Complaint Review: Strategis Brand - Internet

I had a business dealing with MPact brands, which is now Strategis Brands. I met the owners Angela and Minor Fulcher in Beaver Creek, Colorado and casually began a conversation about their branding business. They had gone through some difficult times with health issues in addition to the problems caused by the economic downturn and were rebuilding their business in Austin, Texas. Eventually I contracted them for 3 months for 100 hours of work per month, at a reduced hourly billing rate. It sounded like a win/win by getting them some needed work and getting my branding needs going at a discount. We discussed my needs for a web presence, publicity, and clarifying a compelling message for my business.

I told them that we wanted to focus on some real bang for the buck production as I was bringing several different projects under one central theme. We discussed them doing web design and content, press releases, and other deliverables. We laid out a wish list of things that I wanted, in the order I wanted them and went to contract. As school was starting we had scheduled to begin September 1, 2009. As it turned out that we didnt start until September 15, 2009 but had agreed that they wouldnt start producing content until I paid the first month bill. I dealt with Angela Fulcher exclusively after our initial discussions and began working. One of the things that I insisted upon was keeping sight of accountabilities: time sheets so I know what is being worked on, and delivery of produced materials to keep things on track.

On October 1, 2009 Angela called to ask for the second months payment. I reminded her that we had started officially on the 15^th per agreement when she said that she had really started on the first (not the agreement). I was very surprised by this for 2 reasons one they were adamant about receiving payment before beginning ANY work, and two, I had received virtually no product. All that got done was editing an outline for a web home page that my web guy created, and a short paragraph bio for use as web content. I was immediately suspicious but agreed, provided that she had actually spent my 100 paid-for hours on work. I asked for the agreed on time sheets and to forward the work product. I received the time sheets that showed over 40 hours on R and D with 20 hours looking at websites! And then she said that the graphic web design was an extra charge of $750 (which I paid), it didnt fall into the 100 hours.

At that point I stopped the arrangement as she was not following any of the agreement, and the time sheets looked totally fabricated. I received a small fraction of what was promised, a few hours of work at the most. I told her to put everything on hold. We never got started on the web design so I went out and had my site built somewhere else. I told her at the time that I was having my site done and would be in touch. Several months later I called and said that we were moving on and to please return the extra fee for the web design as we had never discussed it and nothing was ever produced. Her business had picked up and so we didnt want any hard feelings, it just didnt work out. She said that she had to check her records and would call at a scheduled time in a couple of days. I received an email that she couldnt make the call because she was sick and would call in a few more days.

The next communication I got was an email that stated that she went through her file and MIRACULOUSLY found the web design that was done MONTHS AGO and here it is so she would not refund the money. She had forgotten about it all of this time! REALLY, you produced a file that I paid for months before, never received, but was forgotten about?! What a croc. I believe she obviously manufactured it after the fact instead of doing the honest thing. She even offered to send the Photoshop version. I requested not only the Photoshop version but also ALL documents that she had produced to see what else might have been forgotten. As I expected, I never received a Photoshop version, or any other communication whatsoever even after several voice messages, texts, and emails.

I believe that I paid for work that was never done, time that was never spent, and other documents were fabricated after the fact. I was definitely ripped off. I thought that I would get great work as they were hungry, but instead just got taken.