I am ready for a new website. After reviewing several options, Bludomain seemed the best prices for the best website. I did read the reviews here about many having trouble with Bludomain customer service. I do not have the exact date with me but I believe it is about two weeks since I contact Bludomain via email about a new website. I got an auto response saying I was in the quo but no contact since then.

So admitedly I knew I might run into customer service issues but I decided to give them a try and I can only say that so far, what others are complaining about is true.

Jim

There are many many other options out there. No point in getting an identical website as others and having issues and disappointment.

If you really want one of their sites, latch on to a single contact person there and grab a shot patience, they can be frustrating to deal with, but the sites are nice. Good luck

I'll state what I've stated for a while. I must be lucky, but dealing with one contact helps. I get service in 24hrs or less.

me too. I filled out a ticket today and had the problem solved in under an hour - I think I deal with a different company

Yup, same here. I got my website pretty quickly. I think its just those who have/had experiences voiced their opinions

deebo7 wrote:
Yup, same here. I got my website pretty quickly. I think its just those who have/had experiences voiced their opinions
well its far more than a handful of people, but regardless, their meltdown last spring and response to it should have everyone running for the hills.

I have loved my site, however I have had some customer service issues, but after several problems that weren't resolved I sent emails to everyone on their staff that I could get an email address for and it got fixed in 20 minutes they yelled at me for it, but I lost a wedding because they couldn't view my galleries and needed to make a quick decision...

I have a Blu site and every other photog has one also





Do not use them for hosting



sf

As far as I'm concerned, they SUCK. They were happy to take my $550 on Feb. 22nd and I still have no site up. They have no phone number to call (now I know why), they often take days to respond to e-mails, and they will not deal with your hosting company as they say they don't have the "resources." They have my resources, 550 of them and I've got nothing almost 30 days out from trying to do business with them. I've set a deadline of noon tomorrow to have me up and working or give me my money back.

My advice to you is that if you have lots of time on your hands, and you're really patient, and you don't mind sending 10 e-mails when one should do it, buy a site from Bludomain. Like many others, I was attracted to their awesome looking sites, and reasonable cost. Now, I wish I'd never given them my credit card number. Pay the extra cash and go elsewhere for your website needs. These guys are not worth the headache. No amount of cool design is worth crappy customer service.

Their hosting is great. Never down, always fast, all the features I need.

Again, I must have come in during an era where I was stamped as "VIP". But, I'm looking for a new site, and NOT for anything BLU has done. Just need something more customized. Like steven said, everyone has one.

I used them for a few years but recently dropped them.

Not easy enough to get them to set up on anything but their own servers. Won't be using them again.

Ever

I'm at WPPI right now and went to the BLU booth this afternoon. I let them know how awesome I thought their sites were and how the price was right etc. I then asked why the service sucked! The girl looked at me like I was a teacher and she was just caught cheating on a test. Actually she was real open and honest about it. She said they are pumping out 1,000+ sites a month. Then I asked how big there staff was and she said, "full time? 5 people." Can someone say "bottle neck" The ARE aware of the problem and know about the negative feedback they are receiving.

She also said everything on their site currently is all being reduced to 1/2 price. They are now rolling out new site at their previous pricing that will have a more personal, limited look. They won't sell some sites more then once is what she said. We'll have to check them out after a few weeks to see.

~Sam

You might want to look further afield -

In the website selling business there tends to be one or two companies that sell to each industry - so, the ones that you know from photography cater to photography ... but: there are a million more firms that might make you happier.

Sam Hassas wrote:
She said they are pumping out 1,000+ sites a month. Then I asked how big there staff was and she said, "full time? 5 people." Can someone say "bottle neck" The ARE aware of the problem and know about the negative feedback they are receiving.


Yikes !! 5 people to service 12,000 sites annually?

Ya, people don't realize how busy they are. Yes they might have a bad rep, but doing 500+ sites per month for over a year is mind boggling. They need to hire 10 more people atleast.

1,000 sites a month x $400 average gross for each = $400,000 gross / month. $4,800,000 gross/yr. Not a bad business model.

StGreen wrote:
1,000 sites a month x $400 average gross for each = $400,000 gross / month. $4,800,000 gross/yr. Not a bad business model.

A little too good .. makes me wonder if her number are right.

I bought a BD template and am hosting on godaddy. I had my template "delivered" within 48 hours of purchasing and then went live within 36 hours of my request. I didn't have any problems requiring support but I got constant e-mails checking up on my progress and ways I could speak to a live person, if I needed. No, I didn't get a phone # but the concierge made herself available for a call at certain times (I just needed to let her know what time was best).

My experience with BD was great and I have no problem recommending them to someone else.

jtrandall wrote:
I am ready for a new website. After reviewing several options, Bludomain seemed the best prices for the best website. I did read the reviews here about many having trouble with Bludomain customer service. I do not have the exact date with me but I believe it is about two weeks since I contact Bludomain via email about a new website. I got an auto response saying I was in the quo but no contact since then.

So admitedly I knew I might run into customer service issues but I decided to give them a try and I can only say that so far, what others are complaining about is true.

Jim

check out this for templates
http://www.templatemonster.com/category.php?type=&tid=+-+Any+-&search_words=+-+Any+-&from_=-any-&to=-any-&cat=40&style=&author=&x=0&y=0

http://www.scriptlance.com/ For all the people that want a custom made site

Get designers to bid on your project. Review all the samples,etc and pay only after work is finished. I had my site done there within 3 weeks. Just make sure you are dealing with someone who already had similar sites made. There are a lot of "companies"(most likely kids..) who promise you mountains of gold,but deliver a pile of sh$t. Get someone with experience and get a custom site done to your liking. Some are so good,you can show them a design you want and they can make a similar one.

$300-500 for a custom made site is very very possible if a designer is not working in US. Mine was somewhere in the middle east.. Who cares! Amazing work.

cheers,
Dmitri

OK, so maybe I am a risk taker or like abuse but I plunked my money down on a BluDomain site and not looking back. I did an auto respond email saying they are all in Vegas except for techies keeping things running.

I will keep you posted.

Jim

Hi Everyone,
I am brand new to this forum. I purchased a website from BluDomain over two weeks ago and still I don't have my template to start working on. I'm really close to just getting my credit card company to dispute the charges as I am ready to go elsewhere. Ulgh, why didn't I look around a bit to see what people thought of them (wouldn't have had to look hard)?!? Anyhow, any tips on how to get them to respond to me? I'm very frustrated because I've been telling my clients to keep waiting, it will be any day now. Now I'M starting to sound like the BluDomain Staff!

Nately wrote:
Hi Everyone,
I am brand new to this forum. I purchased a website from BluDomain over two weeks ago and still I don't have my template to start working on. I'm really close to just getting my credit card company to dispute the charges as I am ready to go elsewhere. Ulgh, why didn't I look around a bit to see what people thought of them (wouldn't have had to look hard)?!? Anyhow, any tips on how to get them to respond to me? I'm very frustrated because I've been telling my clients to keep waiting, it will be any day now. Now I'M starting to sound like the BluDomain Staff!

You happened to have bought while they were away at the convention. Even thought they've had slow service lately because of the overwhelming influx of purchasers for the last bit, that doesn't mean they're totally worth giving up on.