DesignNBuy

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Tiny Mammoth Graphics

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Environmental graphics and branded interiors for commercial spaces. Visually communicating your company's story through wall murals, window films and custom signage and graphics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire DesignNBuy Inc. to accomplish?

• E-commerce website
• increase profit margins

SOLUTION

How did you find DesignNBuy Inc.?

Online Search

Why did you select DesignNBuy Inc. over others?

Customizable add-ons

How many teammates from DesignNBuy Inc. were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

We started this project over 15 months ago and have yet to receive a functioning or live website. They provide one template (created for print buyers) and then leave you to figure out how to build and fix it to look how you want. When you ask for help, they will ignore. UNTIL, it is time to renew the yearly fee. Then they pretend they will make everything right and fix it (they never have, do or will). 
Our first indicator should have been the lack of communication and many different people we worked with in the beginning (very high turnover rate). All of a sudden, one day, they just said "Here's your website"... and don't bother submitting a ticket. If you don't respond within a few hours, it will get closed. And once whoever you're working with gets done with you, you will be passed off to someone else and have to start the entire process again. 
My guess is DNB bit off more than they could chew. We should have listened when one of our colleagues told us of his horrible experience- but here we are. Out HUNDREDS of hours of our time; thousands of dollars in costs, more calls and video meetings than we can count.... and not one single thing has changed since the handoff of our "website" (not finished nor anything we had requested, prior to signing contract).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I would consider a non-working and not live website a demonstration of the lack of success.

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

They just threw us a template that had nothing to do with our business or anything we requested. For additional money they have talked and emailed about possibly fixing it. Many, many, many excuses for why this is still not operable. But after almost 1.5 years of unsuccessfully receiving our website, we requested a refund. 
They told us all the reason they could not do it (everything is usually about them and how it will affect them; their bottom line; their time and money; etc etc.). If you want a company that truly cares about the success of your business, this is definitely not the route to go. They should be banned from the print industry.

What was your primary form of communication with DesignNBuy Inc.?

Email or Messaging App

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

We initially were impressed with the customizable options of their software. Too bad we never actually got that far. A lot of smoke and mirrors and have yet to meet a "successful" client of theirs.

Are there any areas for improvement or something DesignNBuy Inc. could have done differently?

They need to stop scamming the print industry. I would love to know how many contracts they signed in 2023 (ours included) vs. how many live sites they have to show from it. They just need to find another industry to scam and leave the printers alone.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder of a custom apparel company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Design'N'Buy?

We were looking for a vendor to help us build an integration for our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Design'N'Buy works with our in-house team to develop our Magento website. They also built out a design studio integration and continue to add a lot of new features, such as Plug and Play with Instagram.

What is the team composition? 

I have one main point of contact, and I've interacted with at least three other people.

How did you come to work with Design'N'Buy?

They were recommended to us by someone who had worked with them previously. 

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them about $15,000 a year. 

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in January 2019 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, they’ve performed well. They can work very hard, but there are still things we need to clean up in terms of the software.

How did Design'N'Buy perform from a project management standpoint? 

There were times when they completed all the work within a day or two, and there were also times when we were frustrated with them. We mostly use email and Skype for communication because the person we're working with is based in India. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very flexible and willing to make any changes to the platform that we request. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their project management could be a bit better. Also, we'd like our changes to be proprietary to just our software.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know exactly what you want to accomplish and don't be afraid to push them if they're not meeting your deadline.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the manager of FANFAN. We import, produce, distribute, print, and sell advertising materials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Design'N'Buy?

We needed to build an online store to sell our advertising materials and personalized products.

What were your goals for this project?

We set out to build a custom online store in which to sell standard and personalized products.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Design’N’Buy was the most efficient web-to-print solution. They also had excellent recommendations.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They built a custom B2B Magento store with language modifications and a unique visual style that fit our needs. We’re able to make changes to the site now that the engagement is over, too.

What was the team composition?

We worked with diverse resources that were responsive to our requests.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Customers find the store easy to use, and we love how simple it is to make adjustments ourselves.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They were supportive, and we worked effectively together throughout the whole project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their staff was professional and had a strong understanding of our needs, doing whatever we requested. We absolutely recommend them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The only improvement would be to respond to requests faster. Everything else was more than fine.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Raghaus Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Custom Printing and Graphic Design

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire DesignNBuy to accomplish?

• Web-to-print
• automation

SOLUTION

How did you find DesignNBuy?

Online Search

Why did you select DesignNBuy over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Long history

How many teammates from DesignNBuy were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Web-to-print platform with simple customization

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with your partner evolve?
DesignNBuy improved their communication and demonstrated a willingness to address issues. Numerous meetings have led to resolution.

What was your primary form of communication with DesignNBuy?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

In what ways can they improve?:
Evaluate sales process to better match experience to customer's need
What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?
Question everything that sales is presenting & do your due diligence to verify their claims.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on 09/19/2024
Markus Hartel
President, Raghaus Inc.Design

Newburgh, New York

1-10 Employees

Jan 2024 - Ongoing

Less than $10,000

Verified

Company being reviewed: DesignNBuy

Project summary
DesignNBuy Inc. has been hired by a custom printing and graphic design company to develop a web-to-print platform. The team has been responsible for integrating simple customization features.

Feedback summary
DesignNBuy Inc. has failed to meet client expectations. The client claims the team promised features that have been implemented incorrectly or not at all, indicating a lack of printing and UI knowledge. The client believes DesignNBuy Inc. has an ineffective ticketing system and high response times.

Quote
"The experience with DesignNBuy Inc. has been sub-par at best."

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Raghaus Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Custom Printing and Graphic Design

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire DesignNBuy Inc. to accomplish?

• Web-to-print
• automation

SOLUTION

How did you find DesignNBuy Inc.?

Online Search

Why did you select DesignNBuy Inc. over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Long history

How many teammates from DesignNBuy Inc. were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Web-to-print platform with simple customization

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The experience with DesignNBuy Inc. has been sub-par at best:

• Sales badgered me for months into a relatively costly subscription.
• They promised features that were never implemented, or implemented sloppily and/or incorrectly.
• Sales and support staff has high turnover.
• Developers don't have basic understanding of printing and best UI practices.

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

• "Customer Success" reps are defensive and delvelopers don't have a basic understanding of printing. 
• A canned wordpress plugin has better upload functionality than their "custom" uploader, which was and additional featire to their bloated software. 
• Their ticketing system is ineffective and customer service reps have no understanding of printing and the logic necessary. 
• Deliverables have not once met the demands outlined. 
• Response time for subscription software is sub-par and sometimes exceeded 72 hours... Ironically tickets get closed automatically after 72 hours.

What was your primary form of communication with DesignNBuy Inc.?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• DNBs ignorance is truly impressive.
• I find their persistence in the marketplace unique, given their apathetic performance. 
• Sales staff is pushy.
• Support team clueless in their chosen field.

Are there any areas for improvement or something DesignNBuy Inc. could have done differently?

I think they should follow through on promises given by sales staff and listen to customer demands.

STAR RATINGS
Overall rating:    0.5 - Never again

Quality:    1

Cost:    1

Schedule:    1

Willing to refer:    0.5

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of an e-commerce company that provides and personalized corporate gifts, office supplies, and custom fashion.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Design'N'Buy?

We hired them to completely digitalize our business, starting from web development to product customization.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to build complete customization features for all of our products.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found Design'N'Buy online and shortlisted them after identifying their strengths and potential.  

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Design'N'Buy provided design and development services. It was mostly an R&D project as we had to build many new features. They also helped us launch our site.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a highly professional team of designers, developers, and marketing staff.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They completed the project successfully without any errors.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The best part was that we had a single point of contact throughout the project. We communicated via Skype calls, emails, and Basecamp, which was convenient.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We had direct access to the product manager at any time.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There will be a saturation point for any kind of improvement, but I think they have reached that point.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I perform online and digital marketing for Dina Color Lab, a custom printing business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Design'N'Buy?

We hired the team to develop an online presence for our business by creating an e-commerce platform.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted an e-commerce site with the ability to engage with both our B2C and B2B market segments.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of our partners in the printing industry recommended Design’N’Buy to us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The team created an e-commerce site using a Magento 2 platform with a dashboard to manage order flows.

What was the team composition?

Drumil (Support Manager, Design’N’Buy) was our main point of contact. After speaking with us, he communicated our niche requirements to a relevant team at Design’N’Buy.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Design’N’Buy easily forged a digital presence for our previously offline business. They made the transition seamless for our company.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The team kept us informed during each stage of the development process. They were happy to adjust their work according to internal feedback.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were able to understand exactly what we required and deliver quality results. They also provided continuous support throughout the timeline.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The stages of the process could have been better monitored to ensure a faster pace. We appreciate how they updated us with any delays in deliverables.