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Article
Problems with Free Web Design and other Free Offerings
What I respect is the direct, honest, open commentary…such as
the 70’s bumper sticker that read, “A*S, CASH, OR GRASS: NOBODY
RIDES FOR FREE.” In other words, the person who offers a product,
service, or information and admits the contingencies—up front—will
be the one getting the vote. Same goes for offers of free web design,
free web hosting, free web anything. It can be a component of free web
design that is free, but say so from the start.
Free web design that has hidden fees…will be your undoing. You do
a keyword search for “free web design advise”, you get a bunch of
listings for free web tools, you get sucked into the alluring promise—which
only asks for your email, name, address, social security number, and wife’s
first husband’s name—and you get a bill. Or you get spammed,
cross-linked, de-railed, hijacked, manipulated, conned, screwed.
But lest you think I have joined a particular group of free web design keyword
tricksters—when in fact I am not offering anything free..except complaints—know
that you can avoid such scams, can combat them, and can be protected in case
you get ensnared in one:
You have rights. As a consumer, a web user, or a business owner.
If you get a bill from a company you have never done business with or a company
who had originally offered free stuff but is now billing you—listing hidden
costs/fees—refuse to pay. Tell them the law considers what they
have done as a gift. You are not required to pay for any service or product
sent you that you did not order.
Carefully read your phone and credit card bill statements. If shadow sites
have latched onto your account, charging you for services/products you did not
order, ask for, authorize, or use, call the bank or phone company and report
the fraud.
Keep carefully administered, accurate records…on paper. Hard copies
of all purchase agreements will be helpful in case you need to take legal measures.
And the burden of proof will be on the defendant, so their inability to provide
[non-existent] signatures and approvals, against your records of what you did
agree to (such as free web design tools, for example), will put you in the rightful
place.
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