T folk and those doing a good job....

 

 

 

Can't really disagree - The problem though isn't so much people being shysters in as much that there lies of ways to do one thing and each has it's pro's and con's. Add to this that the range of hardware, setups, configurations, screen sizes, input devices, you name it that all change for nearly every person it adds a LOT of complexity and possibility for something to go wrong so it's a tough industry to regulate. If we looked at it like a trade, it's like getting a plumber to install a new tap for you. If we asked 5 plumbers to do the same thing there will be difference in terms of how the run the pipes, the type of pipes (plastic or copper?) some might ask you what kind of tap you want others will just pull one out their van. Regardless though what you end up with should be a working tap with reasonable water pressure.

Now IT - you want a website (to keep it on topic) first choice is platform (such as Wordpress, Drupal, etc). Then do we host that on windows or linux? then where do we host it? on our own server rack located somewhere. with a third party, on the Microsoft platform? and thats just keeping some of the system specs. on the developer side what do they code special parts in and does that facilitate future plans, have they commented it in a good way, is that compatible with all browsers such as Chrome, Internet Explorer etc.

My point is that while on paper its "design a website" behind that there is a lot more decisions and ideas that get thrown around than most people realise. Even for me in work we can have three engineers in a room discussing a small business setup and get three different designs - sometimes even the odd fight over it   I'm a little biased but it still amazes me working with businesses of all sizes how little care is given to IT in the modern world. Some is understanding, some is budgets (we all want too ave some money), and some is ignorance. Yet when email goes down it's like the world collapsed.

 

I will agree though that it's not uncommon to see issues where people haven't taken the time to test. And sadly I think it's at a point now where they expect us to test then confirm (Microsoft, looking at you!). Even with the online world we see websites crashing because they didn't expect the capacity or a new online game not working on launch day because they only ever tested 20 people at once on it and not 1000. It's back to that cost cutting thing though in my opinion.

 

 

By allowing others, at this stage, to attempt access to his work you run the risk of him claiming you've breached hs terms and conditions by allowing someone else to take over - before formally notifying him of contract termination, assuming you have a contract.

 

 

50/50 here - I agree with both. Yes there is a point but at the same time if the site is in staging for Dave to review and he asked someone else to log in and take a look at it isn't that his right as the customer? If (and I'm using this as an example but not keeping the facts) Dave hadn't paid this person and asked someone to go in, backup the site and move it elsewhere ready to go then I would be in full agreement at that stage. Even if the dev's had gone missing it would still be a questionable ethic and one I wouldn't agree with. You pay for the work, but once you've paid it's owned by the customer unless you've agreed otherwise.

Edited August 6, 2018 by Andy Y
Libellous comments removed from quote

[CME and Bottlewasher]

There are many ways to skin a cat, but I was thinking along the lines of ethical behaviour, when I mentioned the word shyster.

 

Everyone has raised good points here.

 

Are there professional (royal charter) bodies for I.T professionals?

[10000]

There are many ways to skin a cat, but I was thinking along the lines of ethical behaviour, when I mentioned the word shyster.

 

Everyone has raised good points here.

 

Are there professional (royal charter) bodies for I.T professionals?

 

I'm not aware of any royal charter bodies for I.T. but there could be something similar.

 

What people need to remember is that the item I.T can and is used to cover many fields of work.  PC support, network support, software engineering , web development etc.

 

I myself have certificates from recognised training companies as well as Microsoft and Oracle

These cover  Web development, MS Exchange server administration, Windows Server administration, MS SQL server administration and database development. Oracle database administratoin and database development. Java programming for Oracle databases , C programming and I could throw a few more. 

 

So if a developer claims any similar type certification ask to see it.

[Gordonotron]

I'm not aware of any royal charter bodies for I.T. but there could be something similar.

 

What people need to remember is that the item I.T can and is used to cover many fields of work.  PC support, network support, software engineering , web development etc.

 

I myself have certificates from recognised training companies as well as Microsoft and Oracle

These cover  Web development, MS Exchange server administration, Windows Server administration, MS SQL server administration and database development. Oracle database administratoin and database development. Java programming for Oracle databases , C programming and I could throw a few more. 

 

So if a developer claims any similar type certification ask to see it.

 

Yup - there is the British Computer Society in the UK but I wouldn't say they we're a regulator or anything of the nature. Plus as said IT is normally anything with a plug on it or appears on a screen.

[10000]

Wasn't aware of that but I have been out of the game since 2005 and being one the 'remoaners' poorly/less educated because I don't have a degree could be another reason I was not aware.

[Gordonotron]

Wasn't aware of that but I have been out of the game since 2005 and being one the 'remoaners' poorly/less educated because I don't have a degree could be another reason I was not aware.

 

To be fair I rarely see them mentioned unless it's with one of the apprenticeships.

[woodenhead]

To be fair you don't need certification to be a good developer but it helps when looking for work or advertising your services.

 

Of course, can the man or woman in the street looking for someone to build a solution tell the difference between a college IT development certificate and an appropriate full MCSE accreditation?

 

All my web development is done behind the safety of a firewall and I don't need to worry about e-commerce or hacking.

[CME and Bottlewasher]

A professional body is helpful for professional standards, formalised education, certification (ie Chartered status) governance and as a port of call for disgruntled clients etc.

 

That's why I asked, if there was one and the WD was a member, it could be useful in hunting him down!

Edited August 5, 2018 by CME and Bottlewasher

[Trains4U]

Re eBay

You CAN sell pre-order items via eBay.

 

But...

The items have to be available for delivery within 30 days of the listing, or eBay will take it down.

 

It is a deliberate policy, ostensibly to prevent massive long-term pre-sales of computer/console games and music

Edited August 5, 2018 by Trains4U

[adb968008]

A professional body is helpful for professional standards, formalised education, certification (ie Chartered status) governance and as a port of call for disgruntled clients etc.

That's why I asked, if there was one and the WD was a member, it could be useful in hunting him down!

The IT industry has several trade bodies, software certifications and various standards & framework bodies.

However non are accreditation’s that if struck off, would lead to any result that would have lasting impact.

IT is up there with Estate Agents i’m afraid...

 

How many of us actually get the broadband speed or Mobile coverage they pay for ? - good old Ram, CPU and disk space doesn’t match the claims... even Microsoft Windows.. doesn’t always deliver on its promises... as for fault free bespoke software delivered on time, on budget, bug free.... last time I saw it, it was on a DVD flying across the sky pulled with a golden unicorn.

Edited August 5, 2018 by adb968008

[CME and Bottlewasher]

The IT industry has several trade bodies, software certifications and various standards & framework bodies.

However non are accreditation’s that if struck off, would lead to any result that would have lasting impact.

IT is up there with Estate Agents i’m afraid...

How many of us actually get the broadband speed or Mobile coverage they pay for ? - Even good old Ram, CPU and disk space doesn’t match the claims... even Microsoft Windows.. doesn’t always deliver on its promises.

Agreed,good points, well made, as I say its like the wild west.

Please let us know how you get on with the letter Dave.

[JSpencer]

Re - getting on....

 

We don't need to know, nor should it be published really, all the nitty gritty details of the encounter.

 

Success or still in the process of pursuit is the max that should be said now (unless there is a question on how to proceed).

[CME and Bottlewasher]

I meant a brief 'okay' 'resolved' or 'ongoing', I'm sure Dave can be very subtle in this regard - and/or he can always PM if he needs specific help.

[DJM Dave]

edited to say 'ongoing', and no current change.

[dogbox321]

Hi Dave, sorry to hear you are having even more problems....one day they will all be behind you.

 

Like you, I am no IT wizz.  My advice (as someone who will not even use contactless), is keep things simple.  At the moment DJModels is a one person enterprise - why does it need an all singing, all dancing Website?  If I go the pub, I want a decent pint of beer - not bar staff answering e-mails and "tweeting".  Likewise, from DJM, I want a really good Class 92 and APT!  I can appreciate, that many modellers may have valuable input into ensuring that the models are highly accurate, and no-doubt you will find their appraisal of use, but apart from that and, updates on progress and advising me when payments are due, then as a customer, that is all I need from the internet, likewise for DJModels, you need the internet presence to be a marketing tool, not an hinderance.

 

Why carn't you have a simple website to promote your products, and simply when people show interest in crowdfunding items, take their details, generate an invoice including bank payments details, send it to them, let them use the invoice number as the reference, which you can then cross reference when they pay up, to the model(s) ordered, then add them to the mailing list for future payments as, and when they become due/available.

 

For example OO APT:

OO370-00001, OO370-00002, etc.

 

NGauge APT:

N370-00001, N370-00002, etc.

 

NGauge King:

N60XX-00001, N60XX-00002 etc.

 

If I were you, I'd be speaking to my Business Banking Manager, to sort out a really simple system (and possibly, with the crowdfunding, have sub-accounts for each product i.e. 92, APT etc.) and to ensure that payments would be permitted, without alarms over money laundering etc..

 

Best Wishes,

 

C.

[Hyper Aus]

From what I have read he is required to have the website / page set up so secure transactions can be performed, which needs to be vetted by the associated bank, and thus requires someone with the knowledge of how to do this. It sounds as though the site/page has been completed on a test site and requires to be transferred to his current site.

 

Even for someone like me who has dabbled in forums and basic pages, payment systems isn't something I have ever dealt with.

 

I wish I could help Dave out but maybe falling back onto a generic order form would be quickest approach the problem at hand, as Dogbox321 has suggested.

[DJM Dave]

Hi Dave, sorry to hear you are having even more problems....one day they will all be behind you.

 

Like you, I am no IT wizz.  My advice (as someone who will not even use contactless), is keep things simple.  At the moment DJModels is a one person enterprise - why does it need an all singing, all dancing Website?  If I go the pub, I want a decent pint of beer - not bar staff answering e-mails and "tweeting".  Likewise, from DJM, I want a really good Class 92 and APT!  I can appreciate, that many modellers may have valuable input into ensuring that the models are highly accurate, and no-doubt you will find their appraisal of use, but apart from that and, updates on progress and advising me when payments are due, then as a customer, that is all I need from the internet, likewise for DJModels, you need the internet presence to be a marketing tool, not an hinderance.

 

Why carn't you have a simple website to promote your products, and simply when people show interest in crowdfunding items, take their details, generate an invoice including bank payments details, send it to them, let them use the invoice number as the reference, which you can then cross reference when they pay up, to the model(s) ordered, then add them to the mailing list for future payments as, and when they become due/available.

 

For example OO APT:

OO370-00001, OO370-00002, etc.

 

NGauge APT:

N370-00001, N370-00002, etc.

 

NGauge King:

N60XX-00001, N60XX-00002 etc.

 

If I were you, I'd be speaking to my Business Banking Manager, to sort out a really simple system (and possibly, with the crowdfunding, have sub-accounts for each product i.e. 92, APT etc.) and to ensure that payments would be permitted, without alarms over money laundering etc..

 

Best Wishes,

 

C.

 

Hi mate,

 

Good post and some interesting points.

The idea for online integrated e-commerce was a few fold actually....

 

1) to lessen my need to input all transactions manually, as it would be done by the site and lloyds (and if you've ever tried putting 400+ customer details into a database etc, boy it ruins your day or 2 or 3 ;-)

2) to give a more professional front end 'experience'  (god i hate that word in this context, lol) and the auto generation of paperwork my end too.

It also breeds confidence rather than a simple paypal thingy. and as mentioned wont, due to the arrangements i have with lloyds flag issues that dont exist.

 

Oh, and today's update.................. letters by 'Special Delivery' sent yesterday, awaiting post office confirmation as to their delivery before 1pm today.

 

Cheers

Dave

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Good luck Dave.