Complaint Review: Peter Montgomery - WePostAds - WePostGoodNews - WePostNHL

This is my first time filing a ripoff report. Normally I just take the loss quietly when small things go wrong, as they occasionally do in these matters, but in this case the individual in question continues to defraud people within my local community so I feel I'm obligated to file a credible account of my recent experience with Peter Montgomery from WePostAds.com.

Peter Montgomery from WePostAds.com currently owes me $1,000. He has made several promises to pay me, even scheduling meetings to do so. But as of today has failed to make good on any of those promises or handshakes.

I am an experienced designer/developer in Calgary, and I run an ad on various websites for web and graphic design services which I provide to customers in my spare time. The quality of my work is high but I charge a low hourly rate so that my services remain accessible to small business people and individuals, as these are the people I enjoy working with most. I love entrepreneurs and have a passion for small business.

On Halloween night at about 11:00 PM I received an email reply to one of my ads from someone named Peter Montgomery of WePostAds.com which stated simply, "Need help with website". I sent along my phone number and was subsequently contacted by Peter Montgomery of WePostAds.com via telephone the next day. He stated that he had a malfunctioning website named WePostAds.com which was in need of repair. We scheduled an appointment to meet at my home later that week for a discussion of some potential solutions.

A few days later, Peter Montgomery visited my home for a free preliminary consultation regarding the repair job for WePostAds.com. Peter stated that he had been working on this classified ad site with an individual who was incapable of executing on the task at hand to his satisfaction. He showed me the code which I agreed was inadequate. All classified ad websites are driven by dynamic data however Peter Montgomery's existing website for WePostAds.com appeared to be nothing more than a series of crudely constructed HTML pages without any sort of formatting or usability considerations applied. Most of the pages were incomplete and none of them were fully functioning according to Peter.

I explained the underlying issues and some common solutions to Peter Montgomery and he acknowledged the issues, consequently hiring me to repair his existing codebase for WePostAds.com so that it could begin functioning competitively in the busy online classified ads market.

Timeline was an issue because Peter Montgomery is currently selling banner space locally in Calgary even though WePostAds.com receives no legitimate traffic whatsoever -- a practice which inevitably leads to loss of clientele and possibly even claims of fraud. Additionally he advised that his "business coach" is impatient and currently demanding a prompt resolution to the WePostAds.com project.

At that time Peter made a series of commitments which we shook hands on upon. He spent some time here in my home explaining his personal situtation, citing "The Secret" as the source of his commitment and honesty, discussing his recent divorce and the subsequent decision to currently quit his job, sell his home, and pursue "banner marketing" on a full-time basis...

Peter Montgomery of WePostAds.com is a good salesman with a strong ability to convince people of his words. I was honestly left with the impression that he was committed to recompensating the people he had sold ads too and making good on his various obligations to his clients and his business coach.

Before we could proceed however, his plan changed.

He contacted me several times regarding the feasibility of various schemes to sell more banner advertising at WePostAds.com without addressing the lack of traffic. I advised him to take the high road, forget about selling banners on a traffic-free website, start from scratch, and put together something meaningful that derives legitimate revenue from multiple established channels such as featured ads, paid ads, sponsored links, etc. I used sites like Buysell.com, Kijiji, etc. as examples to back up the efficacy of these methods. We also discussed the ethical ramifications of selling banners ad on an empty website and internet business fundamentals.

Peter expressed interest in this new route so I emailed him several free mockups and samples, as well as comprehensive details on the implementation process. We went back and forth by email and phone for a week or so, eventually reaching an agreement in principle, shook hands on it, and work commenced.

At this time it began to seem as though Peter might be attempting to secure delivery of my work without paying me. So I expressed my concern to him in person. He reassured me, shook my hand multiple times, looked me straight in the eye and provided an elaborate speech about what an honest man he is, how he plans to bring in hundreds of small business clients to me, and that he would never rip me off, etc.

I proceeded to complete the work under his supervision and approval despite any misgivings. Peter Montgomery from WePostAds.com is a good salesman, he convinced me.

The website is now completed precisely to his specs. I have the working code here as well as the specs he signed off on as full evidence of this. He arrived here last night to test and accept delivery of the code. He did not bring payment as agreed upon however, and arrived missing his front teeth for some reason. (???) He was acting erratically and suddenly demanding several unscheduled changes.

At this time it became obvious that Peter Montgomery is not what he seems and was attempting to abscond with the code so I confronted him face to face. I told him that I realized what he was attempting and that I didn't appreciate it. I requested payment in full before providing any further services.

I explained to him that if he absorbs my work hours without paying for them he is going to leave me in a rent crisis as well as the main floor tenant of this house -- not to mention without Christmas gifts for my daughter. I explained to Peter that actual human lives are being affected by his choices. And that I am not a rich man and I can't afford to pay my rent unless clients like him pay me for the hours they get me to work on their businesses. He looked me straight in the eye, shook my hand again, said he understood, and promised to be here at 1 PM with the payment.

Again, Peter Montgomery from WePostAds.com looked me straight in the eyes at that moment, shook my hand, gave me his "word as a man", and implored me to complete the code -- promising to arrive promptly at 1 PM today with the $1,000. Peter re-iterated that promise to me several times, and said he is a family man who would never do something like that to someone. Etc, etc, etc. Even offered to pay, "30% extra if I accept a check instead".

I made it evident to him that I would not deliver any code to him until he pays me in full. He talked me into staying up last night coding the last few unscheduled changes on the basis that we could then just exchange cash-for-code at 1 PM today with no loose ends. I just want to get it settled at this point, so I stayed up all night and got everything 100% to his approval. I didn't stop until it was completely perfect to his specs -- and that's how it sits right now. I tested then removed the code from his server so he couldn't access it until paying for it.

Today I waited until 1:30 PM. Peter was nowehere to be seen as per his promises, and handshakes. So I called him. He had his voicemail on, so I left a message. He cellphone appears as "Rick Martin" on my phone, not sure if that's an alias or if he's just using someone else's phone to get around bad credit or whatever, so I kept it brief and polite. A couple hours later I heard from Peter.

He stated that he had presented the code (which he doesn't even possess?) this morning to another programmer for inspection and that this anonymous "programmer" had deemed my code and database work unworthy. He wouldn't identify the programmer or his qualifications. I asked him how we was able to present the programmer with code that he doesn't actually possess and then it got weird. He didn't answer. It was very akward, as it always is when someone gets caught red-handed in a poor quality lie.

To be clear Peter Montgomery from WePostAds.com does not possess any of the code. I have it here and it is excellent quality work. Unlike the anonymous "programmer" I have tangible experience -- about a decade worth including teaching at a major university. So I'm unclear on what Peter's eventual intent was here, to drive down the price, request the code for free, etc? Very unusual. Perplexing even.

Whatever the case Peter stated said he doesn't actually have $1,000.

I explained to him that I would post a ripoff report here which we could resolve only by him paying me the $1,000 he owes me as per his endless promises, handshakes and emails... At that point he maintained that he doesn't have the money and we left it at that.

I just wanted to post this report so that no other designers or advertisers in Calgary end up victimized by Peter Montgomery of WePostAds.com.

My personal experience is that Peter Montgomery from WePostAds.com is a man who's handshake and promises are worthless, I would not recommend him as a client to any other designer -- even on a prepaid basis.

P.S. I'd be happy to provide before and after samples to anyone who may question the "night and day" comparison between WePostAds.com and the new code I created. Suffice it to say that it's the difference between a burro and a Ferrari and I can easily back that up with proof.

Additionally Peter Montgomery of WePostAds.com sells banner advertising to small business owners in Calgary based upon false claims about the amount of traffic which he provides. If you are considering any of his offerings just make sure you demand evidence of traffic before handing him a cent. Very simple equation, ask for proof. There are thousands of superior, more effective internet locations places to buy banner space for much less cost and hassle. Any small business owner who would like more info on that contact me and I will help you for free. :)

Corey
Calgary, Alberta
Canada