Aug 25 2008
Should The Web Designer Fix The Error?
Consider this real life case. What do you think the web designer should do? Should he fix the code?
I got a new customer recently who chose to host with me. They have a web site which was done up by a web designer, who charged them over RM10,000.
Recently we found out there is some error in the web site code, that some functions are not working properly. The customer asked the designer to fix it. He refused. He said he had already “signed off” the project and passed on the whole web site back to the customer.
Will he fix it? Yes, he agrees to fix it but only with extra payment. I tried to talk to him on behalf of the customer, to no avail 
I don’t know about others. But I guess he should fix the error, since it originates from his work.
Yes he is right that when he signed off the project, the customer approved his work. But they are not technical people. They do not know how to test out every page and every script on the web site to find out whether it’s working or not. They don’t know they have overlooked anything or not.
If I were this designer, I would first check why the error exists and whether it comes from my work. If yes, I would fix it without any charge.
What do you think? Should the designer fix the error?
Read related posts
Be updated about this blog by email or in your feed reader (RSS)!
Basically “Sign Off” means agree and accept the work, same as your opinion of “Yes he is right that when he signed off the project, the customer approved his work.” So the web designer has nothing wrong in this case, either pay him for extra job, or negotiate under ‘give and take’ basis.
There are suppliers that receive money and doesn’t deliver the job. On other hand, there are customers that received works done, and drag the payment to as longer as possible. And we are not welcome any of the case, we want fair game.
There are few practises i guess, that we can share with each other on this: (may be anyone else can share us better practises?)
1) negotiate a period of time (let said 3-6 months) where the period after work delivery, supplier has to solve any bugs found. After that, is all customers’ responsibilities.
2) customer pay for support fee for a period of he need.
Is good if both side has the consensus that, as the supplier need to deliver great job, customer do hold the responsibilities to check and confirm the job done.
I do face customers that push a lot to get the job done, that they need the system urgently etc, while few months after delivery, they feedback with a bug which should be discovered within 1 week time, if they really use the system(urgently, if really), you see the point?
Thanks Siak Hooi for suggestions. In cases where the customer is not technical, as in my case, how do you advise?
Imagine you get a new customer like I did. The work done by previous developer is buggy, yet the developer refuses to fix it, because customer has “approved” the work. When the customer approved it, they simply look at it which looks fine, but they actually do not know what to check and how to check.
How would you advise the customer?
I don’t know, you have better idea, I guess:p.
My opinion is, because you only supplying the hosting service, web design issue is out of your scope, isn’t it? Unless proven that the script not working due to the server configuration at your server is different from previous one.
If you can help the customer to fix it at zero charge, of course your customer will be happy. If can’t, the decision is at the customer, to pay for the fix or to negotiate with the designer again to fix it for free?
In my opinion, in this case, the designer should fix the error without extra payment. Only if the designer has proved that the problem wasn’t caused by his works, then only he can say “no” or request for extra payment if he’s willing to fix it.
I’m a web designer and developer specialize in WordPress theme development and whenever I work on a project, I’ll always test the whole thing before I deliver the theme files to my client.
I had this one client, he got problem with his site after the project is completed. He checked with his hosting provider and the hosting provider told him that the problem arises from the theme. So he contacted me back asking for support. I explained to him that, that wasn’t theme issue. I even proved it to him by uploading the theme on my server and show him the functioning theme. And I re-send the files to him of course. He then get back to his hosting provider to figure out this problem.
Certainly it wasn’t caused by me but I’m willing to help without any extra payment. So why not? To me, clients will trust us even more if we show them that we care.
Dear Fath, thanks for sharing your experience. Your last paragraph is admirable. They will trust us more if we genuinely care. I would do the same as you do. I lost customers before but gained friends. Some even came back to me one year later
See http://www.rickysoo.com/index.php/2008/06/13/lose-a-customer-but-gain-a-friend/
You develop WordPress theme? Last time I was looking for such designer. How do you charge? I’ll be interested to work with you.
Be a responsible consultant. The designer should fix the errors and not imposing any charges. If he does, he will only lost his customer.