Scotweb Digital

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director at 999 Cleaner Ltd., a cleaning company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scotweb Digital?

We needed a company to build our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were supposed to design and develop a full website for us. The website was supposed to have a description of our company, and it was supposed to be a price comparison platform for cleaners.

They were hired to do the frontend, backend, functionality, and the designs that we discussed in a document — we gave them a brief description of what we wanted and they never asked us questions on colors or for any more information. What they did for the project was completely unprofessional.

What is the team composition?

The project team they assigned was a frontend developer and a backend developer. They subcontracted the staff to developers in India. Our agreed terms were that they had in-house developers, but that was not the case. I was mostly in contact with the owner.

How did you come to work with Scotweb Digital?

I met them at a meeting. They contacted me by email asking if I needed a website and at the time, I was in need of one. We signed a contract with them that outlined what they would do for a certain amount of money.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested £6,250 GBP (approximately $8,600 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July–December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My expectations were completely let down. It was agreed that it’d be done in three months, but nothing was respected. Even six months later, we still didn’t have anything in front of us. Things started going downhill in about 2 ½ months — they’re denying it, but we have proof where they committed to three months to finish the project.

I asked for some evidence to see something built up on the website. Instead of sending something, I was sent a screenshot from a WordPress plugin. There was nothing to show that any work was being done. We were denied access to any files or source code. At some point, they even said they don’t have our money anymore and if we wanted anything, we’d have to wait for however long it takes.

We were a new company and had managed to put some money aside to pay them. Instead of using it on advertising, we rolled it into a website that was supposed to increase our customers. We had to lose a lot because we ended up with no cash and no website for two years. That messed up our plans. I had to let some staff go due to not being able to afford to pay them.

We’re taking them to court. I ended up hiring a developer in-house to help me.

How did Scotweb Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They assigned a Skype channel with the developers based in India. When they sent us the WordPress plugin and explained it’s not what we requested, after another month, they sent the exact same thing saying it’s almost ready — they’ve ignored us.

When we have a conversation with the developers, it seemed like it wasn’t their fault, because Scotweb Digital has taken our money and disappeared for two months from the developers. The developers were asking us what they needed to do. On the Skype call, the developer said they needed more time. They continued to fail to provide any evidence and this is when we decided to stop collaborating with them.

After finishing the talk with Scotweb Digital, we got in touch with the developers that they subcontracted to. We asked them questions about what went wrong and how things went. We found out then that Scotweb Digital disappeared for two months and they didn’t give any instructions to the developers. They asked the developers to lie to us and say the price of the project was £10,000 GBP and not £2,000 GBP.

We have screenshots of that as well. The developers also said that Scotweb Digital has taken money from a customer in the UK, hired someone in India to not do the project, and they didn’t pay the developers either. We communicated via Skype, email, WhatsApp, phone calls, and messages.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Nothing. They threaten companies very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should improve everything including customer communication, dealing with the customer, fulfilling projects, handling projects properly, asking questions, etc.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I advise you not to work with them. If you do, I strongly recommend that every single point of your discussions and requirements are specified in a contract. Define deadlines and if they don’t meet them, there will be some kind of financial punishment. I wish I had known they had a virtual office.

They positioned themselves as having an office but they didn’t. They advertised that they had in-house developers but they really don’t.