I was recently contracted to create two web sites for a merchant. I asked him if he already had purchased domain names or if he would like me to purchase them. He responded that he already had purchased a domain name. This is where the dishonest IT person enters the picture.

It turns our that he did “pay” for the domain names; however, someone else registered them for him. The IT person who registered the domain name for him did not provide any means for him to access the account. Why? Because this business person was always going to use him for his IT needs. To make a long story short, the business owner may end up suing the IT person in court to obtain the domain name or the IT person may elect to sell him his domain name back for a price. (Remember: the business owner paid for the domain name in the first place.) 

How does the business owner avoid falling prey to dishonest IT personnel?

1. Stop doing business with friends. You hope your business will continue for generations; however, many friendships only last for a small percentage of that time. Besides, how will you feel when you need to take a “friend” to court?

2. Shop around. Find the business that provides what you are looking for at the price you consider reasonable. Not all offers that appear to-good-to-be-true are false. E-Commerce is a highly competitive industry, so don’t be afraid to ask for a discount on services.

3. Don’t pay for services you do not need. If your business does not require a web site with a web store and blog, then why pay for one?

4. Get ALL the materials. I can’t stress this point enough. You purchased the materials, so you should have access to administrator accounts as well as the ability to have others work on the materials. If you have to hire the vendor to administer the materials as well, you have just entered into what could prove to be a costly endeavor.

5. Insist upon an itemized bill or invoice.

E-Business Juncture LLC provides up-front pricing on our services. We also provide all the information our customer requires to not enter into a nightmare scenario.

•  We provide passwords so the customer can place their own content on their web site.
•  We provide a CD of their web site with the policy that we will restore their site to the content we create “FOR FREE” in the event there is a mishap when another person performing an upgrade.
•  We also change account passwords for them in the event a password is compromised.
•  The customer also is provided with an itemized invoice for the services.
• If you purchase the domain name through us, we will transfer it for $1.

Find out what you are paying for before entering into a contract for IT services. Also consider the consequences should you decide you want to go with another provider.

Just some thought,

Mike Kniaziewicz, MIS