Do we pay vendor for giving an estimate (no work done)? -

We have a small business. We had to do a minor update to our website, submitted a request for this to our site hosting company. They quoted $90. Then they said it will actually take 10 hours for $1000 total ( as it was a 5 minute work, I found out it would take this long for the developer to LEARN how to do it. There was no guarantee that she would be able to figure it out anyway, and the update had to be done at once. We found somebody else to do the update (it really took 5 minutes).Do we have to pay the $90 to the hosting company for the time it took them to give us an outrageous quote? It doesn t seem fair as no work was done.I want to see what you all think before I start fighting it.

did you agree to pay them initially? is there any type of signed agreement? we need a little more info i think But basically if they didnt render any service you dont owe them any money

Some companies give free estimates, and some don t. Most of those who don t, deduct the cost of estimate if the job is actually done. It is always a good idea to find out if there is any charge before getting the estimate. $90 might seem outrageous for the 5 minutes spent on giving the estimate, but they may be able to fight it, depending upon their policy with regard to estimates.

I can see no possible reason you should be required to or expected to by the company. A quote is supposed to be for the possibility of generating business and not a business transaction in itself, unless specifically stated beforehand. Meaning that unless they stated before giving you a quote that a quote would cost you $90 (which it doesn t sound like they did), then they have no grounds to charge you.

It takes alot more work than you may think to give an estimate for a software job. How does the change impact other parts of the software? How will it impact any custom changes to your application? They have to construct sample screens and logic to construct a design document. This all takes time. Now, they should have told you that there will be a charge upfront, if they did not, then i would protest. Else, there is a lot to giving an estimate. I was the VP of a software company. Good luck.

Absolutely not! As someone in the service business (web design), I have never expected to get paid for giving a potential client an estimate.

It s unclear from your post whether the $90 was for the quote or if $90 WAS the quote (for the work). Pay in the first scenario but not in the second.

If they gave you a quote, and they charge $90 for a quote, yes. There does not need to be a written agreement that they will be paid for their services. Absolutely not! As someone in the service business (web design), I have never expected to get paid for giving a potential client an estimate. Your personal practices have no bearing on the agreement between this asker and the other party.did you agree to pay them initially? is there any type of signed agreement? we need a little more info i think But basically if they didnt render any service you dont owe them any moneyThey clearly rendered a service by providing an estimate.

New business Owner, Is This Legal? -

I went and had my truck wrapped with vinyl for my new tile business. I also had the same company make me 1,000 business cards, so they had all my info. Then without my permission the company went and purchased the domain name that matched my company, made a generic www.***************.com website using my company s name to fill in the stars; and placed my license #, address, contact info and such on the page. Now they are trying to tell me I owe them $500 for the website they created, stealing my company name. Is that legal?I feel that I m being completely taken advantage of at this point. What can I do? I m not sure if it was legal to use inside information to take the domain name for company, I really can t see how it would be legal to make a website for my company without permission and then try to charge me heavily for it. Please, any help from a lawyer or someone with knowledge about this sort of scenario who could give me some advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

yes it s legal for them to purchase the webisite and sell it back to you..it s an ****** move, but it s legal. also check any fine print that may have allowed them to do that.and you can take legal action if they refuse to remove your personal info.. THAT is illegalbut that website was up for grabs and they were smart enough to do it.

is your business name registered? if so I don t think it s legal for them to take it unless they have a business with the same name, many large companies like mcdonald s have sued people for using their name without permission. I would contact some kind of authority, I just don t know which one, maybe the FTC?

This is trap. Don t believe it.Just report to police.Don t get lawyer.It s may cost you.Let police do their job..Now You learn something...1. Don t trust anybody in Internet2. Do it business by your own3. Be careful any document that you sign.4. Every transaction in business must have a report(proof).

It is legal for them to buy the website. You are under no obligation to buy it from them, and they cannot continue to use you business info once you have refused to buy the website and/or domain name.

Heck no. You should tell them you are planning on phoning the police.I wouldn t go the lawyer route just yet, it will just cost you money. Play hardball back. Tell them you are calling (everyone) you can think of. Police, State Rep, FCC, etc etc etc

Get a lawyer, you re a victim of fraud.

Its highly unethical...you should take every opportunity to tell anyone about who will listen...you might even try to get an article published in the paper.so...are they Telling you that you owe money or are they trying to offer you the product in hopes of making an additional sale?...on the lighter side.....is the website professional looking? does it have alot of function?$500 is actually a really really good price for a decent custom website...you might just consider buying it if it is custom made. ...but then again....they might have just used a public photoshop template...which usually only run about $90....so your being ripped off in that case.You should look up free website temples ...and look at the various sites selling templates to see if you see that one they used....if you find it....point it out to them...if you do buy it from them....make sure you have complete access to the administrative side...so you can get the domain name hosted with a different company.Once you have the site....be sure to include a page which tells the story of how you got the site.You might want to check out www.weebly.com ..it is very reasonably priced and gives you some good functionality. It is one of the better Instant site services out there.Go set up your own site....alter your domain name ( put a hyphen in the middle or something)...and of course include the page which explains the extortion story....with a contact form looking for any other victims of this companies extortion attempts.You may also want to contact a lawyer who gives a fre first consultation just to get some general info about the legalities of their scam.Good Luck

There are cases involving squatters that have created domaines with big company names and basically held them for ransom. I don t think what they are doing is illegal until they try to use it for themselves or damage your credit in some way for not buying their website design work. It is simply a bad sales tactic. Take for example an insurance agent... He/she can work up an attractive life insurance policy for you but that doesn t mean you have to buy it. I m sure an attorney would be happy to charge you a bundle when you yourself can simply tell them to **** off.

The part that puts it over the edge is how they intended upon using the name. Anyone can pretty much buy any name. Their next step is what makes the difference.I bought a domain name called fedx. Apparently FedEx did not like this and I heard from their attorneys. It was easier to let the name expire then fight. I was told that if my intention was to try and sell the name to them, they would have me dead to rights. If I was going to make a political spout off site, even though I may be legal, it would cost me.Your most affordable option is to first print the site off they built to have record and then have an attorney write a letter. Usually this will knock some sense into them and their attorney may advise them to back down and maybe even surrender the name to you.You need make sure there was no aggreement or small print that you may have accidentally agreed to.Good Luck,Terms of use: Offer of assistance is basic advice and not to be construed to be providing legal or accounting advice. You must see a qualified professional for advice for your specific situation.

Good ways to make a little extra money, outside my salary? -

just looking for some goods ways to make a little extra money on top of my salary

There are ways to earn money online which only require an hour or two per day but they require persistence and focus.A program I m doing now is free to sign up and has different components that you can join or not join if you choose. Some components are free and some aren t (those that aren t free have a free trial period). The free ones have a more limited earning capability but can be used to build capital for the ones with more substantial earning potential. If you re interested see my source for more information.

Amway, Avon, Betterware, and other booklet based businesses will provide you with a secondary income. Some people end up quitting their day jobs because of better incomes provided by these types of businesses.You could do Online Surveys. I have a Contact that makes extra income doing these surveys. It s not a great deal but enough to buy Christmas presents and pay extra bills. You need to do about 10 surveys a day to make it worth your time if you expect a decent income from it.Telemarketing is also a good income if you don t mind abusive rejections. See the link for more ideas

earn through your work but get rich doing something you love. so try to think about what you enjoy doing and make a living out of it..like baking, knitting, crafting, anything...or think about stuff you can buy and let other people rent it like party stuff---chocolate fountain, popcorn machine, soft ice cream machine...

ok, it would really help if I knew what you were into? If you want to work online you can provide some service? if you want to work offline you can get a part time job? depends really what you are into :)

What are standard prices for blogshop wholesale items? -

I ve been surfing around the net and realised that female dresses and tops are usually priced between $17 to $27 dollars. Is this the standard price for wholesale suppliers items? If not, what are the standard prices?

HI Karen,Those prices do not seem outrages and seem to be pretty standard. What types of dresses are you searching for? If you want to compare some wholesale prices, go to http://www.toptenwholesale, http://www.wholesaleu.com, or http://www.offpricenetwork.com and search for dresses or clothing and you will be bale to find true wholesalers and compare the prices.

Whats a cute name for a small town cafe? -

Something that s not too girly, but not too masculant. Maybe a little girly, but not so much to where guys think its only a girls cafe. Not a bakery necassarily. Part bakery, but also a cafe at the same time. Any ideas? Thanks!

The Small Town Cafe Bakery Coffee Sweets The Cafe Bakery Cocoa Dough Always say it in a sentence, the ears never lie. Im headed over to The Cafe Bakery want anything?See you at Coffee Sweets afterwork. Say 8ish?These brownies are not better then the ones we buy at Cocoa Dough you kidding me?I didnt know they had free internet at The Small Town Cafe Bakery . Good eating and internet? Dont think Im moving from this spot, what time they close lol? Who needs Starbucks?NOW, take every name I came up with and use it in every sentence. Also if you want to personalize it use the AVE or BLVD its on, the community its in, town, or borough. i.e. If your on Anderson Street call it Anderson Cocoa Dough. etc etc. That puts a small town feel to it and everyone feels the business belongs to them. They feel more at home and will make your spot a part of their routine. Sometimes a their daily routine. Residual business is key to any business. Brick and mortar or online based businesses.Using this method Ive used for 20yrs you will help you come up with a great name. Im sure of it. Need any additional help, you know how to reach me. Good luck guys..

How about La Petite Boulangerie?Mine?http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArrPN9sLJ1IeOlYmtEORAhjsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20091116173511AAKVNrW

cozy cafedream beanBrewed AwakeningDeja Vu Cafe

How about Small Town Cafe ?? bill

Anyone give me best idea for Business? I have only 1lakh,bt i have more quot;The Quality of being able to Performquot;? -

Possession of the Quality (especially mental qualities)

One lac investment is too small for a Business venture.You may go in for service industry where investments in Stocks are avoided and that saves the cash for other necessities.Service Industry relates to AMC for Computers, Printers, Faxes, AC,Refrigerators, Water filters, Delivery Agency for goods and Gifts at specific time/date, Electrical Licence and such other units.You should employ the services of a competent technician and canvass for business through your own merits.

First of all what is your qualification status?you can start your own business in this amount but you should have some experience about any business,you can start a small shoe or Garment shop if you having more then 1 lack rs.must thing is experience,if you do not have then earn it through the same line job.

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