Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/18/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I entered into a contract with *************, owned by ***************, on October 30, 2024, to develop a landing page intended for affiliate storefronts for other eye doctors. The project was expected to be completed by January 2025. We fulfilled our payment obligations in full by March 2025, totaling $5,350.However, the website was never completed to functional standards. The deliverable was a basic landing page that lacked the core functionality promisedspecifically, automation for affiliate tracking and e-commerce, which is a standard and essential feature of modern online stores. **** *** stated that automation was not possible and insisted that I manage everything manually, which completely defeated the purpose of the site.Due to the project's failure, I had to hire another developer, who confirmed the existing work was unusable and had to be entirely scrapped. We have documentation showing that WaterWeb Link failed to follow through on key deliverables and responsibilities, including setting up automation and engaging in project communications via our ************ After full payment was made, communication dropped off, and tasks remained incomplete. I have full documentation of the Slack conversation and the technical status of the site at the time of handoff.I requested a refund, citing the lack of usable output and the financial losses Ive incurred, including lost time, lost clients, and missed business opportunities. Unfortunately, **** *** refused, claiming she completed the workwhich is not supported by the state of the project or the available documentation.I am seeking reimbursement for the undelivered and unusable work, as I had to rebuild the site from scratch with another developer. I am happy to provide screenshots, timelines, and developer reports to support my case.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/04/2025

  There are more attachments than allowed here. I will attempt to add them in another email.

  --**** Ann ************************************** ******* is known to me as ****** *****. That is what she called herself and how she signed the contract.

  Second, through the contract stipulates that the site would be built on a server I manage, she choose to purchase her own hosting at SiteGround and the site was built there.

  In order to respond effectively, I went through the paragraph of the complaint and broke it down into individual statements. I am responding to each statement in the order it appeared.
  

  First statement:
  I entered into a contract with ******** Link, owned by ***************, on October *******, to develop a landing page intended for affiliate storefronts for other eye doctors.
  Response:
  The contract was not for a landing page. It was for a complete e-commerce website allowing:
  The public to make purchases
  Affiliates to register and receive a branded page they could link to from their own
  website so their customers could purchase products
  Wholesale purchase options for affiliates.
  It is relevant to mention that ****** ***** never did decide what to charge for wholesale pricing for the affiliates. I requested this information several times but never received it. Additionally, the contract called for a page called Reviews. She never provided testimonials or reviews from customers or anyone else. So, this page was not on the site when it was published.
  Please see attachment:
  **************** Website Contract v2
  

  Second statement:
  The project was expected to be completed by January 2025.
  Response:
  The contract did give a completion date in mid-January. However, ****** ***** was in ***** from before December 11, 2024 until after January 3, 2025. During this time she missed multiple online meetings that we had scheduled and was not able to get me the necessary website content.
  

  Additionally, it was late January before ****** ***** began sharing website content with me via ****** Docs. This was where I accessed the blog posts, images, etc.When I did receive content, some of it was disorganized with missing information. For example, on March 8th I emailed ****** ***** an update to remind her that we still needed the Product Names, SKUs, Pricing, Weight for Shipping, Description, and Links to Pictures in transparent .png files for all of the products.
  Please see attachments:
  Sorry I missed your call 12-11-2024,
  ****** sick from fever and cough 1-3-2025,
  Folder shared with you ABOUT EEC Shared 1-23-2025,
  Legal Pages 3-8-2025.
  

  Third statement:
  We fulfilled our payment obligations in full by March 2025, totaling $5,350.
  Response:
  This is true. The contract was paid in full just as the website was completed in full by the contractor.
  

  Fourth statement:
  However, the website was never completed to functional standards. The deliverable was a basic landing page that lacked the core functionality promisedspecifically,automation for affiliate tracking and e-commerce, which is a standard and essential feature of modern online stores.
  Response:
  Not true. The website was completed, customers could and did make purchases,affiliates could and did register.
  Please see attachments:
  You got a new order **************** 3-17-2025,
  You got a new order **************** 3-31-2025,
  You got a new order **************** 4-11-2025,
  You got a new order **************** 4-12-2025
  You have a new affiliate request My Store 2-17-2025
  You have a new affiliate request **************** 3-11-2025 You have a new affiliate request **************** 4-9-2025 You have a new affiliate request **************** 4-12-2025
  

  Fifth statement:
  **** *** stated that automation was not possible and insisted that I manage everything manually, which completely defeated the purpose of the site.
  Response:
  This is not true. ****** ***** agreed to use ******** as the plugin to support the e-commerce and affiliate functionality. I purchased the SureCart plugin and installed it. Together we tested and configured it, wrote the content and confirmation emails for affiliates, etc. It was easy to register as an affiliate as well as approve an affiliate.
  

  However, ****** ***** was accustomed to using ******* for e-commerce and the SureCart experience for order fulfillment is somewhat different. I emailed her the simple directions for how to complete fulfill orders.
  Please see attachments:
  Thank you for your order SureCart Pro 2-14-2025,
  Welcome to SureCart 2-14-2025,
  Shipping 3-10-2025,
  ********* about Optical Affiliate Pages 3-6-2025, Downloading or Printing invoices 4-1-2025

  ****** ****** biggest complaint to me was something she did not mention in her statement and was not included in the contract. Though she choose to charge **** shipping rates on product orders, she did not expect to pay **** shipping costs. She believed that she should be able to ship product for two or three dollars and wanted to use an entirely different service, not included in the contract, to print shipping labels at a reduced rate. I did try to link her orders on the SureCart account to the shipping service she selected, Ship Station, but was unable to complete this to her satisfaction. I was very much committed to keeping this client happy, but connecting ******** to a different shipping service was performing over and above what the contract required.
  

  Sixth Statement:
  Due to the project's failure, I had to hire another developer, who confirmed the existing work was unusable and had to be entirely scrapped.
  Response:
  The project was successfully completed and I was willing to continue working with her on the site. However, ****** ***** choose to work with the developer who had previously designed her online ******* stores.
  
  Before we signed the contract I did research to help plan her new website and ensure that it would show up in search results. I discovered something that she already knew, that she had two websites on *******:****************** and UnClogMaskcom.
  
  Both sites had similar content, styling, and products. I let her know that they were competing with each other, something which is called 'cannibalizing web content that will result in poorer search results for both websites. It is relevant to mention that she took the ****************** website down the day after I pointed out to her that there were two websites. Her explanation was, ...the previous designer did something and I have to pay for the theme.
  
  While I believed her at the time, I am no longer convinced her explanation was truthful.
  
  As a result of my review of her online presence she did hire a graphic designer and writer, *** *******, to design a new logo and write blog posts that I added to the new website as it was in development.
  Please see attachment:
  Re Websites 10-3-2024
  

  Seventh Statement:
  We have documentation showing that WaterWeb Link failed to follow through on key deliverables and responsibilities including setting up automation and engaging in project communications via our ************
  Response:
  This statement is not true. The contract was fulfilled. Communicating through ***** was not a part of the contract. ****** ***** and I communicated on the phone, on Zoom, on ****** Meet, via email, and,beginning in ******** ****** Docs. Slack was the communication service that *** ******* used to communicate with ****** *****. They began using Slack months before ****** ***** invited me to join. Because I was responsible for building the website, not writing content or designing the logo, my presence on Slack was not necessary.
  

  Eighth Statement:
  After full payment was made, communication dropped off, and tasks remained incomplete.
  Response:
  This is entirely false. ****** ***** made the final payment on March ******. Looking through my emails I found over 40 emails, ****** Meet appointments, and other communication between us dated after March ******.
  

  Ninth Statement:
  I have full documentation of the Slack conversation and the technical status of the site at the time of handoff.
  Response:
  Okay.
  

  Tenth Statement:
  I requested a refund, citing the lack of usable output and the financial losses Ive incurred, including lost time, lost clients, and missed business opportunities. Unfortunately, **** *** refused, claiming she completed the workwhich is not supported by the state of the project or the available documentation.
  Response:
  The only true part of this statement is that ****** ***** did request a partial refund. In a ****** Meet call on April 30th she told me that she would be working with *** from the *********** who she had worked with previously on her ******* website. She told me that his charge would be $700. The next day I received the attached email.
  

  What she failed to include is that we had discussed using a different plugin to handle the e-commerce and affiliate functionality on the website, one that would more easily connect with ShipStation, reducing her shipping costs.
  

  Again, this was not required in the contract.
  

  However, after discussion and her agreement, on April 23, ******************************* place of SureCart, and configured all of the products. I still needed to install and configure the WooCommerce Affiliate Plugin, activate WooCommerce Shipping, and, with her help, connect WooCommerce to her Stripe account. I was confident that *********** would connect with ShipStation, reducing her shipping costs. We set up a ******Meet for the morning of April 24, 2025. She did not attend that meeting but called me to let me know she was having computer trouble. We rescheduled for the following day, but, again, ****** ***** was unavailable. By Monday, April 28, 2025 I found that she had locked me out of the website by removing my access. She also kept the site in a maintenance mode.
  

  Interestingly, on May 6, 2025 when I responded to her email I found that the site was live, looking exactly as I had left it but with the WooCommerce fully configured and operational. However, I no longer had administrator access.
  Please see attachments:
  Update 4-23-2025
  Re Formal Request for Partial Refund Due to Contract Breach and Project NonDelivery 5-1-2025
  Email 5-6-2025.
  

  Eleventh Statement:
  I am seeking reimbursement for the undelivered and unusable work, as I had to rebuild the site from scratch with another developer.
  Response:
  Yes, she is.
  

  Twelfth Statement:
  I am happy to provide screenshots, timelines, and developer reports to support my case.
  Response:
  Okay. 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/19/2025

   

  1. Name on Contract

  While I did go by ****** ******* at the time of signing, I clearly communicated my legal and business name (****** *****, ********************), and *************** used both names interchangeably throughout our work together. This is not relevant to the complaint and appears to be an attempt to discredit rather than address the actual issues.

  ---

  2. Hosting on SiteGround vs. Developers Server

  I opted for my own hosting on SiteGround to maintain transparency and full ownership of my sitea standard industry practice. Hosting location was never the issue. The core problem was the lack of usable and scalable deliverables.

  ---

  3. Nature of the Contract Not Just a Landing Page

  Yes, the contract was for a full e-commerce website with:

  • Public-facing product **********
  • Affiliate registration and *************
  • Wholesale purchasing ************

  Despite these goals, the functionality delivered was incomplete, fragmented, and not scalable for business use. ***************** were superficial, automation was lacking or broken, and key workflows (fulfillment, onboarding, email marketing, commissions) were manual or missing.

  ---

  4. Timeline Delays and Project Management

  While I briefly traveled and experienced illness, I remained actively engaged, provided content in January and February, and consistently communicated via Zoom, Slack, ****** Drive, and email.

  **** Anns claim that I caused the delay is misleading. A professional ********* should be able to build frameworks, placeholders, and structure while awaiting final contentstandard practice in phased development.

  ---

  Additional Note Regarding Communication & Delays

  I also experienced repeated delays due to **** Anns personal distractions. While I empathize with her life events, they directly interfered with the projects momentum. Nearly every meeting included updates unrelated to our work, including:

  • Her husband's shoulder ************
  • A neighbors dog ************
  • Attending conferences and *************
  • Wedding planning for her *************

  These frequent personal stories overtook critical project time. I had to follow up repeatedly to refocus on timelines, deliverables, or technical issues. As a small business owner with limited resources, these distractions created costly delays and loss of credibility with potential partners.

  ---

  5. Product Listings and Automation

  Even after submitting product data, **** *** failed to implement a standard automation system. I asked for integration with tools like ShipStation (widely used for e-commerce). She insisted on using ********, which lacked key automation functions. Only after final payment and missed meetings did she attempt a last-minute switch to WooCommerceyet it was never completed.

  ---

  6. Orders and Affiliate Signups Don't Prove Readiness

  Yes, a few test orders and affiliate signups occurred, but this does not equal a usable platform. The backend lacked:

  • Product *******************
  • Reliable shipping *****************
  • Branded affiliate storefronts (a core *****************
  • Automated affiliate onboarding and ************

  ---

  7. Slack Communication Was Essential

  Slack was our central collaboration hub. It held shared files, task threads, design feedback, and communication with my consultant. **** *** was added but often

  ---

  8. Post-Payment Communication ? Project Completion

  **** *** claims communication continued after the final payment, but key tasks remained incomplete:

  • WooCommerce not fully set *******
  • Affiliate system not ***************
  • Shipping not **************
  • No branded pages for ************
  • Site was left in maintenance *********

  Access was revoked only after multiple missed calls and unresolved issues.

  ---

  9. Claim I Lied About ******* Theme Costs

  This is irrelevant and speculative. The prior ******* site was deactivated based on her own SEO advice, as it conflicted with the new site. The explanation about theme cost was truthful and unrelated to this contract.

  ---

  10. Access Revoked Due to Non-Delivery

  **** *** lost admin access only after failing to show up for two rescheduled project meetings and leaving WooCommerce unconfigured. I had to bring in a second ********* to rebuild from scratch. This was to protect the project and timeline, not retaliate.

  ---

  11. Shipping "Unrealistic Expectations" Claim

  I expected what most e-commerce platforms provide: integrated shipping label generation. We discussed ShipStation, and she agreed to implement itbut never delivered a working solution. This became one of the primary reasons I had to hire another *********.

  ---

  12. "New Developer Used Her Work" Is False

  The second ********* scrapped the entire site due to broken architecture and unstable configurations. The plugins, theme, and setup were not viable for scaling the business. I have full documentation to support this.

  ---

  Summary

  Despite paying $5,350 in full, I received:

  • A shell of a ************
  • No functional affiliate ***********
  • No automation or reliable ****************
  • Significant project delays due to lack of **********
  • Additional costs from hiring a second *********
  • Lost clients and missed business ******************

  **** *** did not complete the project as outlined and made no effort to provide a refund or settlement. As a small business owner trying to launch a healthcare platform to help patients and providers, this experience caused

  ---

  Request for Resolution

  I am seeking partial reimbursement for the undelivered and unusable work. I am prepared to provide:

  ********************
  • Slack and email ****************
  • Documentation of the websites **************
  • A report from my second *********

  This case is not about personal grievances. It is about contract performance, professional standards, and accountability.