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View Full Version : Web Developer not returning emails.... Now what?



Asha0978
06-20-2013, 12:36 PM
We hired a web developer to design and build our restaurant website, but we haven't been able to get a hold of him to make any changes! He's not responding to emails, and it seems as if his phone number is no longer in service. Thankfully, we paid him a one-time fee and not a month-to-month price, but this is getting really annoying! Is there any way I could go on myself and make the changes? I have a basic knowledge of HTML, but know nothing of domain registration or the like. Any suggestions would be amazing. Thank you!

Harold Mansfield
06-20-2013, 01:14 PM
We hired a web developer to design and build our restaurant website, but we haven't been able to get a hold of him to make any changes! He's not responding to emails, and it seems as if his phone number is no longer in service. Thankfully, we paid him a one-time fee and not a month-to-month price, but this is getting really annoying! Is there any way I could go on myself and make the changes? I have a basic knowledge of HTML, but know nothing of domain registration or the like. Any suggestions would be amazing. Thank you!

Hard to say. What's your website's URL? And do you have control/access to your hosting?

Wozcreative
06-20-2013, 01:26 PM
Unfortunately this happens a lot. I've even done some design work for a website development company that started 10 web projects and then disappeared. They actually went and changed their whole business industry to do something else.

Also working on a project for a client where the designer has been taking a week or more to respond to an email. Happens a lot. Know who you're hiring.

With respect to your questions.. it is hard to say if you can update it yourself.. especially if they own the hosting account and you dont have access to it. Chances are these theifs do it that way too.

billbenson
06-20-2013, 10:14 PM
To clarify the above responses:

- Did you register and do you own your domain. If you aren't sure, type your domain into the following whois link: Whois Lookup | Domain Availability - Registration Information (http://who.godaddy.com/?ci=8926)

- Did you select your web host and do you have the user name and password to get in?

- Do you have a backup of your website?

With this information we can give you better answers as to what you can do to get control of your site.

Business Attorney
06-21-2013, 01:32 AM
A few more questions:

- Is it a pure html site (you mention html). If so, you can copy the code easily. On the other hand, if it is something like PHP that is simply rendered as html, getting the html will not get you the functionality of the website, though it will help in a pinch.

- Is it based on a CMS like WordPress and, if so, can you log in to the CMS even if you can't log into the web host itself? If so, you can make changes and also back up your website.

I would suggest getting the best backup you can even if it is not perfect. If he is not responding, he may also not be paying the hosting bill. That happened to me and one day I went to the URL and saw "This account has been suspended" instead of my website. Fortunately, I did have a back up and I had control over the URL so I moved it to another hosting account.

HTTrack will allow you to copy the entire website. It is a copy of what you see on your screen - you are not getting the "behind the scenes" programming. If you find your website has disappeared entirely, try Internet Archive (archive.org) but don't be surprised if it does not have all of your pages archived, particularly if the website or changes are recent.

jimr451
06-21-2013, 07:00 AM
My advice would be to find a new developer / programmer who can go in and "sort out" the current site and setup. Since you don't have the technical skills required you will just be feeling around in the dark.

You could just hire them to figure out how things are set up, move the site if necessary, and get you all the correct passwords, etc. They can also explain how to update the site (either through a web interface or ftp).

That would give you a baseline and secure your site you already paid to have developed.

-Jim