Complaint Review: Jason Hassett -

I was introduced to Jason by Karl (friends and partners of Pugbutler and other businesses) after Karl designed a couple of logos for me. Karl claimed that Jason was capable of building apps. I met with Jason and explained my overall vision of what I wanted for the app. I was a total rookie, just entering the tech startup space as a solo, non-technical founder.

Our meeting was great. Karl and Jason were both very charismatic. I really enjoyed meeting with them. Jason provided a proposal for the app development and did a presentation along with it. It was very professional. I questioned his experience and he told me that he had successfully built an app before and other software that he sold and made good money. He spoke like he was an authority. I did not investigate thoroughly enough.

I paid the first payment which was $1999 to get them started with design phase. He presented a design that I was comfortable with. This was a first for me so I was intrigued to see how things would look. It was like I was seeing my vision come to life. After we agreed on the design he showed me (no functionality and not all pages were included in design phase), he said it was time to make another payment for 50% of the development of stage. That was about another $2200. He said that would take several weeks I believe. 

I began noticing that he kept showing me screens of the app but never anything that I could actually use that functioned. He would always say, it's not finished yet but I just want to show you. He claimed that during the development phase, there wouldn't be much he could show me. I took his word for it. Jason always took his time to offer what sounded like a good explanation but one that I truly didn't understand because I'm not a coder. I realized that I was tired of not understanding what he was talking about. Therefore, I started researching things heavily to get a better understanding of the industry. I started learning things rather quickly.

Finally, after we started missing deadlines in the contract, Jason started making a lot of excuses as to why the app was not ready. I was very patient. I was learning. Our rapport seemed really good. They both claimed that we all had become friends. This personal relationship, in hindsight, caused me to show more leniancy than I should have probably. I had a gut feeling that Jason was in over his head but couldn't admit it.

After being severely behind schedule, Jason offered to throw in Phase 2 features of the app at no additional cost. I was grateful and excited. It would have been about a $2500 value. He admitted the delays were unacceptable and felt I deserved this concession. Only problem with this is that we never could get past Phase 1.

Jason would get frustrated that he was unable to figure out how to make things work. There were a few times when we would be brainstorming together and I would be inspired to make an adjustment because since the app wasn't finished, it seemed like maybe it was ok to make some changes. I never demanded any changes and Jason was more than willing to adjust. He never said no. He never said it was a hardship. I didn't realize that later on, he'd use this as an excuse as to why the app was not ready.

Nevertheless, we were running a few months behind schedule. I had nearly 300 early adopters ready for beta testing that kept getting pushed back. Jason said the app was ready for beta testing but it never worked.

At this stage, we were still getting along great but I let them know that I felt we should bring on another person to add to the team so that we could get past whatever was the problem. Jason was not enthusiastic about involving any outsiders. He said he preferred his own people. But eventually, I went to seek consultation with three other developers. The feedback I got from all three was the same...the app was not built properly. The app was not a native app. It was not built from scratch. These consultants offered me education and advice but I secondguessed their advice because when I shared the feedback with Jason and Karl, they would both say that other developers are just trying to get my business. I thought there might be a degree of truth in that. So I continued letting this drag on. Mind you, I continued paying them for other projects like promo videos and websites, etc.

Finally, after getting warned by pretty much everybody that Jason and Karl were showing questionable business practices, I decided to reach out to my son who attends MIT. I asked him to refer me to one of his computer science frat brothers. I met with him. It was understood that he was not trying to get business from me. He looked over the app (APK) and said outright, "Looks like you got scammed." He said that the app was not even close to acceptable and that the skill set of the developer was highly questionable. At this point, I had to start to entertain that maybe Jason wasn't capable.

I recruited a consultant to come on board and help advise. Jason agreed to it but before agreeing to it, Jason requested that I give him one more chance to attempt an idea he had to make the app work. I allowed him to proceed in the exact manner he wanted to and the result was the same...no functioning app. At this point, I was trying so hard to come up with solutions. I even started learning how to code to see if I could help Jason.

I quickly realized that I didn't have time to learn how to code, build a new business, and run several old businesses. But the attempt showed how committed I was to getting a resolution. I essentially became a part of the development team functioning as a product manager and designer, etc. I spent countless hours nearly every day working with Jason to try to make it work. Jason also set a date that the app would absolutely be ready.

I believed him, and foolishly, did as he requested and paid him the other 50% of the development phase (even though the app was not finished). Jason always requested bank wires stating that the fees associated with Stripe or PayPal were very high. In retrospect, had I paid with a platform like PayPal, I'd of easily been able to get a refund by filing a dispute. I think Jason and Karl knew that.

Karl had been travelling Europe for three weeks with his wife. When he returned, I told him that things were looking extremely problematic. He kept reassuring me that Jason would get the job done and give it more time. It never happened. So I started alluding to the fact that we might have to have "the difficult conversation" about what is a fair way to handle the fact that they accepted a job they were not capable of doing, spent the money, and delivered no product.

Finally, I had to draw the line. I told Jason that I needed him to set a deadline for himself and let me know whether or not he can complete the app. He met with me and told me that he thought it was best to just stop trying and refund the money. He said he didn't want to waste anymore of my time trying to figure it out. However, he did not feel that I should get a refund for the design phase claiming that I approved of it. I didn't feel I should lose any money because I did not retain their services seeking only a design. And then it was revealled that the design was not even to industry standards as far as UI/UX. So having a design and no app was not helpful and was not how the contract was written.

I had entered into Y Combinator's Startup School which was an 8 week program. I was doing that alongside working with Jason and Karl to build the app and business. I learned a lot through that program because I was able to speak to other founders and YC partners to learn the tech startup world by the world's best and brightest. I learned so much, so fast that it helped me realize that Jason was never competent enough to take on the scope of the job I needed.

Jason and Karl reluctantly agreed to a refund but Jason asked me if I could just wait until he got past his wedding which he claimed was $30K. He said he'd have at least $4K to refund me by the end of February. I told him that was no problem. I was happy he agreed to the refund and didn't mind continuing working together on other type of projects that they were capable of doing. So I actually, against my better judgment, continued giving work to Karl and paying him for it (as if they didn't owe me $6500).

I offered them options to collaborate with my startup in ways that they could have possibly earned money that would help them. Karl was very open about him and Jason having severe financial problems. Karl shared quite a bit with me about Jason's history. I got an earful about money he owed him for his wedding and lies he had been telling family and friends about money, etc. I knew at that point that I'd probably never see my money. Jason was not who I thought he was. I wasn't sure about Karl. He was pretty convincing when he acted like he was in my corner and would not let Jason do me wrong.

That all changed once I had to start critiquing Karl's work in an effort to get better quality. His skill set was questionable at times. He was a jack of all trades and master of none. He often thanked me for my feedback and said my criticism was helping him grow as a professional. Karl started getting aggravated when he saw that I was bringing on other people to do jobs that he wanted to do so he could earn more money. In the end, he claims that I overwhelmed him with my feedback and frequent communication. His attitude literally seemed to change overnight.

It was as if he was tired of the charade and playing a role that wasn't truly him. When he saw that I kept expressing frustration and concern about Jason delaying with paying me back and was serious about holding Jason to it, I guess he felt that it wasn't worth him continuing to work with me. Probably because I started suggesting that maybe instead of me paying 100% out of pocket for the ongoing work he'd be doing, I could pay half out of pocket, and the other half could be deducted from the credit. Funds were getting tight for me and I kept telling Karl this. He was interested in getting steady money and saw me as a source of it. But once he saw that the flow of money was about to dry up, he decides to quit the VA work he had nearly begged me for.

He quit the day after I addressed them about the refund and a payment I made towards a website that I had them hold off on building because the focus was on getting the app complete and finishing the website. It was weird how he did it. Looking back on it, it seemed provocative. He quit during launch time for my new website. He knew this would be upsetting I believe. And I was upset. I told him how I felt and that I was really worried that they were not the people I believed they were. I wasn't utterly disrespectful but it was one of the first times that I actually stood up for myself and spoke my mind via email.

I emailed Jason about the status of the wire transfer and asked for a receipt as form of proof that he initiated the payment because my bank said there was no indication of anything pending. My tone was not pleasant. I was fed up at this point but I still wasn't over the top. Jason responds and says that he reversed the wire transfer because my email was rude and he didn't like how I talked about him, Karl, and their business. So that was reason enough to renig on refunding me after he had agreed to. I honestly feel like they provoked me to create a negative situation that they could then turn around and say I didn't deserve decency and fairness.

Now, I'm the villain. I am out of $6500 and countless hours. And to top it off Jason sends a smug email implying that he knows there isn't anything I can do about it. No legal recourse because he knows the cost of an international legal battle would be far more than the $6500 they owe me. He also said that Pugbutler isn't a registered business. It's just a website and there's nothing I can really do to hurt their reputation because it's not even a business.

My worst nightmare became a reality in this situation. This almost killed my business. It definitely depleted my spirit and caused a great deal of anxiety and stress. Now they get to continue advertising their services. I see them promoting things in Facebook groups. They think it's as simple as rebranding if I attempt to expose their company.

I was conflicted about how to handle this situation. I didn't want a public scandal. All I wanted was the app I paid for and if I could get that, I wanted a refund. And if I couldn't get that, I wanted an alternative resolution. I got nothing that I deserved because they have made themselves out to be the victim. I guess this is what they need to be able to look in the mirror. If they paint me as the bad guy, the attention is now on my attitude and not their breach of contract and broken promises.

I must share this story.