Bad Opinion of Adrian Balkwill

Hello, sorry to put this post here, but I have to explain my experience with this "designer" so the people can know how behaves he. http://adrianb.ca

I am going to resume the experience.
More than one month ago I ask for a website of Sports (design + development). I ask if he can make one website like other, and he told me:

Marca

We can make not just 99% of X WEBSITE but 100%. No issues. We have been doing this for over 10 years now.

Also he told me that the payment will be with PayPal:

Marca

I use PayPal for the payments. It's fast, and safe for both parties. I am a freelancer. But I do have a Letter of Enagement for us both to sign. This will state exactly what you have hired me for, projects details, etc. This way you get exactly what you have paid for.

He told me also that we have to sign a letter and that I have to pay the 50% before to start, it´s logical:

Marca

The 50-50 shares the risk. We each show a commitment and it's 100% fair. Say we don't do the 50% upfront and carry all the risk. Say in 2 weeks from now you say something like "oh never mind I don't want the website anymore". Then I am out 2 weeks of work. 50-50 100% shares the risk. You show a commitment and pay half. Then we do all the work and complete the project 100%. Once this is complete and the website is done we collect the other 50%. That way no one losses

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More than one month ago I paid the 50%, 1750$ CA. And I paid for a XML feed that needs this website, that it´s a expensive service and I sent to he the details, (also, some days before I sent to he trial details to test, and he told me that to test we have to start the project and pay).
And he told me that he can start that week.

25 days after this, he told me that he is going to start!:

Marca

So I plan to start your project and get it done ASAP for you tomorrow!

More days after, he sent me a "sketch", the image is terrible bad, in quality and in all... so much that my website is about Sports and appears in the middle a big Laptop!!
I said other time the details, and that I want like the X WEBSITE. His response:

Marca

We design using the X PLUGIN, so anything larger than that is not possible.
Looking at X WEBSITE and other X sites wont really work for us...I have no idea what feed you purchased...how it displays, etc. Do we have an example of how this will look?

Now he tell me that has limitations to make and that now he can´t make like the website I told he... And that doesn´t know what feed I have purchased, what?? He has the details one month and I ask to test before start the project!!!!
And why you don´t tell me before the payment and the contract???

In this moment I told to he that I don´t want to start with the project and the told me that has 14 hours spent in the bocet! What? I have some big websites and I know about design and coding and the bocet was done in 5 minutes (in the contract appears 46.6 hours of work, and you spent 14 in this wrong bocet of only the home design?)

And I think that you will know what he told me:

Marca

Also you do understand the deposit is non-refundable right? Even more so now that I have put time into the landing page, and even more time into these emails.

More quotes he told me:

Marca

And yes welcome to how business works. Just because you pay one day doesn't mean we drop everything and start. You took over a month of wasting my time with emails.

I wish you the best of luck in the future. Best regards

You will never get not even one penny back...ever.

I also offer 200$ to he for the "discomfort" and nothing, he has my 1750$ CA.

In resume: he told me that can make this X WEBSITE and after all (payment, contract, one month waiting...) he told me that no, that has limitations. I have spent a lot of hundred of dollars in the XML feed, server... and he knows.
When I ask to refund my money and not start with the project, he say that we have signed the 50% non-refundable contract.

He has 1750$ CA and he doesn´t has made NOTHING.

I also put a complaint for fraud.

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