Hungry hippo...

LukeD · #1 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 07:43 PM

My new design company- Hungry hippo designs, Cheap web,graphics and document design.
http://www.hungryhippodesigns.co.uk
Enjoy
Luke

Andy Lockwood · #2 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 08:14 PM

Hi Luke... Might be a good idea to include the link.... but before you do, just double check the spelling... when I had a look at the site a few days ago, one or two minor typos jumped out at me, and if you're offering a service that involves spelling and grammar, probably best to get it right.

LukeD · #3 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by Turn Media

Hi Luke... Might be a good idea to include the link.... but before you do, just double check the spelling... when I had a look at the site a few days ago, one or two minor typos jumped out at me, and if you're offering a service that involves spelling and grammar, probably best to get it right.

How on earth did you find it? Ive Havn't really marketed. Very pleased/supprised

Alan Mills · #4 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 10:05 PM

Kuke, the text on the opening page of the web site is very small.

Also, I'm not too sure of phrases like "for nearly a quarter of the price of most design companies". I take it you have in your possession a defintive set of prices of "most design companies" so you can prove this ration against your own invoices! I'm just concerend that quoting hard numbers like that could be setting yourself up for a fall. Maybe you should just rephrase it as something like "The quality you want at competitive prices", leaving it open.

GTWCMT · #5 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 10:32 PM

You have put your 'balls' in a sling with that website, there are many errors on the index page and you have just quoted me £70.00 for a website. That’s great I will order this from you now.

BTW, My current website is 3600+ Pages it has four databases two shops and 5 business. I would love for all the info to be transferred to a single website, the data updated and all the links checked as well as compliancy.
It is a little tricky as the URL path's have to be mapped to certain URLs, 11 in total.

ON your website design page, it says 'professional looking', could you confirm its a professional site or if it just look like it?

Where can I see examples of your work?

LukeD · #6 (**permalink**) 10-05-2006, 10:59 PM

With respect, We are based for small business's and people who don't have the skills. And were just starting up

GTWCMT · #7 (**permalink**) 10-06-2006, 12:20 AM

Ah yes, but your website dosent say that, youre legally bound by the trading laws on shown prices.

I should remind you that I do own lots of business, which covers starting up in business and websites as well as a whole host of other things. As you can see, if I were looking for someone to produce a website, you have just been caught out by the most simplist laws.
I would really consider looking up on all things that are legal before posting anything up on line.

One way to start up is to have a good level of work to show clients. When I was advertising for a new web site designer to join our award winning team, not may could show off any work whats so ever.

You may find some of the people on this forum could do with some work on their websites - I Know I've seen some! you may have to do it for free, but then you getting a portfolio together.

If you are getting into web designs, then I would consider atleast having your sites SEO;d and fully compliant.

The Guru · #8 (**permalink**) 10-06-2006, 08:35 AM

Luke, I know you're still at school and I really don't want to be the "bad guy" again but...

If you're dipping your toe in the adult waters, you've got to expect to be bitten by sharks.

There are numerous typographical, spelling and gramatical mistakes on the site.

The £70 offer is an advert and, if I were a competitor, I would do what GTWCMT suggests, pay you seventy quid and get you working full-time for the next year on my 3600 page site. If you didn't I could get the ASA to land on you like a ton of bricks.

I can understand what you want to do but the step from "hobby" to semi-pro is a lot larger than people think and the path is strewn with dangers.

Keep going mate, but do more research on the "business" side.

Edit...and if you want to be taken seriously in the media world, get your bloody spelling sorted!

Andy Lockwood · #9 (**permalink**) 10-06-2006, 10:19 AM

Hi Luke.

One way to satisfy the above points is to use words like "Prices from" and so on.

In the spirit of helpfulness, everyone is quite correct with their observations about the consequences of misleading ads. You have to be sure mate that you don't leave yourself vunerable to anyone that will take advantage of your goodwill and stitch you up.

I completely understand your keeness to get into the area you want to do, but just temper that enthusiasm with a little bit of coldness.

One good test to apply is to put yourself in the customers shoes. If you pretend for a moment that you're a ruthless businessman, how much work do you think you could get out of the ad? As GTW said, (and I'm not implying he's ruthless) he wants 3000 plus pages. You can't say no, because you've said without qualification that you'll do it.

I wish you every success and I know how much you want to do this, but just stop, think, think again, check your spelling and grammar, think once more then go for it.

GTWCMT · #10 (**permalink**) 10-06-2006, 12:30 PM

Turn media is quite right as all the advice that you are getting, I am ruthless with proving points.

Let me put some light on the subject.
Websites are like shops, the better the shop the more it costs as well as the better the location the more it costs.
The same applies to a website, in that the more complex, the more work the more they cost.

We were doing websites for the princes business trust clients fro £75 for a five page HTML site.
General Businesses would pay £150 for a 8 page site.

CMS (a very good way to go) we would charge £250.00 (ex content)

As we have a range of servers located here, we then offer hosting packages from £5PM to get things on the move (these are all singing danceing servers so there was no limits applied to the SSI used in designs)
Then we would charge for bandwidth used on the site over a certain level (Say 4 Gigs)

You have a privicy policy which is always good, then you want to take a look at terms and conditions. Believe me I would have been up the creek if I didnt have them.

Its a dog eat dog world and people love to lay a big steaming turd on you when ever they get the chance to, I was working for a company and supplied them with a total IT solutions, they alwasys paid late so I stopped working for them, Now they wont pay and say the work was substandard. Im going to court and suing them, its costing me quite alot of money to get the debt paid. Now becuase of my T&C's I get to charge them silly amounts of money which makes me around 8X the initial debt.

Pricing should always be : FROM, a Estimate, For reference, Around.

This should ALWAYS be backed up with terms and conditions. like these:

Our pricing information:
Prices quoted 'from' set the basic level at which the services are provided and are set as a guild.
Estimated prices are for guild lines only prices can vary fromt he stated pricing.
For references are prices based on an average service for average clients.
Prices quoted 'Around' are not a fixed price which may vary by a small amount.

All priced quoted are valid for 8 hours and clients are advised to contact us for a Quote on any projects undertaken.

You can steel these and put them on your site if you would like.
DONT FORGET: when you write up terms and conditions you MUST offer a like for like in the favour of the client. IF YOU DONT then this can form part of the unfair contract law's which will make them invalid.