Designed by Lara Full Service Web Design Company
Total Ripoff
So, this is the first time I have ever said anything negative via the web. However, in early February I paid for a custom blog design by Designed by Lara which cost me quite a bit of my discretionary savings. Thinking back I should have done the design myself but I am pretty skimpy on time and I used my money I had saved from teaching on Tuesday nights to pay for it. Rapport with Lara seemed friendly and I was hopeful for my new design. We went back and forth with her needing different images and having questions. Then in the beginning of April she requested more images from me. I sent them and then a week later began asking for a preview of the design which I still had not seen at all. I did not receive any response at all.
Weeks later I sent a dispute for payment to Designed by Lara via Paypal requesting my payment back. Unfortunately because I paid using my checking account and not a credit card and it was past the number of days for dispute I could not receive my money back via Paypal dispute. I emailed Lara to let her know that I would be contacting our attorney. I received an email back from Lara's VA (don't know what that is) stating that someone in Lara's family had been ill (I will not go into the details out of respect for her family) and it was a very rude email to me. Basically telling me that it was childish of me to threaten Lara with an attorney. Mind you this is after I had no contact from her for weeks. Any job or business requires you to have a backup plan if there is an emergency. You still have to let your customers know how they will be taken care of if you have an ill family member. You don't take their money and disappear. The email further stated that I could receive a snail mail refund for part of my payment, but not all since Lara had "started" on my design. Mind you I had NEVER seen even part of it and it had been almost three months.
I later received an email from Lara stating that she could process a partial refund, this was at the end of April. I have never received it, nor any further correspondence. I would not recommend her services as this is not a dependable or consistent company. Not to mention I am out several hundred dollars, due to my own stupidity. My UberGeek is aghast since I am usually very savvy when it comes to this sort of thing. However, I was tired, not wanting to do it myself and wishing for a new design. I've learned a hard lesson.
If you are looking for a new blog design, look elsewhere. Designed by Lara is not your best bet.
