If you are thinking of working for Spot Color Marketing don't! I worked with them for 6 months, successfuly completed several projects that they were satisfied with, and then the trouble started. I was hired to complete the install of a Google Product Feed plugin and setup 301 Redirects to the clients new Magento site. I completed this work and sent it to the Project Manager Lynette for verification and approval. Their other Developer at the time Jason reviewed the work and sent approval to Lynette. Lynette informed me that the work was approved, however I would have to wait for my final payment of $1200 until after they finished launching the client and could bill them. Understanding I agreed and went on about my work on other clients.
About 3 weeks later I still had not heard a word from them and reached out to Melody Rose(My original contact) at Spot Color Marketing to find out what was going on and how close we were to billing the client. At this point she informed me that Lynette & Jason no longer worked for the company and she would have the new Project Manager Sean Lucas contact me about the work. I said ok and waited for him to contact me. Upon intial contact our conversation went well, I informed him of what I had done and that I had already received final approval from the previous Project Manager and Developer. He said great and that he was going to verify it so he was sure.
Several days passed by and Sean Lucas sends me an email saying the work was not done and that the plugin was no where to be found. I promptly responded and said "Well it was done, approved by 2 people, and it had to be deleted some how since it had been done already.".
Then Sean Lucas and the CEO Nicol Weber requested a phone conference to discuss the issues around theproject. While on the phone conference Nicole was merely present allowing Sean to handle the meeting how he saw fit and with whatever tone he felt like letting slip from his mouth that he thought might set me off. When I expressed that the work had to have been deleted or lost somehow, Sean's only response was I don't care it is not done and that is all that matters. There were also statements made about previous work not being done to his specifications, and I pointed out that he was not the one who gave me the specs so he could not hold that against me. He then said "Well the work is not done to my specs and that is all that matters.".
I then offered to REDO ALL of the work that I ORIGINALLY had done and delivered. At this point Sean rattled off that he wanted me to just reinstall the plugin, get it configured, and resetup the google feed xml template. Sean Lucas and the CEO Nicole refused to listen to anything about the work being lost somehow and Sean would avoid the subject making the problem my fault. He would do so without any consideration to the fact that one of his technical resources had lost hard work. The fact is they provided no FTP and Database access for me to backup my work when I initially did the work and made me work on their clients server.
Therefor limiting my control over protecting the work being done and ensuring that it would be easily restorable should it have been lost.
After completing the reinstall, resetup, and recreation of the XML template code I was sent an email confirming the work and approving it. At this point I invoiced for the remaining $1200 and was told that the initial deposit was more than fair and basically that I needed to move on. A response was sent informing them the work was complete and Nicole responded claiming that I had said "I would not be charging any more money for the work.". When in fact what was said was "I will not charge you anything over the agreed amount to help redo the work that was lost.".
After all of this I am left with one conclusion that Spot Color Marketing did not care about the deleted/lost the work during laying off Lynette & Jason and hiring Sean Lucas, they then decided to get me to redo the work, and then not pay me to get the work for free and pocket my pay.
I put over 50 hours in between doing the work the first time and helping redo the plugin the second time. My was invoicing originally for 32 hours and had no problem eating the extra hours to redo the work. Yet apparently $400 is fair for that many hours and the loss of the work on a server that I am not in control of is apparently my fault.
The best part is when she had my 1099 Filled out she put my DBA on the top and my personal Social Security number on the TIN line which means not only was it useless for taxes, the State of Oregon informed us today that we would have to file a complaint with the IRS to get the 1099 fixed and then I could take Spot Color Marketing to court for what they owed. The 1099 was sent out during the fireing and hiring process and since I do not believe in coincidents especially after reading other workers reviews on various sites that this is common behavior.
So if you are going to work for them don't, they will use you for a few months, then find a reason to get rid of you and pocket your money rather than pay you that last invoice. This feels like the CEO's business model.
If your thinking about becoming a client I wouldn't if I were you! They are only concerned about taking your money and they go through talent like water goes through an aquaduct and your work just gets drug further and further out because of this.
Spot Color Marketing Reviews
If you are thinking of working for Spot Color Marketing don't! I worked with them for 6 months, successfuly completed several projects that they were satisfied with, and then the trouble started. I was hired to complete the install of a Google Product Feed plugin and setup 301 Redirects to the clients new Magento site. I completed this work and sent it to the Project Manager Lynette for verification and approval. Their other Developer at the time Jason reviewed the work and sent approval to Lynette. Lynette informed me that the work was approved, however I would have to wait for my final payment of $1200 until after they finished launching the client and could bill them. Understanding I agreed and went on about my work on other clients.
About 3 weeks later I still had not heard a word from them and reached out to Melody Rose(My original contact) at Spot Color Marketing to find out what was going on and how close we were to billing the client. At this point she informed me that Lynette & Jason no longer worked for the company and she would have the new Project Manager Sean Lucas contact me about the work. I said ok and waited for him to contact me. Upon intial contact our conversation went well, I informed him of what I had done and that I had already received final approval from the previous Project Manager and Developer. He said great and that he was going to verify it so he was sure.
Several days passed by and Sean Lucas sends me an email saying the work was not done and that the plugin was no where to be found. I promptly responded and said "Well it was done, approved by 2 people, and it had to be deleted some how since it had been done already.".
Then Sean Lucas and the CEO Nicol Weber requested a phone conference to discuss the issues around theproject. While on the phone conference Nicole was merely present allowing Sean to handle the meeting how he saw fit and with whatever tone he felt like letting slip from his mouth that he thought might set me off. When I expressed that the work had to have been deleted or lost somehow, Sean's only response was I don't care it is not done and that is all that matters. There were also statements made about previous work not being done to his specifications, and I pointed out that he was not the one who gave me the specs so he could not hold that against me. He then said "Well the work is not done to my specs and that is all that matters.".
I then offered to REDO ALL of the work that I ORIGINALLY had done and delivered. At this point Sean rattled off that he wanted me to just reinstall the plugin, get it configured, and resetup the google feed xml template. Sean Lucas and the CEO Nicole refused to listen to anything about the work being lost somehow and Sean would avoid the subject making the problem my fault. He would do so without any consideration to the fact that one of his technical resources had lost hard work. The fact is they provided no FTP and Database access for me to backup my work when I initially did the work and made me work on their clients server.
Therefor limiting my control over protecting the work being done and ensuring that it would be easily restorable should it have been lost.
After completing the reinstall, resetup, and recreation of the XML template code I was sent an email confirming the work and approving it. At this point I invoiced for the remaining $1200 and was told that the initial deposit was more than fair and basically that I needed to move on. A response was sent informing them the work was complete and Nicole responded claiming that I had said "I would not be charging any more money for the work.". When in fact what was said was "I will not charge you anything over the agreed amount to help redo the work that was lost.".
After all of this I am left with one conclusion that Spot Color Marketing did not care about the deleted/lost the work during laying off Lynette & Jason and hiring Sean Lucas, they then decided to get me to redo the work, and then not pay me to get the work for free and pocket my pay.
I put over 50 hours in between doing the work the first time and helping redo the plugin the second time. My was invoicing originally for 32 hours and had no problem eating the extra hours to redo the work. Yet apparently $400 is fair for that many hours and the loss of the work on a server that I am not in control of is apparently my fault.
The best part is when she had my 1099 Filled out she put my DBA on the top and my personal Social Security number on the TIN line which means not only was it useless for taxes, the State of Oregon informed us today that we would have to file a complaint with the IRS to get the 1099 fixed and then I could take Spot Color Marketing to court for what they owed. The 1099 was sent out during the fireing and hiring process and since I do not believe in coincidents especially after reading other workers reviews on various sites that this is common behavior.
So if you are going to work for them don't, they will use you for a few months, then find a reason to get rid of you and pocket your money rather than pay you that last invoice. This feels like the CEO's business model.
If your thinking about becoming a client I wouldn't if I were you! They are only concerned about taking your money and they go through talent like water goes through an aquaduct and your work just gets drug further and further out because of this.