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[steveo Friend steveoJoin date: November 2006Posts: 9Downloads:0Uploads:1]

#118332

I feel really disappointed with JoomlArt and wanted to ask if anyone else has experienced the same?

A week or so ago I subscribed for the membership option “JATC Standard Membership – 6 months” paying my 50 USD.

I made an error with my interpretation of what the JoomlArt team meant by “domain” because other membership-type Joomla sites I have joined have been organised so that you pay your money for a set period of membership and can then download and use (for non-commercial purposes) any and all of the templates.

It wasn’t until I was returned to the JoomlArt web site after completing my payment at PayPal that I realised that I was mistaken in this understanding.

Within 10 minutes of completing the PayPal transaction I e-mailed JoomlArt explaining my error and asked for a refund because I have 4 web sites (all of them non-commercial) that I wanted to use templates on.

3 days later I received an e-mail that stated that the JoomlArt terms and conditions state the usage restrictions, that is to say for my 50 USD I can use 2 templates on live sites and if I wanted more then I should upgrade when my “membership” was due for renewal.

I am really disappointed with this attitude and feel totally let down by the JoomlArt team.

At the very least I would have hoped for understanding and a refund – as a goodwill gesture if nothing else.

But I have received nothing.

Not even replies to 2 out of 3 e-mails.

Has anyone else been let down by JoomlArt?

:((

[asam Friend asamJoin date: January 2007Posts: 1Downloads:0Uploads:0]

#213210

can’t say I feel sorry for you. You made the transaction under Joomlart policy, it seems to me the goof up was on your part.

[steveo Friend steveoJoin date: November 2006Posts: 9Downloads:0Uploads:1]

#213211

I don’t feel sorry for myself, so there’s no reason for you to think you should 😉

I’m an unhappy customer, very unhappy with the level of service I’ve received.

I admitted my misinterpretation of the Terms and Conditions within 10 minutes of completing my payment. In that e-mail I also asked for clarification of what the JoomlArt team refer to as “domain” because I found the terminology ambiguous.

Two days later, after a second e-mail from me I received a reply that basically said “your mistake, we’re keeping your $50”.

The e-mail reply also drew my attention back to the original page (comparison) which I still found ambiguous.

Eventually I found an icon sized 11 pixels by 11 pixels that, if I hovered my mouse over it, gave an unequivocal explanantion. the rest of the page is confusing and ambiguous.

What the JoomlArt “membership” boils down to is that if you opt for the first option then you’re paying $40 for a template because you can only use one template on a live site.

It makes no difference that you can download as many as you like, or that they might publish so many more new templates in the coming months… you can still only use one template on a live site.

I think this is confusing and unfair.

This set-up is so different from other membership sites where you can use as many as you like.

The original error may have been mine, based on an honest misunderstanding on my part which I contacted them about as soon as I realised, as I say within 10 minutes.

Since then the “customer service” from JoomlArt has been appalling, getting no responses to e-mails and a response that basically said “tough s**t”.

Very sad beause I am used to an excellent level of service from the commercial side of the Joomla community.

[Hung Dinh Friend Hung DinhJoin date: September 2014Posts: 4408Downloads:11Uploads:189 Thanks: 309 Thanked: 3310 times in 3 posts]

#213229

Hi SteveO,
If you have any difficulities in using our templates, please post them in the forum to see if we can provide a solutions.
The current fee for our templates are reasonable compare with other templates on any oher templates sites.

[steveo Friend steveoJoin date: November 2006Posts: 9Downloads:0Uploads:1]

#213242

<em>@Hung Dinh 6301 wrote:</em><blockquote>The current fee for our templates are reasonable compare with other templates on any oher templates sites.</blockquote>

Well, I think $40 for one template is expensive, but that’s not the point.

Here’s another way of looking at it:

You’re shopping for something, anything that costs $40-$50. Anything at that price is not cheap (right?) so you go to different shops to check out what they have to offer, eventually you visit yet another shop selling the same range of things you’re looking for.

A little bit weary from all your shopping you choose something that looks the same as the ones you’ve been looking at and ones you’ve bought before in other places so you buy.

You walk out of the shop, look again at what you’ve just bought and you realise straight away that you’ve made a mistake so you go straight back into the shop and explain.

Any shop-keeper who is being fair and reasonable says

“No problem, do you want to change it?”

You say:

“No, thanks, but you don’t seem to have what I’m looking for.”

Shop Assistant replies:

“No problem, let me give you a refund.”

My problem with JoomlArt is I contacted you within 5 minutes, 10 minutes maximum (including time to write e-mail) of completing the transaction to ask for clarification of your terminology and apologising, asked for a refund if I’d made a mistake.

You took 3 days to reply to me and said “no refund”, basically when you could eventually be bothered to reply you more or less said “your mistake, tough shit”. Those are not the words you used but that is the gist of what you said. And you’ve still only replied to one of the three (or is it four?) emails that I have sent.

Is that what you call good customer service?

I call that appalling customer service.

[ErikThorsen Friend ErikThorsenJoin date: December 2005Posts: 1098Downloads:0Uploads:7 Thanks: 22 Thanked: 10 times in 1 posts]

#213258

This to SteveO,

I understand your frustration and would probably react the same way, no matter where I had been shopping. Different stores have different policy for refund. I can understand that you are frustrated, then again, 40 USD isn’t the world. Of course, the best thing would be for Joomlart-team to refund you to not have any bad publicity but then again, it is their choice how to handle this as long as it is following their terms for joining a club.

You must be aware that you have joined a club? 🙂

Anyways, wishing you good luck on this matter. I am and have always been very much pleased with the outstanding work of Joomlart but you are right in the fact that their replies could have been faster. I think they are growing really fast and need to speed up the customer support a bit but I am sure they are right on top of things!

Dying to see the new template tomorrow. I am sure it will rock hard!

[Hung Dinh Friend Hung DinhJoin date: September 2014Posts: 4408Downloads:11Uploads:189 Thanks: 309 Thanked: 3310 times in 3 posts]

#213269

Hi Steveo,
I understand your feeling but there is 2 things that everybody will have to agree.
– We are selling intangible products and once account is created, the product is downloaded (shipped). It is very hard for us to control whether our product be still used or not.
– We have a very clear step-by-step site up and refund policy is well informed in both FAQs and Terms of Use.

If you find any difficulity in using the template please let us know.
ErikThorsen, since I try to deliver 2 templates per month, times for the templates have taken lot of our time. More people are getting in and we will get everything in hand very, very soon

Have you had good time in Vietnam?

[steveo Friend steveoJoin date: November 2006Posts: 9Downloads:0Uploads:1]

#213274

Erik, thanks for at least looking at things from my perspecetive.

As for being part of a club? Well, to be honest, this has left a very bad taste in mouth.

<em>@Hung Dinh 6352 wrote:</em><blockquote>
– We are selling intangible products and once account is created, the product is downloaded (shipped). It is very hard for us to control whether our product be still used or not.
</blockquote>

Hung Dinh, I understand completely that you sell intangible products and I understand your position that It is very hard for you to control whether your product will still used if a refund is given.

In those circumstances it comes down to trust, and perception of honesty.

Do you think I would have gone to all this trouble if I was trying to deceive you by securing a refund and intended to keep/use some of your templates??

Please don’t forget that I first composed and sent my e-mail within 10 minutes of paying – not downloading paying.

<em>@Hung Dinh 6352 wrote:</em><blockquote>
– We have a very clear step-by-step site up and refund policy is well informed in both FAQs and Terms of Use.
</blockquote>

On this point I would have to totally disagree – if it is “very clear” then I would not have made my mistake in the first place. Hung Dinh, I am not a stupid person but I found things confusing, confusing enough to pay you $50 when, if things had been clear, I would not have done that.

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