WordPress is a world that offers an immense amount of opportunity to people who really want to make an impact on the way their website operates. There are also a lot of bad players in this space, which is why it’s important to know how to recognize legitimate WordPress developers from scams.
This article will highlight ten common red flags associated with WordPress development companies and explain why they are important so you can stay away from the wolves while still catching the rabbits!
1. Employees of the company are referred to as “consultants.”
One of the easiest ways to spot a custom wordpress development services company is knowing that employees of this type are sometimes referred to as consultants rather than developers. This can be an easy way to tell a scam because consultants don’t have experience working with WordPress and their skills are most likely limited by their experience.
If the developers still work relentlessly at the development of your website, then it is only a matter of time before they get hired by legitimate companies that offer website development for WordPress users.
2. The company website has a “Free Quote” button.
Another red flag is the presence of a button that says “Free Quote” or “Free Consultation,” but clicking on it just brings you to a sales pitch or other bad information. If you click around the site and don’t find any contact information, then the site is probably a scam.
Scammer WordPress developers will often tack this onto their sites because their goal is to fool as many people as possible before word gets out that they are using dishonest methods to get customers.
3. The company uses illegal or unethical advertising tactics.
Many scam companies will use terms like “no refunds” or something similar, which is misleading and all about luring people in. For example, if you call and the person claims that there is no refund policy for their WordPress developer services, then there is a good chance that the company you are talking to isn’t going to be able to help you with your WordPress needs.
If a company claims that it doesn’t have a refund policy, then there is probably some type of unethical play at work.
4. The company doesn’t give clear and specific details about the cost of their services.
If someone asks you to pay upfront for their WordPress developer services, then there might be an issue here. The reason why this is bad is because a real WordPress developer won’t ask you to pay money up front before they start working on your project.
A legitimate website development company will let you know exactly how much it will cost to hire them and that money is going to be a deposit only so they don’t keep the entire payment until work on the website has been completed.
5. The company doesn’t use specific terminology related to their services.
If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. This can be one of the biggest pitfalls for people shopping for developer services, and a good rule of thumb to consider when you are getting quotes from website development companies. If the company’s website doesn’t make it apparent what type of work they offer and how much it will cost, there might be an issue here.
There are many types of developers in the world, and each one specializes in a particular type of service so it’s important that you know what you are getting into before moving forward with any development work!
6. The company gets most of its customers from the Internet.
A good WordPress developer will have a real business working on their behalf and using phone calls, one-on-one meetings and other methods to get potential clients. If a company has been getting most of the business through the Internet, then there is an issue here because qualified people won’t be as willing to give them their money.
A person really has to research a company before giving them their hard-earned money, and this can happen if a company gets more than half of its business from the Internet.
7. The company says it has a “bazillion customers.”
Your gut reaction should be that if this is true, then nearly every person they have worked with should be a satisfied customer! If you can’t find any of these supposed customers, then your odds of getting scammed go up significantly.
8. The company only accepts payment through wire transfer or cashier’s check.
This is another sign of a scam because the company effectively has you over a barrel, literally. If they can’t take credit cards and they only accept wire transfer or cashier’s checks, then they get to hold onto your money indefinitely. When you want to get a WordPress website done as fast as possible, then you want to be sure that you are getting a reputable company rather than one that will just keep taking your money for no reason other than keeping it in their pockets.
9. The company uses questionable business practices when signing up new customers.
WordPress developers who are trying to scam people will often use some type of confusing language when they are signing people up. Unfortunately, a lot of people respond to these types of things because they have already made a decision before they have looked into what they are getting into!
One common way that scammers advertise their work is by saying that you get a 30-day money back guarantee. This goes along with the fact that the company is vague about what its services actually cost and this claim is just another way for them to try and get you to sign on the dotted line.
10. The company refuses to give an estimate about how long the project will take.
This is a big red flag because it shows that the company has no idea how long any sort of development project takes and they aren’t going to do their best to get your business done. Not only that, but if you pay them, you won’t really be able to get a refund if they take too long. A good WordPress developer will be able to give you an estimate on how long the project will take as well as what services they provide, but this isn’t going to happen with scam companies.
