When you sign a contract with a web developer, it will almost certainly include something like the quote below. I’ve translated the legalese into English for you.
Here’s the original text (from multiple web developers’ contracts):
- Limited Warranty: Company warrants that the services of Consultant will be provided utilizing reasonable care and skill in accordance with customary industry standards. Company expressly disclaims any and all other warranties and representations of any kind or nature, whether express or implied, on its services provided under this agreement, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
And here’s the translation:
- Limited Warranty: We promise that your developer will provide the level of service that is customary in our industry (which is ridiculously awful by the way). However, we absolutely do NOT promise to deliver a website that will work. The work we do for you might produce something useful, but we sure as hell don’t guarantee it. And if we get tired of working on it, or can’t figure out the hard parts, or log the estimated hours before the job is done, that’s your tough luck. We make no guarantees. None. Period.
This is standard language in web development contracts these days, and I can’t believe how many people will blindly sign such a contract. They put themselves on the hook to pay tens of thousands of dollars for web development in exchange for absolutely nothing. It’s ridiculous, but it’s perfectly legal.
Over the coming months, I’ll be blogging more about the issues that even your attorney won’t save you from. I’m telling you, it’s a nasty world out there, and you need to arm yourself with knowledge. I’m here to help.
Great post, Marianne. There’s a whole lot more to effective web development than simply throwing up a WordPress site — and you need a web developer who wants to be your partner in the process. Of course, clients need to be willing to pay a fair fee. It’s a two-way street.
Absolutely true,Jacqueline! Unfortunately, the industry is deeply laden with crooks and scammers, and consumers don’t have any idea how to tell who the good guys are. That’s why I now offer my services as a consultant. I can advocate for the client and help them negotiate the deal that they need. But without an expert in their corner, there’s really no good way of knowing what the developers know, or how to keep from getting ripped off.