Brad Langdon

Brad Langdon Vander Branding/Design (http://www.vander.co.nz/) Paid for design (logo) but did not provide work and refused refund. London, Internet

7th of Mar, 2011 by User732483

In my search for a designer, I was contacted by Brad Langdon, a webdesigner from the UK (bradlangdon.co.uk) who unbeknownst to me at that time would turn out to be a webdesigner from hell. We started to chat about working together and I sent him a full and detailed descriptions of what I was looking for, including a layout sketch, color schemes, etc. - normally called a "client brief". We hadn't nailed down anything in terms of a contract or even agreed to work together. I was expecting him to ask questions to clarify some things and then to come back with an estimate of time and fees. But instead he sent me a mockup. I was surprised because in the webdesign community "spec" work is frowned upon. I hadn't asked for spec work - I never have and never will - but he sent it to me out of the blue. And unfortunately, the mockup he sent was not acceptable so I wrote an explanation as a courtesy: "Unfortunately, I don't think we can work together on this project. There are 2 reasons for this. One, unlike 99% of clients, I know exactly what I want and I communicated that to you very clearly - going as far as sending you a sketch. The layout you submitted shows that you ignored both my words and my sketch....So I hope you'll understand why I simply can't work with a designer who doesn't listen and ignores precise and clear instructions. Second, the extra work that you imply this project would take due to having many 'features and requirements' is again a sign that you do not grasp what is involved. For example, there is no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to creating a mobile version. There is already a plugin for that. The same is true for other features I mentioned." Brad responded: "Hi Babak, I completely understand. I do have my reasons for the layout sent but I do see what you are saying. I will take what you have said on board and use this in the future. Best of luck." So we left things amicably. After that, I thought I'd give Brad another chance because while the layout sample he sent was not what I wanted, the design for the header he had initially submitted showed promise. So I contacted him again and asked if he would be interested in finishing just that part. It turned out that he was interested in this smaller project and we agreed on a price and Brad promised me: "I will alter it until you are happy and supply you with the relevant files". This promise was the main reason why I decided to work with Brad and I naively believed him. So I immediately sent him the full payment he asked for via paypal and awaited the first iteration of the logo. And that's where things started to go downhill. Fast. Just like the first time, he was inattentive to feedback. Each new design iteration contained no real effort and was just thrown together half-assed at the last minute. I tried my best by sending sample images, again describing in words, sending links to images, websites, etc. Nothing had any effect because Brad ignored them. The ability to listen to a client is one of the most vital characteristics of a good designer. Unfortunately Brad doesn't have this skill at all and giving him a second chance was a big mistake. As well, his responses started to get delayed more and more. I've worked with professional designers before and the usual process is that once they receive feedback from a client, they come back with at least 2-3 different versions of the new design based on that feedback. With Brad, I got late responses which incorporated none of the feedback that I had provided. Finally, after several weeks when it became painfully clear that he wasn't even trying, I reluctantly decided to pull the plug and asked for a refund. I reminded him that he had promised that he would work on the design until I was happy but that it was obvious now that this was not realistic since each iteration was taking us away from my ideal end result, instead of towards it. At first he was reluctant to provide a refund but I reasoned with him that I had nothing to show for the process. I told him that I would be happy to pay if I had something I could use. It would not be fair to use his work without paying him and similarly, it was not fair to pay for something that I didn't use. Ultimately, he agreed and promised to provide me with a full refund. That's when the stalling began. It was one inane excuse after another: He didn't have the money.
He did have the money but it wasn't in his paypal account.
He had to wait to transfer it to his paypal account.
He couldn't login into his paypal account
etc... Parenthetically, he later told me that he couldn't login into his paypal account because he had disabled javascript in his browser... which, if true, makes him about as tech savvy as the average grandmother cruising the interwebs on IE6. He asked for more time again and again as weeks and months went by. And I patiently waited and sent him short and polite reminders after each deadline he had set for himself would go whooshing by. He would then invariably respond with more empty promises. And that's where we are now. Brad has my money but I don't have anything to show for it. I would have obviously preferred to work with him successfully but in the end he compounded his incompetence with dishonesty. Here's what I've learned:

Do not pay 100% upfront for work.

If a designer doesn't listen, run the other way!

Be careful who you work with - reputations are earned

First impressions > Second chances
Something else which astonishes me is that Brad doesn't realize that by acting like a shyster over a relatively small amount, he's ultimately shooting himself in the foot. I would have been happy to work with him in the future or recommend him to others had be acted professionally and provided a modicum of customer service. Hell, I would have sung his praises instead had he been professional, competent and delivered what he promised. You reap what you sow. We bloggers stick together and talk to each other about these sort of things. Taking up an adversarial posture, acting unprofessionally and irresponsibly, not providing work which you promise, etc. all of this is one thing. But then lying and not providing your client a refund when you've promised to do so? .... !! If you want to waste time, money and only have aggravation and broken promises to show for it, then please go ahead and hire Brad Langdon. If they ever make a site dedicated to "Designers from Hell" Brad has earned the privilege to be prominently featured there.