Vermont Internet Design LLC Vermont Internet Design John Anderson Billed around $2000 in invoices with no work provided, held project hostage for pay Marshfield VT
John Anderson applied to a post I had for development work on March 23 of this year (2018). He sounded knowledgeable, and quoted me $300 initially to fix what he thought was wrong with an app build I had been working on. After the initial $300 invoice, he sent me a series of 7 invoices, all of which he gave no warning of and just dropped them in my email inbox.
After the third unexpected one (for $1200), I was fed up and asked him to agree to that last $1200 as the fixed price to get the app published. He agreed (I have the email correspondence to prove it, and it was clear). I told him I would pay it if he let me give him the first half down, and hold on to the other half to insure he'd complete the project, which was the app published (not submitted, but published). No more than a week later, he started sending me small invoices and telling me it was coming out of the balance due, but he needed the money then. He had sophisticated excuses for why they didn't apply to our agreement, usually trying to keep the explanation in tech lingo. He began holding the project hostage until I paid his stupid little invoices, against my own word that I wouldn't pay him the other half until the app was published. At this point, July 16, he still hasn't provided so much as a test build or screenshot that would indicate he's even working on it.
I spoke with some of his other so-called "past clients" today, which he unwisely still has on his website, and they corroborated my experience - he's unprofessional, dishonest, negligent, unscrupulous, and an a*****e to boot, especially once he has your money sunk in a project. In light of this, I terminated our working relationship today, and hearing this, he tried to invoice me for an additional $1500. Again, with nothing sent and everything owed on his side.
I hope to make sure no one else goes through what I did with John. Do yourself a favor and avoid working with him at all costs.
10 Updates & Rebuttals
Bennette
Los Angeles,California,
United States
Read for yourself. He's not smart.
#11Author of original report
Sun, August 05, 2018
Do I need to say anything else? Mark Twain once said, "It's better to let one think you a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." Exhibit A: John Anderson and his crappy company, Vermont Internet Design. Can't type a coherent response to save his life, or make a website that looks any better than a 3rd grader's science project. Everything you see is what you get with him.
Me
newvermont,Vermont,
United States
Case And Point
#11REBUTTAL Owner of company
Sun, August 05, 2018
To Reiterate
We were contracted to build a facebook login for an iphone application. For $1200.00 client wanted us to add the facebook login feature to an application. No problem the app was made with Coco2d and xcode. We get the app and the app is connected to a restful server. That the client did not have access to because of a problem with his previous developer shutting down his server.
Client than handed us the source code to the cocos2d app and the code for the rails server. In order for us to do our job we had to set up an additional rails server because we did not have access to the old one. So than we went ahead and set up a virtual private server for the client and updated the rest server into the latest version of ruby without any compensation. By this time we are finally able to do our job of running the facebook login. However, the app the client gave us was written with a 2 year old version of Cocos2d that is no longer supported, and wanted us to perform an update the rest of the application. As the app was a game between 2 players to play wordbattleship, we were contracted only to do a facebook login piece. It is not our responsibility to update the app and put it on apples store.
We would have loved to of publish the app to the store for the client. However, the app that he gave us did not work and the amount of money that it would have cost to fix it frankly wasn't our problem. So once it became clear that the client thought that we were going to perform the updates to the app as part of our contract to do a facebook login. He became combativie and called me to threaten me several times. However, the client failed to mention that his application does not work and he was expecting us to take responsibility for code that he had written over 2 years ago and has never been accepted by apple. Therefore, we cannont just publish his app to the store, because the app does not work. Pretty selective portion of emails and way out of context but missing alot of information.
As now this client wants me to go onto all these sites on the internet to explain to everyone how he threatened us with negative feedback on all of these sites if we did not get his app published on apple. Well we cannot publish an app on apple if the app does not work. There were several things that would needed to be done to get the app approvalable to apple, which a conserative estimate is $5,000 worth of work. Unfortunely, no matter how much feedback the client wants to threaten to leave we don't have thousands of dollars to donate to his project.
Buyer beware of this consumer as he isn't anyone who you will want to work for. As evidenced by this posting, however this posting is a good way to show how consumers blackmail people into doing work. As the project cost surely changed when the client wanted us to basically rewrite his entire app rather than just add a facebook login.
Me
newvermont,Vermont,
United States
Great One Bennette Sebastian artist of blackmail.
#11REBUTTAL Owner of company
Sun, August 05, 2018
Ya why don't you go ahead and go right down that list right there and call everyone on it. See what they have to say. Please go ahead and do this. I am sure Mr. Bennette Sebastian did this in his rampage, this is exactly why we don't disclose our clients, and keep our business confidential. As we get clients from time to me like Bennette Sebastian.
Honestly, the only thing he is doing is drumming up business for us. I;ve got more calls in the last week than in the last 2 months. Sorry Mr. Bennette Sebastian you won't be able to ripp us off and get us to be your slaves. Why don't you go back to ripping off your developer in india.
//
// FacebookController.cpp
// WordBattleShip
//
// Created by Muhammad Arslan on 05/08/2016.
//
//
This is the author and date of the original code. Because Mr. Sebastian is now breaking confidentiality. We aren't going to stoop to his level. But have politely explained that his app is going to cost alot of money to put up and maintain and our company does not have the resources to do that for him. You should see the horrible mess of code that he sent to us and wanted us to take responsibilty for. Some cheap code that he had written in Cocos2d and some other kind of third word country software.
Unfortunely, Mr. Bennete Sebastian thought he was going to get one over on us for over $5,000 and spent $1300 having us write a facebook login to try to get us to agree to do thousands of dollars of work to his app. He refers to fees we charge for publishing a working app onto the store. What he sent us we aren't even going to bother trying to submit because it does not work period. However, its going to cost him money to get his app completed and submitted. Which I am sure that if he takes the app to another company they will infact tell him the exact same thing and probably come up with a number much higher than $5k for an estimate of the work needed.
I guess at the end of the day Mr. Bennette Sebastian will never be able to prove his argument by showing people his code. Why doesn't he post a copy of the code that he sent us. Than he can sit in front of his computer and see how many developers he can irritate before police officers start showing up at his door. Maybe we can get every tom , d**k and harry on the internet involved and put Mr. Bennette Sebastian under the microscope. Maybe one will show up at his door and settle the score once and for all.
Bennette
Los Angeles,California,
United States
Fascinating.
#11Author of original report
Sun, August 05, 2018
What does a girlfriend have to do with any of this? What a childish, ridiculous thing to say, especially considering it's wholly false. I'm actually impressed at how desperate he's getting to salvage his terrible reputation, with his story changing every time he tells it. Since he decided to get personal, I'll share a few things his past clients told me. First, he's posted garbage about his exes on facebook. Hateful stuff. Real stand-up of you, John. Secondly, one of his past clients told me they plucked a freelance guy he was using to write some of his code, because he doesn't even do a lot of his work himself, and that client of his hired the freelancer at his own company for 11 years. Sounds like he really treats his people well!
See below for someone who got back to me via email rather than over the phone.
John, if you keep treating people the way you treated me and so many others, this is what happens to you! Good riddance!
Me
newvermont,United States
His app does not work not our problem
#11REBUTTAL Owner of company
Sat, August 04, 2018
We no longer have time to worry about clients like Bennette Sebastian. He doesn't have any idea what he is doing. He came to us after ripping off another developer who originally wrote the app. After contacting the original developer he also owe's that developer loads of money. The truth is Mr. Bennette has a $1500 past due invoice he thinks he's going to get out of paying. However, we will be filing a case against Mr. Bennette in court because he does not know when to stop.
He picked the wrong person to try and screw over and now he's mad, after his girlfriend left him for another man. Now he needs to go find something else to do because bothering us isn't going to do him any good. I'm still going wake up in the morning and write code regardless of weather Mr. Bennette Sebastian wants to write posts all day.
I have a copy of all his files and I'm sure that this guy has no idea what he even has because he stole it from another developer who probably put months worth of work into and never got paid. I really don't feel sorry for guys like this who try to take advantage of people all the way here in Vermont. We've been doing this for 13 years and meet guys like this looking to get free code all the time. It does not surprise us. If you are in anyway worried about Mr. Sebastians post, please don't come here with $1300 wanting us to do $10,000 worth of work because its just not possible.
We only do the work that we get paid for, and we will be the first ones to admit that. We cannot work for free, if you can't live with that we don't need you as a customer anyways. People don't come here because we can't get the job done. They know we get the job done, however, nobody's going to threaten us into doing anything.
We've already been in contact with the FBI about Mr. Bennette and his practices, and they will be doing a full investigation into his dealings.
Me
newvermont,United States
Good luck you to Bennette
#11REBUTTAL Owner of company
Sat, August 04, 2018
Some people have nothing better to do I guess. Since I work under confidentiality my customers aren't a matter of public record. However, sure we meet people like you all the time. Bennette Sebastian in California, is the problem. He is not getting any free work for us one way or the other. He simply ran out of money and needs a good excuse to file a credit card chargeback because his girlfriend spent all his money.
We've been doing great work for 13 years thank you and Bennette Sebastian has no idea who any of my clients are. Besides a 10 year old resume that he found online.
Bennette
Los Angeles,California,
United States
No thanks, John, and I wish you no good luck
#11Author of original report
Sat, August 04, 2018
Feigning virtue is not going to get you anywhere, John. As you've obviously resorted to making false claims outside of business, I don't need to pull any examples of my own that illustrate your lack of good character. I haven't had a girlfriend for several years, and to my history of working with other people, see attached. Since you don't know what it looks or feels like, this is what a functional working relationship looks like with a good, trustworthy developer. I don't wish you luck except the luck you deserve, and that would be pretty bad for you. You're gonna get what's coming to you, dude. I can't believe you've been in business this long, especially after talking to your past clients.
Here's an update:
If you want to speak with anyone else John has "done work" for, just contact one of the business owners on this list. Most of the links aren't working, not surprisingly! When you get someone via email or phone, you'll know right away why you should avoid Vermont Internet Design and John Anderson at all costs!
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I have more than likey created about a 1000 other websites that haven't made it into the history line.
Bennette
Los Angeles,California,
United States
And by the way...
#11Author of original report
Sat, August 04, 2018
John had access to our source code from the beginning. There's really no excuse for why the price raised so drastically. Before he even started working, he access to the full source code for the app. Unbelievable.
Bennette
Los Angeles,California,
United States
Don't believe me? Ask his other "clients".
#11Author of original report
Sat, August 04, 2018
His rebuttal is a complete fabrication. No surprise, though. His story is as bad as his spelling and grammar. The facebook login part was actually $300, and the total project cost was $1900. Like I said, $1600 of that was in unannounced invoices. As if unannounced invoices weren't a pain in the a*s enough, he started nickel and diming me for money against our agreement. Just look at the email screenshots. Or, look at my review of his business on Yelp or BBB. On both, the reviews have already been voted for. John's a seriously careless and unscrupulous business owner, who's done this to many others. What a detestable human being.
Me
newvermont,Vermont,
United States
Feedback Blackmail At its best
#11REBUTTAL Owner of company
Fri, August 03, 2018
We were contracted to build a facebook login for an iphone application. For $1200.00 client wanted us to add the facebook login feature to an application. No problem the app was made with Coco2d and xcode. We get the app and the app is connected to a restful server. That the client did not have access to because of a problem with his previous developer shutting down his server.
Client than handed us the source code to the cocos2d app and the code for the rails server. In order for us to do our job we had to set up an additional rails server because we did not have access to the old one. So than we went ahead and set up a virtual private server for the client and updated the rest server into the latest version of ruby without any compensation. By this time we are finally able to do our job of running the facebook login. However, the app the client gave us was written with a 2 year old version of Cocos2d that is no longer supported, and wanted us to perform an update the rest of the application. As the app was a game between 2 players to play wordbattleship, we were contracted only to do a facebook login piece. It is not our responsibility to update the app and put it on apples store.
We would have loved to of publish the app to the store for the client. However, the app that he gave us did not work and the amount of money that it would have cost to fix it frankly wasn't our problem. So once it became clear that the client thought that we were going to perform the updates to the app as part of our contract to do a facebook login. He became combativie and called me to threaten me several times. However, the client failed to mention that his application does not work and he was expecting us to take responsibility for code that he had written over 2 years ago and has never been accepted by apple. Therefore, we cannont just publish his app to the store, because the app does not work. Pretty selective portion of emails and way out of context but missing alot of information.
As now this client wants me to go onto all these sites on the internet to explain to everyone how he threatened us with negative feedback on all of these sites if we did not get his app published on apple. Well we cannot publish an app on apple if the app does not work. There were several things that would needed to be done to get the app approvalable to apple, which a conserative estimate is $5,000 worth of work. Unfortunely, no matter how much feedback the client wants to threaten to leave we don't have thousands of dollars to donate to his project.
Buyer beware of this consumer as he isn't anyone who you will want to work for. As evidenced by this posting, however this posting is a good way to show how consumers blackmail people into doing work. As the project cost surely changed when the client wanted us to basically rewrite his entire app rather than just add a facebook login.