Complaint Review: Guerilla Wordpress Design

I contacted Mike Smith, the owner of Guerrilla Wordpress Design, to handle the redesign of one of my wordpress based websites.

For this first project he was extremely responsive. He makes it very known that he is an insomniac and stays up late working all hours through the night. This was very self evident during the first project as he would email me constantly with updates, questions he may have about some part of the project and just general updates which made me very comfortable with my hiring of him.

His design skills are excellent and his custom Wordpress themes are very flexible. I had no problem with providing more business to him as I have other web properties that needed redesigning. I made him aware of this and we started on the 2nd project.

I paid him a deposit for the second project of $500. (Please keep in mind that I have paid him on time for both projects thus far.) This project cost a little more this time around because I had him create various banners for my business. I am a brick and mortar business owner and these signs were to be indoor and outdoor signage, as well as postcard flyers to be distributed locally. Thus, they are very important to my business to have them created.

He was very enthusiastic to start with, just as he was during the first project. 

And that's where it stopped! After the initial conversations about the second project, he disappeared. I didn't hear from him at all. Up until that point, he had created the mockup for the site and I of course sent him back a few edits. Everything was on track to be completed...just make the edits and upload the site. Also, send over the mockups for the flyers and banners. 

The problem was all communication stopped. I emailed him numerous times and nothing. This was alarming because up until this point his communication was absolutely superb.

After a few more emails I got suspicious and started to research him. I googled Made by Guerrilla Mike Smith. The 2nd listing right under his company is another Ripoff Report from someone who explained the same thing that i was experiencing. Mike Smith just up and disappeared. And then after some more research I found another Ripoff Report from someone else saying the same exact thing! 

Ok now Im getting pissed, and sent another email to him mentioning the information that I discovered.

Some more time passes and he finally decides to email me a response. He gives me some crap excuse about how he has agoraphobia or something and hasn't left the house in months and how his girlfriend has the same phobia and hasn't left the house in ages as well. In addition, he has magically fallen on hard times and his Verizon Fios internet service bill is well past due so his service got cut off. So he gives me the sob story and apologizes and says he will complete the website project. Miraculously though he sends me emails from his cell phone until his service gets cut back on. I ask him to send me over the flyers and banners so that i can view them to make edits. He agrees.

So at this point Im thinking we're good to go. I have a business to run so im trusting him as a business owner and as a man that he will do the right thing. 

After the long sob story and apology....NOTHING! I email Mike Smith and hear nothing at all. he disappears again. Im left holding the bag. 

At this point Im pissed off beyond measure and send him numerous emails expressing my displeasure with him and his service. 

I ask him numerous times to complete the site, which based on his previous work he did for me, doesn't take long at all. I hear NOTHING! 

Mike Smith of Made by Guerrilla is a coward and scam artist. I asked him for his Skype username and telephone number so that i can call him and speak with him. I heard nothing back. To this day i have not heard anything back from him. 

I have not received the completed work that I am paying him for. He has disappeared. I have a complete log of all the emails and requests I have sent along with dates and times. He has emailed me back sporadically...and in the emails he doesnt answer any of my questions. He tells me that he will be sending over the flyer designs by the end of the day. (He's told me this on numerous occasions mind you. Each time he tells me that, the end of the day comes and goes and another week goes past. Then i hear from him again stating the same thing.)

he won't answer any of my emails but yet his twitter account is very active. He posts on Twitter all the time but you won't respond to any of my emails? And if you're hurting for cash to pay off your back balances why wouldn't you complete the work I contracted you for? I pay on time everytime...and I have multiple projects for you to handle. I can very easily erase all of your current back debt. But that only makes sense to reputable people.

Mike Smith of Made by Guerrilla is a coward and a scam artist. Do not use his service at all. Im not the only person this happened to. When asking him about the other people that he's ripped off before in the same way he gave me another sob story about the people were making too many requests something or other. Yeah right likely story.

Im a reputable small business owner. Don't screw with my time and don't screw with my business. Mike Smith has managed to do both.

He had another company called Blogthememachine.com but changed the name. He probably changed it because of one too many unhappy customers.

Mike, be a man and honor your part of the agreement. Your reputation is not very good. I openly admit that your work is really good. The problem is you don't deliver on your word. The level of work that you create gets overshadowed by your shady business practices. You'll never grow your business when you have such a bad reputation.

Im all for giving people the benefit of the doubt because we're all human and all make mistakes. Such is life. But, when you consistently screw me and others over and over again I have to take the proper recourse.

Be a man Mike Smith. Honor your end of the agreement and stop ripping people off and scamming them. It's just as easy, if not easier, to just deliver awesome work and even more awesome service.

If you need a site redesign, use Mike Smith of Made By Guerrilla, the scam artist, at your own peril. Find a more reputable designer or agency for your own peace of mind so that you don't have to get scammed like myself and others have been.