(Resolved) Dispute: @Baros v. @skaz97

Proof that the transaction began on BHW:

https://www.blackhatworld.com/direct-messages/samples-and-price.30349676/#convMessage-34957045
https://prnt.sc/kAMkvY8jngKf
https://prnt.sc/rpseIpd-lZ5E
https://prnt.sc/NNtzrHG6purM


Proof the other party has been informed of this Dispute Resolution:





Proof of Contact:






Summary of Dispute: The seller failed to deliver the promised professional web development and design services as advertised on their sales thread. Instead, they provided a poorly executed product that did not meet quality standards, relied on basic template kits, and left the site's code broken and unusable. Despite his failure to meet quality standards, he claimed that the website was delivered, but in reality, it was never completed. Although detailed instructions and references, the final result was far inferior to expectations, causing significant time and financial losses, as well as jeopardizing a client relationship. The seller responded to my messages but refused to refund, leading to this dispute. This action is necessary to address the seller's false advertising and lack of competence.


Evidence of the Issue:
Here is the conversation with the seller over skype. It started through BHW private message but then we continued with skype but to avoid sending all images here I will attach only screenshots URLs:

https://prnt.sc/UUuag3lrw7A3
https://prnt.sc/OQrS8ZKjGkyi
https://prnt.sc/efReoJI5lyQL
https://prnt.sc/LcCiBvEKBC37
https://prnt.sc/oLapwgha5-5A
https://prnt.sc/LrROABPyCjmR
https://prnt.sc/N3DDaUcWUpZz
https://prnt.sc/IBmfDS-ewx1_
https://prnt.sc/fnYQDxhJpWQI
https://prnt.sc/dgydhD6R7N6C
https://prnt.sc/aZPfRIDdWJTn
https://prnt.sc/UEHV8pzV5YeZ
https://prnt.sc/BpT8uT8M4Xtv
https://prnt.sc/1hqoL7UStmvR
https://prnt.sc/2mMTw7rlg1F5
https://prnt.sc/WE5jC07dylww


What you hope to gain from this Dispute Resolution: I would like to receive a full refund of $200


(Optional) Additional Information:

The dispute arises from the seller’s failure to deliver the professional web development and design services as promised in their sales thread on BHW. The project involved creating a fully functional website with custom web design, for which detailed instructions and reference websites were provided to ensure clarity of expectations. Given these clear guidelines, the seller’s delivery fell drastically short of their advertised claims, resulting in a product that was neither functional nor visually acceptable.

- False Advertising and Misrepresentation:
The seller advertised expertise in web development and design, claiming to deliver high-quality, professional work. However, the product delivered was far from professional. Instead of a custom-built website, the seller relied on a basic template kit, changed theme colors superficially, and installed a few plugins + few general categories... That's it.

- Poor Quality of Work:
The final product is ugly and useless. It was so poorly constructed that it could not be used as intended. Additionally, the website’s code was mishandled to the extent that even minor modifications could not be made without encountering technical errors. The seller demonstrated an apparent lack of knowledge about professional standards in web design and development.

- Failure to Adhere to Instructions:
Despite being provided with clear references and detailed instructions, the seller failed to incorporate the requested features or deliver a design that matched the provided examples. This failure reflects either a lack of skill or a disregard for client instructions.

- Unfulfilled Promises of Quality and Revisions:
When confronted with the poor quality of work, the seller claimed the revisions process could address the issues. However, the scope of problems was so extensive that revising the delivery would require months (if would be even possible with seller's skills), which is not practical or acceptable. This indicates the initial service was fundamentally flawed.

- Unprofessional Behavior and Lack of Accountability:
After being contacted multiple times to address the issue and provide a refund, the seller failed to take responsibility for their actions. Despite being given 48 hours to issue a refund, he refused. This lack of accountability has wasted significant time and money.

The seller did not deliver what was advertised or promised, causing considerable financial and reputational harm. Their inability to deliver a functional, aesthetically pleasing, or usable product, combined with their unprofessional handling of the situation, leaves no choice but to pursue a dispute thread on BHW to seek a resolution. I have acted in good faith throughout the process, providing multiple opportunities for the seller to correct the issue or refund the payment, which the seller has ignored.

Information For The Accused
@skaz97 - you have 24 hours to respond to this disputes thread. If you do not respond within 24 hours or we note that you're engaging in any other activities on the forum rather than dealing with this dispute, the decision will be made in favour of the dispute starter and you will be permanently banned from Black Hat World. In the event that you're permanently banned from the forum, you may send in a support ticket using our support channel only once you've refunded and/or provided what the plaintiff has requested.

If your responses to this dispute do not remain prompt, your account will be banned.

Information For The Accused & The Dispute Starter
Please remain professional as name calling, insults, griping, tu quoque, and ad hominem will not be tolerated. Should the dispute starter resort to this, the dispute will be forfeit; and if the accused resorts to this, the dispute will automatically be in the dispute starter's favour.

If the focus of this thread shifts from trying to resolve the dispute to simply wanting to see the other party banned, the dispute will automatically be ruled in favour of the other party.

The moderator mediating this dispute is simply trying to fair a resolution to this dispute. Any mod abuse or accusations (e.g., "you're biased", "you're protecting scammers", etc) directed toward the moderator will not be tolerated and may result in an infraction for mod abuse.

Information For Other Members
If anyone else has the same issue with the accused, you may respond so long as you supply evidence in the form of screenshots, videos, etc.

Please bear in mind Dispute Resolution section rule #4 before responding.

"If you are not directly related to the situation, or are not offering information directly related to the situation: do not post in the thread. Anyone caught doing so will receive an infraction and be reply banned from posting in the thread."

Hello,

I would like to address this situation with full transparency and professionalism, as I always strive to provide high-quality services and ensure client satisfaction. In this particular case, however, I believe the accusations made against me are both exaggerated and unfair. Allow me to clarify the key points:

1. Exceeding the Scope of Revisions:

The agreement clearly stated a maximum of 8 revisions. Despite this, I accommodated over 20 revisions across more than two weeks of continuous work. Many of these revisions were not minor tweaks but entirely new demands that extended far beyond the original project scope. This level of accommodation demonstrates my commitment to meeting the client’s needs, even when their requests were unreasonable.

2. Obstructive and Contradictory Feedback:

Throughout the process, I requested clear and consistent feedback to ensure the project aligned with the client’s vision. Unfortunately, the client’s feedback was often contradictory, leading to significant delays and unnecessary iterations. For instance, I would address one issue only to have the client raise a new and unrelated concern, making it impossible to finalize the project. This constant cycle of changes went far beyond the professional standards for revisions.

3. Unfounded Allegations Regarding Quality:

The claim that the website was “useless” or “ugly” is purely subjective. The website was built based on the reference sites and instructions provided by the client. The tools, plugins, and design practices I used are industry-standard and appropriate for the project’s scope.

If there were technical issues with the code, they could have been resolved during the revision process. However, many of the delays stemmed from the client’s focus on aesthetic preferences and requests for new features outside the original agreement, rather than addressing core functionality.

4. Unrealistic Expectations of Availability:

The client seems to have expected my full, uninterrupted availability for over two weeks, which is not a realistic demand given the scope and budget of this project. Despite this, I remained responsive and invested significant time to address their concerns. However, it became clear that no amount of work would satisfy their ever-changing requirements.

5. Discounted Rate Misused:

The client received a discounted rate, which was meant to provide value. Instead, they took advantage of this goodwill by making demands that far exceeded the agreed-upon scope, effectively asking for work worth significantly more than what they paid.

Final Statement:

I delivered a functional and visually appealing website within the agreed framework and went above and beyond to accommodate the client’s requests. Despite this, their unreasonable demands and inability to provide consistent feedback made it impossible to meet their expectations.

I am confident that I acted in good faith and upheld professional standards throughout the project. I am more than willing to cooperate with the moderators to resolve this matter fairly.

Thank you for your attention,

Skaz97


P.S.: As a JR VIP member of this forum, I take my work and reputation here very seriously. I have successfully completed numerous projects without any issues or disputes in the past. This client, on the other hand, is not even a premium member and appears to be looking for cheap subcontracted services while demanding the quality of a months-long, high-end project. I believe this situation is an attempt to exploit freelancers who genuinely strive to deliver excellent work. I trust the moderators will see the effort I’ve put into this project and recognize the unreasonable nature of these claims. Thank you.

Since you describe your work as "professional" and you are satisfied with the work you delivered, I am confident that you can submit the project for review by the moderators, who will be able to evaluate your contribution.

You mention 8 revisions, but let me remind you that the first version of the site you presented to me was practically empty—just a template uploaded with colors and fonts changed, and that was it. No logo, no content addressing my requirements, no page layout... it even looked worse than the original template you used. And you’re counting that as another revision? Consider whether your service truly qualifies as "professional."

The price you offer doesn’t have to mean I receive a product/service that is unusable. You set the price yourself after I provided my requirements. You promised to stay with me until I was 100% satisfied, but surprise, surprise.

You mentioned that you were with me for two weeks. You appeared and disappeared, repeatedly saying "tomorrow." And when I pointed out that you messed up the code, making it impossible to make changes, and asked when you would be available, you said "tomorrow night"—only to show up three days later after I mentioned a refund.

I believe the services you delivered hold absolutely no value, and the promises you made before proved to be untrue.

Unfortunately, I trusted you and fell for your confident assurances and low price.

Baros said:

I am confident that you can submit the project for review by the moderators, who will be able to evaluate your contribution.

Click to expand...

Would you please both DM me the finished product.

Baros said:

Since you describe your work as "professional" and you are satisfied with the work you delivered, I am confident that you can submit the project for review by the moderators, who will be able to evaluate your contribution.

You mention 8 revisions, but let me remind you that the first version of the site you presented to me was practically empty—just a template uploaded with colors and fonts changed, and that was it. No logo, no content addressing my requirements, no page layout... it even looked worse than the original template you used. And you’re counting that as another revision? Consider whether your service truly qualifies as "professional."

The price you offer doesn’t have to mean I receive a product/service that is unusable. You set the price yourself after I provided my requirements. You promised to stay with me until I was 100% satisfied, but surprise, surprise.

You mentioned that you were with me for two weeks. You appeared and disappeared, repeatedly saying "tomorrow." And when I pointed out that you messed up the code, making it impossible to make changes, and asked when you would be available, you said "tomorrow night"—only to show up three days later after I mentioned a refund.

I believe the services you delivered hold absolutely no value, and the promises you made before proved to be untrue.

Unfortunately, I trusted you and fell for your confident assurances and low price.

Click to expand...

Hello,

I understand your frustration, but I respectfully disagree with your portrayal of the situation. Allow me to address your points one by one:

1. Regarding the Initial Deliverable:

The first version of the site was not “practically empty” as you claim. It was a starting point based on the template and requirements you provided. Templates are a standard and efficient starting framework in web development, and it was adjusted to match your brand colors, fonts, and initial layout. Content and additional customizations were always going to be completed during the revision process as per our agreement.

2. Revisions and “Professionalism”:

Your claim that the revisions should not count because the initial version wasn’t “perfect” contradicts how the revision process works. Revisions are meant to refine and improve the project based on feedback, and I went far beyond the agreed 8 revisions, delivering over 20, to accommodate your constant and changing demands. This is evidence of my professionalism and willingness to collaborate, even when the requests exceeded the original scope.

3. Pricing and Expectations:

The price I offered was fair for the scope of work agreed upon at the start. However, you continuously added new requirements, significantly expanding the workload. While I offered flexibility and did my best to meet your demands, no project can accommodate an endless cycle of changes without a clear endpoint.

4. Delays and Communication:

I apologize if my responses felt delayed at times, but the timeline was heavily impacted by the back-and-forth revisions and unclear feedback from your end. Each time you raised an issue or a preference, it required significant adjustments. Despite this, I never abandoned the project and continued working in good faith to deliver results.

5. Code Issues and Functionality:

The site was fully functional, and any issues with the code could have been resolved had we stayed focused on finalizing it instead of continuously shifting priorities to new aesthetic or structural demands. The claim that the site was “unusable” is unfounded and contradicts the iterative progress we made together.

6. My Professional Reputation:

I take my reputation as a JR VIP member of this forum seriously. I have a proven track record of delivering quality services to clients, and this is the first time I’ve encountered such an unresolvable situation. I believe your dissatisfaction stems not from the quality of my work but from your unrealistic expectations for a discounted service.

Final Thoughts:

I welcome a moderator review of the project. My work aligns with the scope of our agreement, and I have gone above and beyond to address your feedback and deliver a functional website. I trust that the moderators will recognize the effort I have put into this project and the unreasonable demands that made it impossible to meet your ever-changing expectations.


Thank you for your time.

BassTrackerBoats said:

Would you please both DM me the finished product.

Click to expand...

Hello,

I want to emphasize a critical point:

The website I delivered was fully functional and in line with the agreed scope. Any issues currently present on the site are not a result of my work but rather changes made by the client after delivery. It seems the client attempted to edit the code or structure without the proper knowledge, which has led to the problems they are now claiming I caused.

I worked on this project extensively, delivering over 20 revisions despite the initial agreement for only 8. Each version was shared with the client, who repeatedly approved the progress before raising new requests. At the time of delivery, the site was complete, operational, and aligned with their original instructions.

I trust that upon reviewing my submitted version, you will see the effort and professionalism I put into the project. I’m confident that my work speaks for itself and hope this will clarify the situation.

Thank you for your time and fair judgment.

skaz97 said:

The website I delivered was fully functional and in line with the agreed scope.

Click to expand...

I'm sure you have a functional back up that you can share with me, right?

BassTrackerBoats said:

I'm sure you have a functional back up that you can share with me, right?

Click to expand...

Yep! In local! Do you want a wetransfer link with the backup?

skaz97 said:

Yep! In local! Do you want a wetransfer link with the backup?

Click to expand...

I prefer Mediafire.

BassTrackerBoats said:

I prefer Mediafire.

Click to expand...

Hello,

I am sharing the version of the website I originally uploaded to the client’s site, but I want to clarify that I spent significant additional time working on the site locally after restoring a backup. The final version reflects many hours of revisions and improvements based on the client’s extensive requests.

I also created a custom logo and favicon, which I am sharing here as part of the deliverables. Additionally, I have screenshots of the revisions and communication to demonstrate the progress and collaboration we had, including work done online directly on the client’s site.

It is disheartening that the client is now requesting a refund after all the time and effort I dedicated to this project. The site was delivered fully functional and met the agreed-upon scope. The client’s claim that it is "useless" is a personal opinion, not reflective of the actual quality. The real issue is the endless revision requests, which made it impossible to finalize the work despite my best efforts.

I trust you will see the evidence of my professionalism and the work delivered. Thank you for your time and fair judgment.

P.S. I am sharing screenshots of revisions applied to the homepage as an example. However, please note that these dates and revisions cover updates made across the entire site, including the header, footer, archive pages, and more. What I am sharing is not the finalized work but a representation of the progress. I continued working extensively on the site online after uploading the initial backup to address the client’s constant requests and changes. This should provide additional context for the effort and scope of my work.

LINK SENDING IN PM

skaz97 said:

Hello,

I am sharing the version of the website I originally uploaded to the client’s site, but I want to clarify that I spent significant additional time working on the site locally after restoring a backup. The final version reflects many hours of revisions and improvements based on the client’s extensive requests.

I also created a custom logo and favicon, which I am sharing here as part of the deliverables. Additionally, I have screenshots of the revisions and communication to demonstrate the progress and collaboration we had, including work done online directly on the client’s site.

It is disheartening that the client is now requesting a refund after all the time and effort I dedicated to this project. The site was delivered fully functional and met the agreed-upon scope. The client’s claim that it is "useless" is a personal opinion, not reflective of the actual quality. The real issue is the endless revision requests, which made it impossible to finalize the work despite my best efforts.

I trust you will see the evidence of my professionalism and the work delivered. Thank you for your time and fair judgment.

P.S. I am sharing screenshots of revisions applied to the homepage as an example. However, please note that these dates and revisions cover updates made across the entire site, including the header, footer, archive pages, and more. What I am sharing is not the finalized work but a representation of the progress. I continued working extensively on the site online after uploading the initial backup to address the client’s constant requests and changes. This should provide additional context for the effort and scope of my work.



https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1gomu5ryz47sh/SITE

Click to expand...

Why did you share the link to all files here in the public? it supposed to be sent to the moderator's PM.

Baros said:

Why did you share the link to all files here in the public? it supposed to be sent to the moderator's PM.

Click to expand...

Sent by pm to @BassTrackerBoats

@BassTrackerBoats

Any update on this case?

anything?

Baros said:

anything?

Click to expand...

I'll follow-up with BTB on this one as it may have just fallen through the cracks.

Zwielicht said:

I'll follow-up with BTB on this one as it may have just fallen through the cracks.

Click to expand...

I'm waiting for something that has sensitive information from the accused.

I've waited long enough for he accused to provide proof.

Nothing showed up in my DMs.


The accused has been permanently banned from Black Hat World for failing to resolve this dispute.

The dispute thread will remain live and is now open to commentary as rule 4 is no longer enforced in this thread.