Designer/Developer refusing to give FULL back end access to our website

  • Hi all,

    I just wondered what the stance was on asking for full back end access to a website we have paid to have build. Granted we only paid 1k when it should have been around 2k. We are a community non-profit group, perhaps on of the most prominent in our town but neverless non profit and rely on donations to keep going.

    The designer / developer – a small local agency created the site for us on WordPress. They said it was built from absolute scratch and thats why we cant have full access, in case we mess the code or the design. I am very proficient with WordPress and have used it professionally for a few years so know what im doing when it comes to menu’s, links and the like. Code is not my thing but i have a developer in my team that sorts that when needed.

    So, the folks that built our site – didnt do some things within the price that they should have, but then added some pages in we didnt even want. We’ve tried to get this across and got nowhere so we thought it best to ask for full log in access to edit it ourselves (which i can do). To no avail. They refused access and said that any edits can be done at a very reasonable price. The laugh is – the duo that make up this company – have no ceased building websites as they no longer want to do it because appraently they had ‘too many bad experiences’ with local businesses’.

    Is this right that they are refusing full access to the back end? As an organisation we have a committee and and they have said they dont wish to offer any further funds for the website anyway – money is tight as a charity.

    Anyone got any advice? And, is this a standard thing to do – do web designers tend to do this? Or have we every right in asking for full access? We need it as there are things that need changing!

    Thanks in advance folks.
    Wanderingjen x

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)
  • Moderator Jan Dembowski

    (@jdembowski)

    Forum Moderator and Brute Squad

    These are the topics that make me cringe. These are technical support forums, they are not for legal advice or remedies. This is not a business advice forum either.

    If you are looking for a remedy for your current problem… no one here can provide valid advice about your situation. You see, we don’t know both sides and have no idea what the arrangement was between them and your community non-profit. We do have your side but that’s only half the story. And to be honest it’s too much already.

    The only advice that should be offered in reply is this: seek legal counsel and take this off of the Internet right now.

    If you are looking for best practices when dealing with paid designer/developers, that’s not for these forums either. It would be too easy for this topic to become a place to recommending individuals or firms based on people’s preferences. That’s a nice way for me to say this could become spammy very quickly.

    There may be a place for that conversation such as the Advanced WordPress Facebook group.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/advancedwp/

    I’m not a moderator there so I may be completely wrong about that.

    At the risk of being accused of “censoring” this topic (that never gets old, right?), I am going to sincerely ask that you please look elsewhere for this advice. This topic does not belong in these forums and I am closing this.

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)
  • The topic ‘Designer/Developer refusing to give FULL back end access to our website’ is closed to new replies.