Builder.ai

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of a software company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

n/a

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Builder.ai to accomplish?

• Create an app

SOLUTION

How did you find Builder.ai?

marketing

Why did you select Builder.ai over others?

Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Builder.ai were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Project Overview
The scope of work was to develop a high-quality, fully functional mobile tailored to the needs of our business. Builder.ai positioned itself as a cost-effective and efficient solution for app development, claiming to use advanced AI to streamline the process. The project was marketed as being "as easy as ordering a pizza," with promises of simplicity, transparency, and timely delivery.

Key Deliverables:

Fully Functional Application:

A complete, ready-to-use app for mobile.

Timely Delivery:

The project was promised within a defined timeframe of [insert timeline, e.g., 6 months] but took well over a year and remained incomplete.

Quality Assurance and Testing:

A product free of major defects, ready for launch without significant revisions or corrections.

AI-Driven Development:

Builder.ai claimed to leverage AI to expedite the development process and deliver a cutting-edge solution. However, there was no evidence of AI being utilized, and the process appeared entirely manual and traditional.

Post-Development Support:

Ongoing support and troubleshooting after the initial delivery to ensure smooth operation.
What Was Actually Delivered?

Incomplete and Unusable Product:

The final product was riddled with issues and bugs, failing even basic functionality tests.
An independent auditor reviewed the product and deemed it "one of the worst products they’ve ever seen."

Missed Deadlines:

Delivery timelines were grossly exceeded, with delays stretching far beyond a year. The product remained incomplete despite the extended timeframe.

Lack of Professionalism and Communication:

After taking payment, the Builder.ai team became unresponsive. Multiple attempts to address concerns were ignored, with Builder deflecting responsibility.
No AI Integration:

Despite marketing itself as an AI-driven company, there was no evidence of AI being involved in the development process. The project appeared to rely entirely on manual coding.

Financial and Business Impact:

The project’s failure resulted in significant financial losses, including a £300,000 missed investment opportunity and the £70,000 directly paid to Builder.ai with no usable outcome.

Summary of Experience:

Builder.ai consistently failed to meet its obligations, both contractually and ethically. The project’s execution demonstrated a lack of expertise, accountability, and integrity. Their service fell far short of what was promised, leaving us with a product that was incomplete, unusable, and ultimately detrimental to our business.

I would strongly discourage anyone from engaging with Builder.ai. Based on our experience, they are incapable of delivering on their promises and have caused significant harm to their customers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Unfortunately, there were no measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrated progress or success. Despite Builder.ai’s claims and promises, the project resulted in significant failure across all key performance indicators (KPIs) and deliverables. Below is a detailed breakdown:

Promised Outcomes vs. Actual Results
Completion of a Fully Functional Product

Promised: A high-quality, ready-to-use application delivered within 3 months.

Actual: After more than a year, the product was incomplete, riddled with issues, and completely unusable. Independent auditors deemed it one of the worst products they had ever reviewed.
Efficiency through AI-Driven Development

Promised: Builder.ai claimed to leverage AI technology for faster, cheaper, and more efficient app development.

Actual: There was no evidence of AI involvement, and the process appeared entirely manual. The delivery timeline and costs were grossly misaligned with what was promised.
Business Impact

Promised: Builder.ai’s platform was marketed as a transformative tool to accelerate business growth and provide a competitive edge through technology.

Actual: The unusable product caused significant delays, financial losses, and reputational damage. It also resulted in a lost investment opportunity of £300,000 due to the app’s failure to meet minimum expectations.

Impact on KPIs and Business Goals

Timeframe: The project missed all deadlines and stretched far beyond the agreed timeline.
Cost Efficiency: Instead of saving costs, we incurred significant financial losses, including a £70,000 payment to Builder.ai with no usable deliverable.

Operational Utility: The product was unusable and failed to meet even the basic functional requirements, providing zero operational value.

Key Takeaway
The project with Builder.ai did not deliver a single measurable outcome of progress or success. Instead, it resulted in wasted time, resources, and significant harm to our business. The only “measurable” outcomes were negative:

Over £70,000 in sunk costs.
A £300,000 lost investment opportunity.
Over a year of wasted time with no usable result.

This project serves as a cautionary tale for anyone considering Builder.ai. Their inability to deliver on promises and their refusal to take responsibility for their failures left us worse off than when we started.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project Management and Responsiveness: A Complete Failure

Builder.ai’s project management was disorganized, unprofessional, and completely inadequate, contributing significantly to the failure of the project. Below is a breakdown of their performance across critical areas:

Delivery and Timelines

Promised: Builder.ai committed to delivering a fully functional product within 3 months.

Actual: The project dragged on for well over a year and remained incomplete at the time of termination. Critical deadlines were missed without explanation or accountability.

Impact: The extensive delays caused significant disruption to our business operations and led to a missed £300,000 investment opportunity.

Responsiveness to Needs

Initial Communication: During the sales process, the Builder.ai team was highly attentive, painting a rosy picture of their capabilities and timelines. However, this level of communication abruptly ended after the contract was signed.

Post-Contract Communication: Once the project began, Builder.ai became unresponsive to our concerns and needs. Emails went unanswered for weeks, and follow-ups were often ignored entirely.

When we did receive responses, they were evasive, dismissive, or failed to address the issues raised.

Handling of Issues: Despite numerous attempts to raise concerns about the project’s delays and substandard quality, Builder.ai consistently deflected responsibility and failed to take meaningful action.
Instead of resolving the issues, they cited irrelevant contractual clauses to justify their failings, further exacerbating the problem.

Project Management Practices

Coordination: There appeared to be little to no coordination between their teams. Updates were inconsistent and often contradictory.

Key personnel involved in the project changed frequently, leading to a lack of continuity and accountability.

Transparency: Builder.ai failed to provide transparent updates or realistic timelines for deliverables. Milestones were either not communicated or simply ignored.

Use of Technology: Despite marketing themselves as an AI-driven company, their project management lacked the basic tools or processes expected from a technology provider. This further contributed to delays and confusion.

Overall Experience
Builder.ai’s project management was not just inadequate; it actively contributed to the failure of the project. Their inability to manage timelines, respond to client needs, or coordinate internally demonstrates a lack of professionalism and competence.

Summary
Did they deliver items on time?
No. Critical deadlines were missed repeatedly, and the project remained incomplete after more than a year.

How did they respond to your needs?
Poorly. Builder.ai was unresponsive, evasive, and unwilling to address legitimate concerns. Their dismissive approach caused significant harm to our business.

If you value timeliness, responsiveness, and professionalism in your projects, Builder.ai is not the company to trust.

What was your primary form of communication with Builder.ai?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Absolutely nothing. Builder.ai is a masterclass in overpromising and underdelivering. They market themselves as innovative and AI-driven, but their services are outdated, incompetent, and riddled with failures. The only thing “impressive” is how effectively they mislead customers before taking their money and disappearing. Avoid at all costs.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Builder.ai could have done differently?

Everything. The single best improvement Builder.ai could make is to shut down and stop taking money from customers. Their business model is built on overpromising, underdelivering, and evading accountability. Instead of misleading customers and delivering incomplete, unusable products, they should cease operations entirely. If they can’t operate ethically or competently, they have no business existing. Enough is enough - stop taking people’s money and destroying businesses.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Finance Operations Platform

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Paci is a finance operations platform for SMBs in the Middle East

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Builder.ai to accomplish?

• Build the application

SOLUTION

How did you find Builder.ai?

• Online Search
• Gitex

Why did you select Builder.ai over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Builder.ai were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Builder.ai was to build out an application that helps manage finance operations for SMBs in the middle east by integrating with their banks and accounting software to provide real-time insights on their financial data to power high velocity decision making.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project was an utter failure, after the Builder.ai accepted a deposit amount of 10 % of the project cost, the technical team at the Builder told us that it was not possible for them to build this. Then there was radio silence for months while I was asking for a refund. 

After months I chose another vendor and I communicated the same to them, they communicated they could not refund the money but can build it for me in spite of the technical team communicating that they cannot build it because they used code libraries.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Not at all, at the sign of any technical difficulties, the entire sales team disappears and then you are communicating to a wall. They have a great sales team ( Akash C., Anju C., Rajiv B.) but they are almost like a group of snake oil salesmen. Once they sell, they disappear.

What was your primary form of communication with Builder.ai?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Most impressive is their slick Builder studio, which is a nice money spinner that will ensure you pay the deposit and then it is all smoke and mirrors.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Builder.ai could have done differently?

Yes, understand the technical scope of work.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on November 22, 2024.

 Thank you for sharing your experience, we’re really sorry it wasn’t a good one. We've refunded the amount as discussed and happy to work with you in future.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and owner of the company, a start-up who needed an application to be built

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Builder.ai, and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop a a mobile app for both android and iphone, this app is a social media centric to showcase our clients talents.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

we based our choice on their activity and ease of use at first, their quick responses at the start of the project, as well as their understanding to the project.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

we had regular meeting explaining the different steps and needs for the project, we provided a map linking all the pages and ideas, while builder ai tried to match it in reality.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

first it was the sales team, then the project scoop and after was the project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We have yet to receive our application, due to delays and many internal issue at builder ai.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

After numerous delays, I have yet to receive 50%, although they have got 50% of the payments (around 18,000 Euro). A random person claimed my project (this person is not in the contract nor a contact person), causing my project to be blocked. I had a meeting with Builder ai "legal department" (Mr. Andy Pham) ....

I provided them with all the contracts we signed together (Myself and builder ai), bank statements, a whole year of conversations with their representatives to no avail. It has been over three months with no answer from the company, although they keep sending me emails to complete my payments. How can you ask me to complete the fee when blocking my project (Mr.Vikram Agarwal)?

In addition, refusing to recognize me (the person you signed a contract with and made the payments) as the owner. I caution anyone to work with them; as of this moment, I've only lost money with them with nothing to show. I'm also losing money to legal costs, as I will be going through the legal routes to protect my assets. Utter unprofessionalism: No matter how many emails or WhatsApp messages I send, I get no answer from their sales team and the project manager. They try to dodge me as much as possible, and they get mad when I display anger towards the situation. (Mr. Kushank, and Rythym) ...

In all honesty, this has been the worst experience I have had so far. I've lost money, no working application, and I feel like I'm begging them to do what they are paid and hired to do.If you like to check with me to validate the above, contact me directly by email is: doc.zizzle@gmail.com I caution anyone to deal with them, and you may be better off with another developer. Everything they have been displaying or not displaying is a problem. There is no trust relationship anymore between me (the client) and the company. I advise all not to trust them at all.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Only at the start of the project we had great communication going.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Pretty much everything after starting the project, including integrity

Company Responses

The vendor responded on February 21, 2022.

Abdulaziz, we’re sorry that you experienced some communication issues. As soon as these were brought to our attention, our COO stepped in to try and resolve things with you. However resolving this issue isn’t simple – as there are certain legal changes to your situation, which need to be resolved. We’re trying our best to resolve this with you and the other party.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Project manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Builder.ai, and what were your goals?

To develop an app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Online.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Didn't start due to multiple issues

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with people from all levels, trying to resolve the many issues we had.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

No, after months with Builder.ai we still didn't have any product.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Online.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The simplicity of the idea.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

We wasted months with this company and ended up with nothing. While in the beginning everything looked great and we were excited to work with Builder.ai, it didn’t take long before designing issues started to arise and additional costs started piling up. Our major gripe with Builder.ai is who owns the actual code of the app. We were told, and it’s on their website that the customer owns the code – however that’s not actually true.

As they work on building blocks they own the code which is “delivered to the customer under License” which is clearly written in their contracts. When we questioned them about this they just talked in circles but the bottom line is we didn’t own the code. Unfortunately we still decided to give them a shot and provided them the design we had, signed the contract, they gave us a statement of work and we paid the down payment.

At this point they decided the work we had wasn’t enough and said we had to now add a design phase which was a huge expense, or we could outsource the work. We chose the latter because it was considerably cheaper and had the file done in XD format (as per their instructions). Problem is once we delivered this to Builder they said they needed it in sketch file but they could convert it for us – at a cost of thousands of dollars.

They also decided that a number of functionalities for the app weren’t included and they would have to add that to the cost of development. As we had a contract that covered most of the additional functionalities they had to cover those, but the cost was still going to increase considerably with what we had to pay for.

In my experience, they either don’t quote accurately in the first place and once your committed then these costs happen to come to light, or they don’t actually look at your design before quoting the product – either way this led to huge headaches for my company. We had many conversations with Builder via zoom where we had discussed all of these issues, who owns the code, the design format etc. where they record the meetings.

My advice to anyone brave enough to work with Builder.ai is to make your own recordings to protect your company!!! We asked for a copy of the recording which they flatly denied and said they would provide minutes of the meeting which was total crap and only had superficial information that wasn’t relevant. Paying Builder.ai was another nightmare!. We paid the first installment by credit card and that was it….. there is no way to delete the card details if you want to pay another way.

We tried to delete the card as our project was on hold and yet they still attempted multiple times to charge our card. We sent email after email to delete the card from their website, and just kept getting brushed off. This resulted in us being charged an installment even after the contract was dissolved and the details are still on the website even today – we have literally had to block the card through the bank. In our experience, Builder.ai was just a pretty website that cannot deliver what they promised

Company Responses

The vendor responded on November 17, 2021

Thanks for sharing this Rachelle, we do need to explain a couple of things:

Yes, you absolutely do own your code – once the project is completed and paid for. But as you haven’t paid for your project, you don’t own this code yet. 

We do need design files in Sketch format so either we can do your designs, or you can provide them in Sketch format, or we can convert them for you. This feels like the heart of the issue and the miscommunication here, is why we’ve already refunded all your installments.

While your project was stopped to sort this out, your next payment was automatically taken by mistake. We’re very sorry about this and refunded the payment straight away.

We’re sad things ended this way and wish you every success with your app.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

General Manage IT, Instant retail India limited

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Builder.ai?

Operations Android App and Back-end

What were your goals for this project?

To smoothly handle the operations of Vending machine operator, supervisor and operations manager, on time product refilling, scheduling, inventory management

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Initially got to know from some friend. Then compared the pricing with other available vendors. Apart from that, their project support road map was quite fascinating for us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, developed, configured, and launched our app and the inherent back-end system. The project began with a requirement discovery workshop, which let us reach a mutual understanding of the business challenges and goals. Once we approved the workflows, wire-frames, and mock-ups, the actual production began in the form of 2-week sprints. The functional versions were ready for user testing and feedback every two weeks.

What was the team composition?

Our single point of contact was the assigned project manager. We have seen different developers, designers and architects working on the project as per the skills required. Around 6 people were working on this project. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The business goal was to improve the process of field operations and track the inventory in the field. Main challenge was the acceptance by the field team. When the product went for the field test, it got accepted with very few recommendations and these guys took those changes forward. During the field testing itself we found that the accuracy of data was 99.99%. It was a big booster for our confidence. We extended our requirement further with two other change requests.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management and communication was quite impressive. Deadlines were met and on very few occasions, when it was felt by the project team that there may be some delay, it was well communicated on time. Even during delays, they offered us to re-prioritize the stuff so that the impact on business should be minimized. We used Slack and Zoom for most of our communications.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Though we went for a custom application development for our business needs but the way they started discovering the project scope was like an SME. Another thing which I noticed was their alertness about the project schedules. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everyone is having scope of improvement from different viewpoints. So, I would rather tell them to stick on their model and be dedicated to the way they are delivering their services today. It itself can take to them new heights.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am COO, of a medical service company; Touch MediCar Services Pvt Ltd. Our company is trying to make medical service affordable and accessible to all the sections of the society, we use technology to accomplish this task.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Engineer.ai?

Our company was doing doctor to home service for the last four years and we envision to make primary medical care accessible to all. The same time we want our customers to get medical assistance at the comfort of their home. That is when we started thinking of developing a mobile application which will connect a patient and a doctor though a video call.

What were your goals for this project?

We want the app to be simple and easy to use for all the stake holders. It should not create any ambiguity for the users.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected the vednor after taking proposals from many vendors. We also took opinions of people who alraeady had engaged with this vendor. The capabilities and previous works of the vendor are also considered while narraowing down the optons.

Describe the project in detail.

After selecting the vendor we had meeting, where we explained the broad requirements. The Vendor then came up with a builder card for the same with modules that are required for the same. We do many iterations to prioritise the requirements and we finalise the required modules.

The project is then handed over to the project management team. The team then develop the SOP and the flow of process for the app. Development was done along with the required testing and iterations. Regular sharing of apks was also done to do the testing from our side as well.

What was the team composition?

We have assigned a project manager, who was responsible for the project and also the is laison for us. The front end developers back end developers, testers and designers are assigened as per the requirement of the project as and when required.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

With in six months time our application was developed and is fully functional with the requirements that are given. There are some additional features added in the later course of the project, which was very critical for the project.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager was available and accessible to communicate and also had deep understanding of the technology and the business requirements. We had regular meetings and logs are kept to enter our quaries and make the necessary chages

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The company is very agile and is very prompt in its commitments. They understood the business requirements very well.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Choosing of vendors can be done with a more judicions way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a non-profit organization which aims to help citizens and public services to exchange information on locations in streets to prevent and reduce pedestrians accidents.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Engineer.ai?

We have asked engineer.ai to develop an Android app

What were your goals for this project?

We had three main goals: 1. Enable citizens to map locations in Portugal and Brazil adding extra information like photos. This information is shared in a region to other users 2. Allow public services, like city halls to review that location, improve it if necessary and exchange information with the citizen 3. Educate pedestrians and drivers in road safety

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Engineer.ai seemed the right company to build our app. We have presented our project to them and we have reached a mutual understanding on it.

Describe the project in detail.

The project was managed in an agile way. Main requirements were defined in sprint #1 and following sprints delivered actual and usable features. We had weekly meetings to review progress and refine requirements. The team was flexible to change deployment options (Google Cloud instead of Amazon) and was able to cope with the challenges regarding that decision.

What was the team composition?

We had a remote team on India managed by Rupneet and a technical team with designers and developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The app was launched on schedule with better UI/UX and a few features than expected. It is performant and running for 5 months now. More than 100 users have download it. We are waiting for authorities sponsorship to announce it in Portugal.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had good and sincere discussions on issues and how to handle them. Engineer.ai is very experienced in these projects and presented solutions quickly, so we can move forward.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their commitment to a project for a non-profit organization. We were impressed by their professionalism and experience.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The main thing is finding the right people to do it. Engineer.ai has people with the right skills.