Hit Web Design review: bad business to work with/for! abc4 news utah will expose! 528

Please visit www.webdecade.com we are a dallas texas based web design, web development, seo, ppc, sem and hosting firm that specializing in building websites from scratch and also modifying joomla, wordpress and drupal. I have helped alot of HIT customers to get their site back on track they did pay a little more but you do get what what you pay for a high quality site that can be expandable to a ecommerce site since we can build stuff fro scratch since we have about 15 years experienc in doing this.

Excellant point, allot of the consumers who got screwed cant afford anoth $120 bucks to "recover" from Hit Web Design. The only help you can offer somone who just got robbed, is "Free" help. Great advice @ Empower by knowledge. That woul be the best course of action instead of coming out of pocket.

thanks there empower by knowledge

i know if i need a website i'll remember that...

@Empower by knowledge great post, and great advice to follow!

@webdecade
These people have been scammed and defrauded. Attempting to profit there from is inappropriate.
Anyone who wishes can prepare a site for free at http://demo.joomla.org/ It has been designed for non-programmers to get their sites up quickly and easily. Within minutes or the same day your site is up and running. The site you create will look professionally prepared for free.

You can do social sites, e-commerce sites, and much much more.
Who uses Joomla?
MTV Quizilla
Here are just a few examples of Web sites that use Joomla:
* MTV Networks Quizilla (Social networking) - http://www.quizilla.com
* IHOP (Restaurant chain) - http://www.ihop.com
* Harvard University (Educational) - http://gsas.harvard.edu
* Citibank (Financial institution intranet) - Not publicly accessible
* The Green Maven (Eco-resources) - http://www.greenmaven.com
* Outdoor Photographer (Magazine) - http://www.outdoorphotographer.com
* PlayShakespeare.com (Cultural) - http://www.playshakespeare.com
* Senso Interiors (Furniture design) - http://www.sensointeriors.co.za

Check out their sample sites and portfolios at http://community.joomla.org/showcase/
A Joomla site through the Demo is hosted for the first 30 days for free on cloudaccess.net. You can move your site to any hosting company you desire.

If you need to add a feature to your site like a shopping cart the add-ons are free or have minimal costs of $0-$30. If you wish to change something the software helps you do that for free. If there is a feature that you would like and there is not an add-on available, you can make a request for help. The costs are reasonable. There are no high pressured sales people to worry about.

Joomla is type of software that allows companies like isowebworks and PPCmanagementllc to produce a website for your review quickly. They are not building your site nor coding to build your site. They use free open source packages like Joomla to build the sites. This software is available to the public (you) for free. Why pay someone else to do this when you can do it yourself with ease and for free. Before you pay someone to build your site give Joomla a try.

Joomla is a free open source content management system (CMS). Some companies put there name on top of the CMS and call it their product when in fact it is the work of many who have devoted their time to the free open source development projects.

We are not against anyone choosing to pay someone to create the sites using Joomla. We are only against not giving credit to the free open source community who actually developed the programs such as Joomla and disclosing its usage to the public.

Because of the short amount of time it takes to build a site with Joomla, use care when paying someone to build your site. Make sure they have actually built sites from scratch and understand CSS, XML, HTML, JavaScript, PHP, Perl, and AJAX at a minimum. Make sure they have and are building some sites from scratch or have disclosed to you that they only use a CMS. Make sure it is disclosed in your contract if they will build the code themselves and have qualified programmers or use free open source software.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
1. Never sign a contract that does not provide a full refund if you are not satisfied with the product or service.
2. Make sure that you do not pay for hosting until your site is live and functioning the way you requested.
3. Make sure that you ”own” your site code with no strings attached except payment for the building of the site as agreed to in writing.
4. Never sign an agreement that does not require a deadline for building the site or provides for phased rollout with deadlines of features. You can even request that there is a penalty for each day the site is past the due date to motivate the completion of the site.
5. Never agree to jurisdiction outside of your own state or country.
6. Never agree that the full price as been earned or is due unless the site is built to your satisfaction.
7. Make sure you have documentation of what is in scope of your request and what is out of scope for your request. Get it in writing.
8. Never let anyone pressure into purchasing anything. Tell them that you need to review it with your partners and that until you have your partner”s sign off you can not make the purchase. Then take the time to research and review the information before you buy. Get a family member or trusted friend to be your partner in helping you make the decision. Get three opinions before you buy. If you are uncomfortable in any way don’t buy. It is better to wait than be sorry.
9. Always read the terms of the agreement before you sign. If you don’t like the terms you can change them. Any company that is unwilling to work with you on the terms is giving you a sign of what is ahead. Run don’t walk away from a company that is unwilling to work with your terms.

We can help you one on one to help get your website launched.

cal our toll free number [protected] or go to www.webdecade.com

we can host, design, develop, seo and do custom programming

We are a small niche website development firm if you guys need your website launch or hosted please visit www.webdecade.com

Interesting development, look at this blog thread on complaints board today, Mr. Morrills address shows up in Eagle Mountain and I can swear the red truck outside looks just like David Aiken's, which is a resident of Eagle Mountain, see I am a former designer, I left a while before all this but interesting resemblance, I may be wrong. Anyway, you may be interested in this thread:
Hit Web Design — Website & Hosting Errors

Hit Web Design has already set up shop again and is already scamming people again. They are now doing business as ISO Webworks

this is their new URL
http://isowebworks.com/

Their phone number is
[protected]

This company is currently registered to their former CTO Kevin Morrill
https://secure.utah.gov/bes/action/details?entity=7933558-0160

Contact them and demand your paycheck or your refund.

@ HIT's Trauma Bond - You are exactly on the money with this. As a person who was high in the company at one time and in the know, I know that the Aitken's are substantially responsible for this collapse of HIT. It was their direction that carried the HIT juggernaut from the height of its growth in 2006 and early 2007 to its final whimpering and painful end.

The rest of the owners have no one to blame but themselves as they continued to listen to all the bad advice from men who had every opportunity to change where the ship was going but refused to believe that anyone but themselves had the correct answers.

I know for a fact (because I was one of the people trying to advise them) that they had many people giving them great options for growing the company, but most of those ideas died on one of the Aitken's desks because of their arrogance in believing that they knew the right way when other people didn't.

The Aitken's are always quick to take credit for other people's success while blaming others when failures happen. I can only dearly hope they now find themselves thrust into the real work world with all the rest of us and get the wake up call they so richly deserve. They are going to find that the reputation of HIT is going to dog them for years if not decades.

Piece of advice free to the owner's of HIT - maybe instead of blaming everyone else and filing frivolous law suits against ex-employees for telling the truth about your excremental business practices you should have concentrated on actually getting your system to work correctly so all those unhappy customers actually came out contented fans instead of filing charge backs. Then the ranting of ex-employees would have reeked like the ravings of unhappy loons instead of being gravid with the profound and rancid truth.

PS - HIT; since you have several liens against all your assets, isn't removing equipment from the premises illegal? I personally saw Jeremy Aitken being helped by several people including Matt Nelson and Tanner Wolsey loading his snow mobile trailer with a LOT of equipment including computers and monitors. Nothing like kicking the stool out from beneath you while you dangle with a rope around your neck.

Well, HIT Web Design is finally out of business. Doors closed for good as of yesterday it would seem (or perhaps earlier) based on the telephone number on their numberous sites not working or going to a pre-recorded message of who the hosting company is that has the sites. Based also on the fact that Jeremy Aitken was hauling computers into a trailer yesterday evening (look to eBay for some good deals on used Dells?) This was an amazingly long time coming. My main complaint, as a former employee, is the complete lack of accountability by management. I'm sure to the last operating day of the company and perhaps their entire lives, the Aitken brothers will say it's everything and everyone elses fault. Sales employees not hitting goal, merchant accounts denying business just to be mean, designers taking too long and who knows what else. What they should have done a long time ago is man up and admit what has happened (focus on profit, not customers) and move forward with everyone's help to right the ship.

Honesty is the best policy, believe it or not, even in business. You don't say that insurance premiums are sky high becuase it's the best health companies can do when it's because HIT is not paying towards the premiums at all like normal companies do. You don't say you can no longer do direct deposit for paychecks because the bank is up to something when it's because you can't float payroll in advance. You don't say we need to get more check by phone payments because CC's are too expensive to charge when it's because your merchant account cut you off for a high rate of chargebacks. And on and on and on forever.

Terrible customer satisfaction and a complete lack of effective business management ruined this company. But will those responsible ever accept their primary role in what happened? Probably not. I see a rough path ahead for them. If the stress they caused in the lives of their customers and certainly their employees is any indication of what's in their future, it's going to be a bumpy ride. I wonder what story their family and friends will hear as to why the company failed. Perhaps it would make for some entertaining reading. But then again, they probably blame their family and friends too . . . .

Heritage Web Solutions/ Hit Web Design closed it doors for good today at 11:00. Currently if you are a Heritage Web Solutions customer you can only access your account by contacting the server company Fiber Net http://www.fiber.net/content/heritage-and-hit-web-design

If you have paid money to Hit Web Design/ Heritage Web Solutions I suggest you do a Charge back on your Credit Card immediately and see if you can get anything back.

Please post your stories.

Violations of Anit-Discrimination for non-payment of wages and paying wages with NSF funds have been issued against this company. Employees who have not been paid are encouraged to file a wage claim through the Utah Division of Labor. There is a 5% penalty per day up to 20 days for non payment of wages per pay check. Outsource employees from any state can complete the wage claim form. Google for Utah Wage Claim. It is available from the Utah Division of Labor. You can continue to work for the company and file a claim. If you have not been paid, we encourage you to really think about why you work for free. If you live in Utah you can file for unemployment benefits for just cause of non-payment of wages. Many employees who have left this company have found new jobs and are much much happier.

Consumers are encouraged to contact their credit card companies and request a refund for failure to deliver a product. Due to the heavy indebtedness of this company it is encourage that your file as quickly as you can. It is estimated that the company owes $340K in back wages in addtion to the liens noted above. Consumers need to know that their sites are on servers through Fibernet. This company i.e. HIT Web does not host websites, it sells website hosting through a third party vendor i.e. Fibernet. When this company files bankruptcy, which it should have done long before now, your site may shut down for non-payment of services by fibernet. There is a question of where all of the money this company has taken in has gone, the IRS is not paid, Aenta Health was not paid its premiums and was granted a judgement, employees are not paid, the company has no assets. Those defending the company here on this site no longer work for the company. The promise to pay wages knowing that you can not pay them is fraud. The only purpose for telling anyone that you will pay them wages when you know that you cannot pay them is to obtain labor from them for free. The information contained herein has been reported to the Utah County Attorney's office.

Many ask why this has gone on so long; in the words of one management member "because no one knows how to take us to court". If you have not been paid wages and have been promised to be paid, if you have received NSF checks that are still outstanding you are encouraged to request that the Provo police crime division take a report. They will attempt to discourage you by stating that you have to prove intent. The proof intent has already been gathered. If the detective will not take the report, ask to speak with the Cheif. The county attorney's office cannot do anything unless they get as much information as they can on this company. If you have problems with the police taking a report, please contact the attorney's general office ask for Scott Reed the criminal attorney. You can find the information by going the the UT Attorney General's website. The Crime goes on because no one will prosecute due to lack of funding. The attorney's general office can request funding if the complaints are sufficient. Also, please contact Sentor Orin Hatch's office. Funding in Utah county, State of Utah needs to be available for this type of crime.

Tax Liens agains this company: http://www.utahcountyonline.org/LandRecords/PartyDetail.asp?avnameptr=2211760&avkoigroup=ALL

Comany no paying anyone. Where is the money going?

Document Detail Utah County Recorder
Entry #: [protected] Recorded: 10/25/2010 2:40:30 PM Pages: 1
Instrument Date: 10/18/2010 Consideration:$8, 077, 387.52
Kind of Inst: N FT LN - FEDERAL TAX LIEN NOTICE Fees:$10.00
Rec Party: INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
Mail Party: DELIVERED
Mail Address:
Tax Address: NOT APPLICABLE
Grantor(s): HERITAGE GROUP LLC DBA
HIT WEB DESIGN FKA
HERITAGE WEB SOLUTIONS
HERITAGE MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC

Grantee(s): UNITED STATES INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE

Serial Number(s): 99:999:9999

Tie Entry(s):
Releases:
Abbv Legal Desc: - NO SERIAL # GIVEN - NO SERIAL # GIVEN

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Main Menu

Comments or Concerns on Value/Appraisal - Assessor's Office
Documents/Owner/Parcel information - Recorder's Office
Address Change for Tax Notice

This page was created on 2/25/2011 4:38:39 PM

I once was an employee for Heritage. I started when the business was thriving and prosperous, and when it was very promising. By my own choice, I ended up leaving the company. Huge changes were happening, but it wasn't until after I left that I kept hearing how changes in the company were spinning it out of control.
I started when the company was still primarily operated under Brad's control. I ended up working under the best manager, who I still see as one of the best managers that I've worked for to date. Work was actually very enjoyable, and I thought it might turn into a career rather than just a job. I was very wrong!
After the company started reorganizing (Brad leaving the company in Dave's control), things started changing. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying it was because of Dave. I wasn't there when this whole topic of abuse that I've been reading about went down, so I cannot comment much on that.
What I can comment on is what I saw happening around the time that everything started changing. Dave was always nice to me, though I do know of times where he was upset, and it all went down through the chain of command before it actually got back to me.
At this time there were many people who surrounded Dave trying to attain the "management" status. These were just a few of the department managers over various aspects of the company. Basically if you observed from a third point of view, you could see what was happening. They were all trying to buddy buddy up to Dave, which was first accomplished through those surrounding Dave's brother Jeremy.
Some of the things I'd see from those trying to attain management status: tattling on co-workers just to gain favor in managements eyes, telling you that you were doing a great job, and then going behind your back a minute later to tell management that you didn't do something right. Smiling, or laughing with another co-worker was viewed as goofing off.
Eventually the once happy workplace became a very unhappy workplace. You couldn't take a step without getting tattled on for doing something wrong.

I recall Jeremy telling his brother Dave, that he "HATED" us as we walked past. That is quite the way to treat your own employees, right? I recall getting yelled at for something I had no control over, but because I was the closest thing related to that particular thing, I was the focal point of one of those "I want to be in management" persons malice.

I believe a company can be prosperous if the employees are happy. If the employees are happy, they can do their jobs. If they can do their jobs, they can serve their customers. If you come to work knowing that you're hated (Jeremy in my case), and trying to focus on what you can do not to set them off and go tattle on you (which was a daily thing), you aren't focusing on the customer. In reality, isn't the PRIMARY job to focus on the customer? Make the customer happy. You can't do that if the workplace is negative. In this case a lot of the management conveyed negative feelings; however, there were a few in management who weren't like that at all.

Mark Strong was probably one of the best in management to have worked there. Though, as others have said, I don't think he exactly knew what was going on with these other employees trying to gain management status. If you and your co-workers have no respect, the workplace is more hazardous than not.

In my honest opinion, I think the reason why customer service failed, was because the way employees were treated on the inside. It really is shocking to read about the abusiveness that occurred the past few years. Nobody should ever be threatened with getting hit by golf balls, playing cards, or getting things kicked. Too much pressure can cause too much stress. A company ran by stress and fear may go for only so long.

I am saddened to see this happen to Heritage. There were many good people there, and opposed to what some people said, not everyone were incompetent workers. I worked my hardest, but the internal negativity (again most likely the root cause for negative customer relations) was too much.

I'm shocked at the comments I'm reading. Back in 2006 when we started our small business, we had Heritage (now HIT) design and host our site. They were great and we had no problems with them for a couple of years.

We then mistakingly got into an agreement with the crooks called At&t / Bellsouth Advertising who took over the website for about a year. --- we later went back to HIT and didn't have a problem until in 4/2010 when HIT called me and said my hosting was going to expire and our business website was going to go down, so I needed to renew. *Keep in mind, this came 1 day after my husband came out of the hospital after having his 2nd surgery! ... so I quickly agreed to be billed a partial payment of $120 because we had no money (husband was injured and out of work for months during this time). Then a few days later I thought, wait a second...our website hosting is good through SEPT, why are they renewing me in April, 5 months early?

I called, and after SEVERAL calls fighting for a credit back to our account because they fraudulantly called me to begin with, they finally agreed to a refund, several calls later, no refund, several months go by, letters to HIT, no refund ... then finally in Sept 2009, I received my $120 refund, whereas the check bounced for Non Sufficient Funds! --- I sent a certified letter stating that I wanted a refund immediatly or I was going to go to the St. Attorneys Office, no response. I called them today, they said they would send out the refund check within one or two days and said sorry. *I will give them 10 business days to get a good check, if not received, I will not call them back ... I will quickly take action. ITS NOT EVEN ABOUT THE MONEY, it's the point.

I told the guy when he first called in April that my husband was out of work, and we were broke. He still lied to me telling me I had to renew and took my money. I told HIT several times verbally and by letter that they should never have called me and we needed that money back. They did it all wrong, and didn't make it right.

http://www.co.utah.ut.us/Dept/Record/LandRecordsandMaps/PartyDetail.asp?avnameptr=2132949&avkoigroup=

Does anyone know who owns Heritage Web Solutions? Is it a corporation? Who is the person that writes the checks? Any information would be helpful. Thank you.

I was an outsource designer for Heritage Web Solutions. They have not paid me in months. Every time they send me checks that keep bouncing. ALL BAD CHECKS! If anyone has experienced bad checks from Heritage, I would like to hear from you.

****Consumer Alert **** Do not do business with:
Heritage Internet Technologies
1460 North Moonriver Drive
Provo, UT 84604
[protected]
http://www.hitwebdesign.com/
www.hwsinet.com
www.hitwebdesign.com

They also do business as:
Heritage Web Design
The Heritage Group, LLC
Zipper Web
Heritage Web Solutions
Yellow Page Partners
Chamber Partners
Hit Web Design

They have over 660 complaints with the Utah Better Business Bureau and they have a D- rating. Check out the video that KSL News did on them: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=10850739

This is what happened to a friend of mine who owns a General Contracting business in Utah. They can’t post this because HIT has a clause in their Terms of Service, which is 54 paragraphs, that customers cannot say any negative comments about them! Who reads that long of an agreement! Of course the negative claims are in paragraph 46. So I’m doing it for them! I went on the internet and found all sorts of complaints about the company from customers and former employees. I’m surprised HIT is still in business. There is another web designer in Utah who is marketing on Hit’s numerous customer complaints (which is who my friend’s company is now using). Check out this link: http://warnerdata.com/component/content/article/36-blog/112-buyer-beware-heritage-web-design.html.

The sales person sucks you in with a great sales pitch. The sales rep my friend had was Robert F. There is a good reason why Robert does not give his last name… that’s your first clue your not working with a reputable company. If you worked for HIT and you know Robert’s last name and address, post it, let his neighbors know who they live next to.

Once they get you to buy what ever they have and they have your credit card you are screwed! They are constantly charging you for every little thing. Whenever they try to sell you something it’s always around $1, 500.00, then if you state it’s too much money, you can get them down to about $150.00? That should be your second clue.

They have the most incompetent people working for them. When you confront them about something they didn’t do, they lie to try to cover the mistakes. Once they realize you won’t buy anymore of their “add ons”, they stop calling. My friend didn’t have a website for almost a year! By the way, their Terms of Service states that they can take as long as they want to create the site. Another reason to read the terms of service “word for word.”

My friend had their account rep changed two times. One was Chelsey Vuyk (Google her name on Youtube and you’ll see a video presentation of her). She just disappeared one day. No phone calls that she wouldn’t be the account rep anymore. Just “poof” and she was gone. Who knows if she is still working there? Maybe she got tired of hearing complaints from customers and left!. Then there was a designer called Sharleen Hargreaves. She stopped calling my friend too! If you know these two people post there address, so their neighbors know who they are living next to.

Then you get a Manager, either Leah Young or Ryan Nelson, which my friend thinks they really tried to help but were frustrated with the company’s work ethic and couldn’t do anything. My friend actually has it in writing from the two of them that HIT was wrong, did drop the ball but they couldn’t do anything it about. Per their Terms of Service, the customer has NO RIGHTS!

My friend was then referred to Noelle Filimoeatu, who was supposed help resolve the problems they were having and come to a mutually agreeable solution. As I’m sure you know by now, that didn’t happen. One year later, they are still fighting. This is a good one – Noelle doesn’t take phone calls, she only communicates via email. Once again, poor customer service.

As the video says, the customer feels comfortable with the account rep, you just accept the terms of service without reading it. How many times do you read that agreement that is 15 pages long prior to ordering something on the internet? That’s where they get you. My friend had to learn it the hard way by losing a lot of money, which the company is fighting to get it back.

I used to work for Heritage as a freelancer. When I first started, it seemed like a great company to work with. Overtime it became more and more aggressive about pushing sales on clients and less and less great to work for and more focused on getting clients in and out and making money then anything else.

They really should go back to being what they started out as if they want to stay in business over the long run.

I was an outsource contractor (writer) for the company from August 2009 to May 2010 when I ceased doing any further work for the company. The number of service complaints from the clients I worked with, who were entirely happy with the work I personally did for them, had escalated to a startling number. They came to me pleading for assistance since they could not get a return call or email from their project managers to complete work for a functional website. Most all of them told me they were calling me because I was the *only* one who had listened to them and given them excellent service. Unfortunately, as an outsource contractor, I was unable to do anything but call or send an internal notification to an employee who was charged with the responsibility. My calls were not returned either.

I saw clients ripped off and taken advantage of so badly, many of them without the financial resources to afford it. Sales people would lie to them, sell them crap they didn't need and couldn't afford. It sickened me when I started to hear more and more of those stories. I will not be associated with such an unethical company.

Before considering this company to design a website for you, please do as the CEO of the company himself has recommended. Check out their Better Business Bureau rating that he is so proud of. As of July 2010, the rating is a D+ on a scale of F to A+ with 648 complaints. These are just the customers who took the time to complain to the BBB. The BBB also says this to explain their low rating: "Business has failed to resolve underlying cause(s) of a pattern of complaints."

To any designers or writers who might be tempted to work for this company, be prepared to have problems getting paid. Not once in the time I worked for the company did I get my check on time as agreed in the contract and I was often not paid for the work I did. Checks were frequently held for three weeks and more. My last check BOUNCED. I sincerely feel for anyone who has been unfortunate to have any involvement with this unethical company either as a client, employee or contractor.

RYAN,

You say-
"Some customers have buyer’s remorse. They order something worth thousands of dollars, then decide later that they really shouldn’t have spent the money and want a full refund. That’s not fair to HIT after work has been completed in good faith and in reliance on the customer’s order."

I was a customer. I entered into a contract with your company. Yet, I have no functioning product to balance my output of time or money I've provided to OUR agreement.

What do you have to say to that?

What is your clear, fair, response?

I'll pause here. I'd like to hear this.

...

Keep in mind with this situation that I attempted to "work with" and provide the same info over and over to numerous project managers and designers and upper management, for OVER a year.

When,

simply stated to you, I was told at initial consultation when I described the site I wanted to BUY to your sales person and was quoted YOUR price { which for all intents and purposes is a fair business arrangement, right?} that it would take 4-6 weeks.

I was told that number, by one of your employees. I agreed to pay THAT price. I was very willing to fulfill my part of the agreement/contract/sanity

Where is your accountability as a company to provide a product you SELL for that price?

I'll pause again to hear your response.

But remember that I went through a YEAR of calling, asking, begging, providing copy info again and again, pushing, working with, and even threatening at the end, with you "upper management" for the ORIGINAL product you sold me and TOOK my money for.

So please, don't resort to giving me some obscure resolution email, or telling me I'm just mad. Infact I'm calm right now. And I want to hear your response as to why I still feel stilted by our business TRANSACTION.

I want you to be a man behind your words and convictions. Tell me something solid. Lets see if you can.

Otherwise how am I not supposed to be remorseful? And what are you talking about. Do you even know?

Hey, Ryan, Mr Legal department.

I am a HIT web design customer, and i signed up with HIT in April, at the premise that they will finish my web site in 10 days. They assigned me Project manager, and the project manager asked me to send him all the relatd material required. I sent his all the work i did in word, and he told me that he got every thing he needs from me. and THAT WAS IT...

I didnt know that by saying that he meant my credit card and bank information. Because they got the money, and now its been over a month and i call three times a day, leave messages to project managers (Account managers) and developers and others in the company. My company and my business is going down because there is nothing happening to my web site, and that the web site is not even done half way yet. No eccomerce is setup, no pages are complete, no links, and no one would talk to me, or return my calls. Worst is that they changed the Account managers 3 times, and every time they blame it on one of your Account manager. Now as over a month, i am still tapping my foot and waiting for these people to get back to me. DONOT TRANSLATE our comments as we are someone ex employees of the companies. We pay money, we pay benjuman Franklins, for which you work day and night, and all we are getting in response is bull [censor], and lies, and runing our businesses. I have explained it to HIT many times, that i have stopped my business yet, because i have a set of marketing that i have to do, and promote, but immediately after my web site is finished. Nothing has been done yet, and when i speak to different other people, they tell me that there is nothing in cue in my account that any one is working on. I fail to understand that this ripp off company exists here.
WORST NIGHTMARE is that every time someone get back to me, and say we are sorry that you were not given proper service, they actually try to sell me something else our of their services. NEEDLESS to mention that my web site is simple 6 pages, and simple 5 products ecommerce and small development required.
Mr Legal dude, u need to wake up and smell coffee, you guys are ripp off, and do nothing... Its a SCAM.

Seems like most of the people on this page are still employed my HIT Web Design. Seems that they feel like they're in a no win situation. That's like having a can of gasoline too close to a fire. I'll be watching the news to see what happens in Provo...

I have two accounts with HIT Web Design. And I am physically sick from dealing with them. I get people on the phone in less than a minute when I want to purchase something, but I'm on hold for an hour when I have an issue that needs to be resolved. Oh, and that's BEFORE they hang-up on me. I'm going to do everything in my power to EXPOSE THEM FOR THE CRAPPY COMPANY THAT THEY ARE. Now I have to pay to have someone else FIX the stuff they won't. Oh, and the person works for HIT, so what does THAT tell you? I've spent a couple of thousand dollars with this company, but they'll get it in the end. I'm sure of that. Be blessed.

@utookthewordsoutofmymouth I am so thrilled this came out (even though it's quite watered down) that I did a dance last night. Woohoo! Been watching the comment boards and posting my experiences... everyone make sure you POST YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES on the comments! The more attention this gets the better... hopefully management will pull its head out of its butt and get a clue. But I doubt it, since they haven't in the past.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=10850739

haha Heritage! You're going bankrupt any day now!

I wanna say that HIT sucks! I worked there too and it's true their customer services skills lack, they care about the money and at the end of the day if it's 5pm and the sales quota hasn't been met, expect to stay late and if you leave earlier, your job is on the line... in fact your job is always on the line if you're not a developer or designer. If you're a developer/designer, your job consists of spending 30 minutes per site practically and then calling it good, maybe once a week. They are spread thin, it's not about contacting the client, it's about Heritage's model. I hate HIT with a passion, unfortunately I still wake up from nightmares about my job there and regret working there for as long as I did.

I'm so glad this story came out it's about damn time. If you are defending HIT, remember that karma's a [censor] and you'll get yours. I can't wait for the day that this company goes out of business.

I was always doing damage control, calming customer's down, explaining the process, and getting them going again. You know what, it's not the customer's fault. When I once tried to really help a client, I got written up for not selling.

They have a revolving door at this company too. You get hired and maybe last a month and then they find a reason to fire you or you stay on for awhile. Eventually they will cut your paychecks, tell you the kids in Haiti are starving and that it's your fault your pay check is cut. You did it to yourselves for not making daily sales quotas.

To top it all off, if you went in to complain to HR, you better be right or else!

Management there is a joke! it's a boys club there and no one is safe. Don't worry when this company goes under Tanner will, Dave, and Jeremy will loose all there stupid toys, snowmobiles, atvs and what have you. Mark Strong is nice but really someone is lying to you. Ryan N needs to leave but maybe he's so brainwashed that this company is good.

I used to think wow how did the Nazis pull off murdering the Jews, and after working for HIT, I get it! They did because they brainwashed their nation daily, just like how HIT brainwashes their employees. In the training one of the first things they teach you is how when you receive and email or phone call with an upset customer, the first thing you should do is find how the CUSTOMER screwed up. What happened to the customer being right and this business model?

If you work here, don't worry it'll be a matter of time before your get laid off, fired or something like this. I have no respect for this company. If you are defending them, I wanna know how they tricked you.

Go undercover, work there, buy a site from them and then you'll see what it's like. And we'll see what you'll have to say. But who has time and money to throw away like that?

Goodbye Heritage Web solutions, HIT, and all the many other names you have trying to run and hide from all the bad business you created with your name!

TO KSL: PLEASE DO ANOTHER STORY PLEASE DIG DEEPER!

BAD FOR BUSINESS! BAD FOR BUSINESS! BAD FOR BUSINESS!
DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY WITH THESE JOKERS.
BAD FOR BUSINESS! BAD FOR BUSINESS! BAD FOR BUSINESS!

Hello all,

I have been another victim in this so called "Hit web design" business. Here is my story (cliff notes version);

Feb 18, 2010: I was seeking a web page designer for my small ice cream shop. Looked online and thought I have made a right choice and decided to give my credit card info after hearing all the goodies for the sales man had offer. Note, I did not grant them permission to charge my card until It was finalized. Without my notice, I was billed for $600.

April 15, 2010: Two months has passed. I have made a dispute with my bank and have tried many attempts to contact "HIT web designs" via emails and phone. Note, when calling you literally wait at lease 30 mins. for someone to say, Oh, we're working on it. Someone will contact you soon, bye." Soon after, a "senior customer service agent" name, "Carlos Kidman" will email you brief updates of the same old BS- that they're still working on it. To this day, I haven't seen a penny.

BAD FOR BUSINESS! BAD FOR BUSINESS! BAD FOR BUSINESS!
DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY WITH THESE JOKERS.
BAD FOR BUSINESS! BAD FOR BUSINESS! BAD FOR BUSINESS!

screw you

I payed 200 dollars to have flash buttons put on my site. After a month of going back and forth with customer service they told me it was already completed when the work never started. They said when you hover over the buttons they flash green and I told them thats been doing that for 4 months. They wont refund me they said they just did that even though the technician says he didn't do anything. Heritage Web Solutions now known as hit wont help me. I have sent tons of emails to all their complaint departments they will most likely post after I post this saying contact there 800 number and or email them at customerservice@hitwebdesign.com or qca@hitwebdesign.com or ceo@hitwebdesign.com Trust me you have to send tons of emails to those three emails to get a response. I have called them so many times for help and they wouldn't help me. They are now riping me off saying the work is done. HIT web design stay away. There customer service wont help. All the like to do is sell there service and make you wait months to do anything even though they have the resources. They will tell you after you sign up they have know SLA that's service level agreement. My site was supposed to cost 2999 it's now cost 2000 and still not done. This company will rip you off. HIT Web design should put and S in front of HIT. This company is also Mormon Owned. Their articles of faith state be honest in your dealings with your fellow man. I thought when i signed up with them they were honest. They just sell empty and very late results. I have emailed all of them 800 plus times since the start of my site and its still not done. HIT web design when you read this, this is no new news for you grow up and be honest will your customers tell them we will finish your site when its conversant for us. Also the designers will only email when the site is done so your site will never look the way you want it unless you call and email hundreds of times. Come on give me an AMEN on this report. Just google search HIT for reviews I am telling the truth as God is my witness and I am LDS also. These are just bad mormons.

I am going through it with "Hit" right now. They started building my site in August. By January they still weren't done. Then it was February and it still wasn't done. For some reason they could only make part of my site go live, not all of it. My jukebox, my calendar and my blog page was never available to the public, yet it was paid for in, I think, October. The statement earlier about them ruining your business model is true. Even the homepage is faulty. The actual design is not professional and has major flaws that can be fixed but never will be fixed by them. I had to quit and move on and now I am in a struggle to recoupe my $1600 for incomplete work.

I will be taking them to some kind of court, not sure which one or what kind. And I very well may lose, but darn it I'm doing this. What do we need to do for a class action suit?

I agree Hit Web Solutions is definitely a rip off and should be brought up on federal charges.

I am currently working as a free lance web designer for HIT Web Design. I started in November 2009. In the four months I have been with the company I can confidently state about 85% of the projects I worked have been with customers who have a red flag on their account indicating "unsatisfied". I have faithfully tried to create or update their websites on time and with open communication with the client. In my short time I have heard some horror stories that made me question what the heck is going on with HIT?

To make matters worse on two occasions I have been in the midst of updating and negotiating when suddenly and mysteriously the project was pulled from my cue. I have been told the client canceled the update, but in both cases the client indicated they in fact never spoke to anyone at HIT, nor do they wish to cancel the updates. Unfortunately for the client I am powerless to reverse their action. Unfortunately for me I am shut out from earning my fee. >:(

Today I went searching using the term "like HIT Web Design" and stumbled onto this blog. Though not surprising it is enlightening to learn so much that has been happening.

Whenever a company this large is performing its core customer service tasks so poorly they will be easily picked off by a more customer centered competitor who sees the ripe opportunity to woo their customers away with friendly service and on-time delivery. How many great American success stories started with an ex-employee who knew he/she could do it better?

LOL This sounds like my company when they first started in Iraq... "If you don't like it quit... We can replace you tomorrow..." Any way, I was looking at getting a website designed by Hitwebdesign.com but It looks like that would have been a seriously bad idea...
Thanks y'all... back to finding someone else... any recommendations?

I've been pouring through the pages and I can't say that I disagree. You all said everything I've felt. I haven't worked there for over one year and I can't let it go. I was so abused. I cannot get over the fact that I let that fear of getting fired come over me. I didn't do anything right, I guess. I sold my heart out and I did my best. It was worst experience ever.

I hate it there. I meet people or run into people who work there and I just say I feel sorry for them for working there. I feel sorry for the employees who have been asked back because they dhouldn't have fired them in the first place.

Ryan, so you're a nice guy, and smart, but get out of there. Won't someone pay you what you're worth? I remember your expressions, do you really like to clean up messes, in that company? Fire Tanner and fire the Aitkens and stop focusing on the sales and do the work you have already contracted to do.

If I could turn back time I would have stepped out Heritage and made my life more worth while. You wanted us to see a career with you guys yet Tanner often reminded how expendable we are. How can you make a lifelong career?

No one is safe. Neither are you Ryan.

Ryan,

Your first post on this thread is quite interesting. First you say "... I am currently employed in HIT’s legal department.", then attempting to back it up with this authoritative statement "I will have you know that I hold three college degrees, including a juris doctorate, and have worked in web development since 2000."

And yet, you state "However, it is certainly not typical of what I have seen in my experience at HIT and _without knowing HIT's side of the story, I can't formulate a fair opinion of Bryce's claims._" ... WTF? You are employed in HIT's legal dept., which (along with all those legal degrees) clearly shows that you are a full blown attorney, and yet you don't know HIT's side of the story?

You mean to tell me that it's professional for an attorney such as yourself to make his case _without_ knowing your client's side of the story? (Never won that many cases, did ya? ;))

Plus the valid content/length of post ratio (ie., which is quite low) is typical of attorneys who use a lot of bluster to utilize fear tactics and brow beating like I clearly see in your first post. This does not speak well for your firm, sir. ... At all. Was it the news investigation from that Utah TV station that rattled your collective cages?

I know that while I was a freelancer with HIT Web Design, there were _many_ times I couldn't get through by phone to the support staff to get answers that would help me with my clients, and _many_ of them were mad at me because of it.

Oh by the way, contrary to ignorant fears, you cannot sue (successfully anyway) someone who _voices their opinions and personal experiences_ that they had with a company, so long as it rings true and valid. And repeatedly filing suits against such people would amount to UNlawful harassment and UNprofessional misconduct. Which eventually _could_ cost you your practice.

But then again, I imagine that your having 3 degrees (including a juris doctorate) should make you aware of that.

i have paid for a site on november 5 2oo9 and have yet to get it ! whay if any thing can i do to either get my money back or get what i padi for? [protected]

Heritage Web Solutions Complaints - Non-Performance
Review all Heritage Web Solutions complaints
Heritage Web Solutions
Posted: 2009-12-30 by CustomerSvc

Non-Performance
Complaint Rating: 100 % with 1 votes
Company information:
HIT or Heritage WEB SOLUTIONS
1460 Moonriver Dr Provo, UT 84604
Provo, Utah
United States
Phone: [protected]
hitwebdesign.com

My husband paid for and began working with Heritage Web Solutions in January 2009. In March 2009, he still did not have a working live web page, so he handed this project off to me to assist HIT to get it done. To date, now December 30, 2009, he STILL does not have his website. We have been passed around to three different designers, we have waited months now to get a simple blog, I have contacted the sales department hoping to get some action, to no avail.

I personally have created or located every piece of text and graphic for the site and have provided them to the 'designers'. I have a great deal of knowledge of web site design and graphic design. I should have simply created the site for my husband when he asked, but I was too busy at the time - little did I know that more time than ever would be required of me to work with Heritage.

The prototype/test page HIT (Heritage) has provided to us is the most basic and elementary page I have ever seen. An entry level web design student could have produced what they have provided to us, thus far. The total dollar amount we have spent for a non-working, elementary level basic web page is $580.00! Not the $199 they advertise. What the heck are we paying for?

I have sent a specific list of items needing to be corrected and/or changed to this very basic page over 2 months ago, yet we have gotten no response from the design team. Their terms & conditions specify that when THEY send you a message or a page to approve and you don't respond to them within 5 days, they assume the page is approved and move on to the next item. Well, it's been TWO MONTHS since I requested our last changes, not to mention ELEVEN MONTHS since we began this horror story with Heritage, and we are still nowhere closer to an active website than we were a year ago.

DO NOT waste your money or your time with this company. Their designers are not professional and they do not deliver!