DS Xpress, Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Vanta Studios; we’re a marketing agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DS Xpress, Inc.?

We hired DS Xpress, Inc. for web development and design on several projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The scope included talking to our end clients about the functionality they needed on their websites and then developing those into working websites. 

What is the team composition?

We work with 6–7 people, including the owner, two project managers, and a few developers. 

How did you come to work with DS Xpress, Inc.?

They were recommended to us by someone we knew. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested over $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2020, and the engagement is ongoing because the contract is still technically open.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

We’ve lost clients because of this engagement and because they have not fulfilled their end of the contract they signed. 

How was project management handled?

We’ve been pretty dissatisfied with their services from a communications standpoint and believe they’ve been very unprofessional. They’ve continued to tell us that projects are almost done, but months have passed and nothing has been completed. 

How did DS Xpress, Inc. address the challenges that arose?

They did not address any of the challenges that arose. 

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

Do deep research into reviews.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on January 6, 2023.

Beck Graben from Vanta has screwed over every relationship and client. He hired us for 3 projects. He did NOT pay what he was suppose to and on top of it overcharged the clients by 150% over to what we agreed on. 

His clients expected a project that was worth a certain amount and he kept telling us that his clients have no clue what they are talking about while charging them way too much money for products that were not worth the amount that he was charging. 

Our project manager was in contact with his clients when Beck/Vanta would just throw the clients to us every time he did not understand anything about what they wanted.  We have every email from his and messages from beck how he thought his clients were idiots. 

This review is 100% false and he is just attacking us because he owes us a lot of money that he does not want to pay.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the former chief operations officer of Expressible, a cloud-based content creation and distribution platform. We allowed clients to pull together several types of media and then publish them to different social media outlets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DS Xpress Inc.?

Our previously hired development team were not living up to expectations and we needed a more skilled application developer.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DS Xpress migrated our framework to AngularJS; and used Java, JavaScript, HTML, and XML to develop a content marketing application hosted on Amazon. They managed API aggregators through social media like Facebook and Instagram and created a hashtag tracker to pull and push data. Their systems administrator secured, patched, and hardened our Linux systems.

Currently, their team continues to advise on technical inquiries and works on projects for the new owners of Expressible.

What is the team composition?

We worked with the owner, a systems administrator, project manager, and their developers.

How did you come to work with DS Xpress Inc.?

DS Xpress was recommended to us by a company that had some investors in common with us. We vetted DS Xpress and three other companies through some technical trials, and they delivered the best results.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $35,000 per month for 3 years so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in May 2015 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our previous development team was taking months and months to get releases completed, even with smaller sprints. The DS Xpress team ran through two sprints a month with excellent QA for complex features. Their work made our clients come back to us again and again because we could quickly fulfill their requests on a set timeline.

How did DS Xpress Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They used a homegrown mobile application to manage the project and were comfortable with different methodologies— including our agile methodology. Their team was always available and responded in 30 minutes to an hour during irregular work hours. Our project manager advised our team on emerging technologies and the owner of the company took a personal role in all the projects. The owner was always a five-minute phone call away to listen to issues.

Their team was able to fully grasp and document the app within 60 days and started fielding feature requests and tickets. DS Xpress met 90-to-85% of the development deadlines and created a great partnership with us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Unlike many other outsourced companies, their team wanted to improve your product instead of staying only within the required task. Their team was really invested in our business and felt like an extension of our company.

Ae there any areas they could improve?

They had some turnovers on their team, but that’s an inevitable part of outsourcing IT. Otherwise, I can’t see any other things they could've improved on; I had a great experience with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They give you the choice of having a part-time or full-time project manager. I think having a full-time dedicated project manager is worth the extra cost and key to a successful project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of RealConnex, which is a website that connects the ecosystem of the real estate community together. It’s like LinkedIn for real estate professionals. The site helps users find connections, capital, and services. They can post, search, raise capital, invest or lend, showcase services, buy, sell or lease, and network on the site.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DS Xpress, Inc.?

We needed a technology partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re developing our website with a PHP framework. It’s a login system. It’s very comprehensive and operates like LinkedIn.

What is the team composition?

We have a discrete team; they’re a separate team dedicated to just my project. There are 12–13 people. It’s a full-stack team with front- and backend developers, HTML specialists, and designers. There’s a project management team as well.

How did you come to work with DS Xpress, Inc.?

I met them at a meeting in Miami.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $4 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2013 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The connections built on the site have resulted in billions of dollars of deals. There are a couple of million interactions on the site per month. It could be the biggest website in the world for professionals in the real estate industry.

We’ve had a few iterations of the site, and there are no issues with bugs and crashes.

How did DS Xpress, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Skype and Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very communicative and very willing to help. They’re an excellent, engaged partner. They’re a good bunch of people.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with them. Make sure you have a very tight grasp of what you’re doing. Know the outcome that you’re striving for in exquisite detail. Test rigorous timelines.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Aventura Marketing Council/Chamber of Commerce. We have 400 members in South Florida.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DS Xpress?

Our foundation, Anchors Away, helps disabled children learn life skills, specifically how to sail their own boats. We needed a website to communicate its mission and raise awareness about our activities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built the website from scratch. DS Xpress also designed posters, graphics, and program books. Dimitry, the founder, delivered technology speeches to our members and a group of students.

What is the team composition?

I interact with Dimitry and his wife, who handles billing. His team also includes a designer who used to be one of our students.

How did you come to work with DS Xpress?

I met Dimitry 13 years ago through one of our members. He made a great first impression that distinguished him from other providers; I trusted him. We’ve been working together for 10 years now.

How much have you invested with them?

Dimitry built the website pro bono. We’ve paid him a monthly fee for supplemental services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in 2010 and ended that year. The business relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The graphic designs captured the foundation’s essence. We’ve used the original theme for branding. Our members praised the team for their creativity and accuracy.

How did DS Xpress perform from a project management standpoint?

Dimitry was humble and driven. His team updated me daily on every aspect of development. That service matched my preference for detail-oriented management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were professional, but also personable. DS Xpress made an effort to understand our business culture before initiating engagement. They cultivated relationships with stakeholders to execute our vision accurately. In addition, deliveries were consistent and timely.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have firm visions and goals, but approach them with an open mind. They introduce clients to new technologies, ideas, and opportunities. Clients should then leverage the team’s creativity to the final product.