Get support terms and custom work in writing before paying: what is included, response and delivery times, who owns the code, how changes are accepted, and what happens if the vendor misses a date. Keep dated records, escalate in steps, and check whether consumer-law guarantees for services apply to your purchase.
From the original phpWordPress forum · archived copy
a forum member ·
I purchased a developer license 8 days ago on 23 May 2006 but despite the promised $200 worth of customisations nothing happened yet. * I submitted a request to ask whether your guys can change the program in such way that I have permission control for groups. - Support said that they will come back to me but nothing happened yet. * In this forum I was advised to open a support ticket (#IZF-21581-695) regarding Collapsible sections as many users want this hack and I was even willing to pay for it. - Support promised they will send the patch to allow this on Monday but it's now Friday and nothing happened yet. * I posted a Scriptlance project to get programmers to build a member area according my specifications but decided to also ask your support guys for a quotation. - They said that they will give me a quotation once I answered a few questions that I did a few days ago but nothing happened yet. Really guys. I don't mind too much about the $200 worth of customisations as part of the developer package deal but how come that I, a deaf person without ANY after school training, can build an almost complete member area to my own specifications within less than a day while your support staff cannot even kept in contact with their customers let alone didn't do anything during past 8 days? For me the Collapsible sections are very important and several of your clients requested such feature/hack, but despite this and the fact that it's an easy task (unfortunatelly not for me) it's now one week later without finalisation thereof.
phpWordPress staff (Product Line Manager) ·
a forum member, Deepest apologies for this delay. I'll prioritize this issue personally and it will be taken care of within next 24 hours, or you will be fully refunded. I understand you completely.
a forum member ·
Thanks a lot One of the reasons why I posted here is because that I noticed your effective management of this forum and was relative sure that you will be able to help. Rgs
a forum member ·
Except for the Collapsible sections, which is anyway a feature that many users requested, I have not received any further reply or response from Wordpress regarding the promised $200 free customisations as special on a developer license. Most of the customisations I need is already done by myself or at a cost via scriptlance programmers but I know want to post a support request for 2 tables in home page for articles (Instead of the standard one row I want two columns) I believe that WordPress already have such option but the ticket system don't work and keeps saying that I am not logged in. (With the scriptlance projects I was even willing to PAY (instead of relaying on the $200 free customisations promise) and asked WordPress for a quote. Support said that they will not recommend that I use scriptlance and will give me a quote, but up to date, several days later, I still not heard anything from them again. Come-on guys. Do you really think that, as soon as a client paid for his license, you don't need to bother any further to answer his questions and requests or fulfill any promises?
a forum member ·
After 4 days still no reaction?? I really want 2 tables in home page for articles (Instead of the standard one row I want two columns) and considered the fact that WorldPress PROMISSED $200 worth of customisation I think above is a very simply request. This is part of a valid SALES transaction guys and by ignoring such promises amount to fraud and false advertising. I am an easy going person that always prefer to work together but how can I, or anyone else for that matter, trust people that ignore valid purchase promises once they received payment?
phpWordPress staff (Product Line Manager) ·
a forum member, We really do not ignore purchase promises, I'm sure every single Developer customer of ours can backup my words. I trully feel sorry you have a communication problem with us, and I'll give my best to overcome this. With regard to your customization bonus, you wanted us to do a certain feature that we recommended you not to oursoruce. The only reason we said so is because we deeply believe that you would loose your time and money by hiring someone from Scriptlance, nothing else. You're free to go ahead with this solution, if you feel so. The customization you required is quite complicated, not something that can go into $200. Having central hub for article managemt between several domains requires XML RPC (remote procedure calls) and many other things to implement deep down inside the core of the system. That is why the person responsible for quotes didn't reply to you right away, although it does not clear his responsibilty to the customer (you in this case). It is entirely our fault. I'm sure we can quickly sort this out and reach a solution. If you wish, I'll gladly give you a call to discuss this over the phone and we'll get over this in no time. Just PM me with your phone number, and I'll give you a call today. p.s. With regard to the ticket system - it works normally, just login with your Forum username/password.
a forum member ·
Thanks for the reply I already managed to do almost anything that I need with just minimal help of scriptlance programmers. Would anyway be nice if WordPress could just at least emailed me back to inform me of any problems. As said almost anything is now sorted out except for the 2 table display of articles as mentioned above and the irritating fact that customers must login at each website separately. (Nor the programmer or I could manage to transfer the logged in session between the websites. I don't know whether it's possible so I didn't even asked for such customisation) I cannot phone sorry. I am deaf so have to use email etc. Rgs
phpWordPress staff (Product Line Manager) ·
a forum member, If you wish to make any other direct contact with me - via MSN, or anything else, feel free to tell me. With regard to 2 table display of articles, please let us know what exactly is the problem so we can help. Cheers
a forum member ·
The tables is not a problem but it will looks much better with 2 tables so it's a customisation. (There is other post in this forum about that but the link is dead) I will pm you the url's ok. Don't want to make it know at this stage
phpWordPress staff (Product Line Manager) ·
Here's the customization to allow this: http://www.word-press.net/forums/showthread.php?t=243
View the archived thread on the Wayback Machine. Usernames and contact details have been removed.
In 2006 a customer who bought a developer licence said the customisation promised with it had not arrived eight days later, and that support had gone quiet on three separate requests. The vendor replied on the forum with an apology and a deadline. The problem is not specific to that vendor. Whenever custom work or support is sold alongside software, the gap between what was promised and what was written down decides how it ends.
What should I get in writing before I pay?
Sales conversations, forum posts and chat messages are easy to dispute. A short written statement of work is much harder to argue with. Ask for these items before payment:
| Item | What to pin down |
|---|---|
| Deliverables | Each feature or fix, described so you can tell whether it works |
| Exclusions | What is not included, so nobody assumes it is |
| Dates | Start, delivery and review dates, or a response-time commitment |
| Price | Fixed price or hours cap, and the rate for anything extra |
| Acceptance | How you approve the work and how long you have to report problems |
| Ownership | Who owns the code and whether it can be reused elsewhere |
| Support | Channel, hours, response and resolution targets, how long after delivery |
| Remedies | What happens if a date is missed, including refund or credit |
A promise like “customisations worth a set amount come with the licence” is a marketing line until it is translated into this list. Ask what it buys in hours, which features qualify and by what date.
How is custom CMS work scoped well?
Scoping is where most disputes are decided. Describe the change as behaviour, such as “an editor can restrict a section to a user group”, rather than a technique. Then:
- List the user roles and pages affected.
- Say which CMS version and theme it must work on.
- Agree how it will be tested, and on what staging environment.
- State what happens at the next CMS upgrade, because customisations can break.
That last point matters. WordPress documentation warns that an update replaces core files, so changes made to core are lost. Ask the developer to build custom features as plugins, modules or child themes that survive updates, and to document them. See our guide to major upgrades for what then needs retesting.
Who owns custom code?
Check both the contract and the licence. If the CMS is GPL, as Drupal says of its modules and themes, code that is distributed must carry GPL terms. That does not say who owns the copyright in commissioned work, or whether the agency can resell it. Ask, and write the answer into the agreement. Our licensing guide explains the licence families.
What are reasonable support terms?
Support promises vary widely, so compare like with like:
- Channel and hours. Ticket, email or phone, and in whose time zone.
- Response versus resolution. A first reply within a day is not a fix within a day.
- Severity levels. Site down is different from a cosmetic bug.
- Security fixes. For community software, check how vulnerabilities are announced. Drupal, for example, says its Security Team issues public announcements for projects covered by its advisory policy.
- Term. How long the support lasts after purchase, and what renewal costs.
Whether to pay for a formal service-level agreement depends on what an outage costs you. A news site that loses revenue every hour it is down needs different cover from a small blog.
What can I do when a vendor goes quiet?
Work in steps and keep a record.
- Re-read what was agreed and gather the dated messages.
- Send one clear written message: what was promised, what is missing, the date you need it by.
- If there is no answer, escalate to a named manager and copy the earlier message.
- Invoke the contract’s dispute or refund process, if it has one.
- Pay by a method that allows chargebacks where you can, and hold back final instalments until you accept the work.
- Get advice from a regulator or lawyer before any formal step.
The 2006 reply used a version of this approach: a firm deadline and a refund offer if it was missed. Ask for that kind of commitment in writing at the start, not after a dispute.
Do consumer-law protections apply?
In some places, yes. Business.gov.au, the Australian government’s business information site, states that services must be carried out with due care and skill, be fit for the purpose stated, and be supplied in a reasonable time if no timeframe was agreed. It also states that a business cannot override these guarantees with a “no refunds” policy or a warranty.
Two cautions. The guarantees are framed around consumers, so whether a company buying CMS services is covered depends on the circumstances and the law of your country. And a statutory right is a fallback, not a plan: it is far easier to agree dates and acceptance up front than to argue about what was “reasonable” afterwards. If a dispute is serious, speak to your local consumer regulator or a lawyer. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Should I hire the vendor or an independent agency?
Vendors know the product but may prioritise their own roadmap. Independent agencies may know several CMSs, but depend on the same public documentation as you. Ask either for similar projects, how they handle upgrades, and a named contact. When the product is open source, you can usually move to another developer later, which is an advantage over a closed service. Check how we test for what Word & Press verifies and what it leaves to vendors’ own statements.
Questions people ask
What should a CMS support agreement include?
State what is covered, how to raise a request, response and resolution targets, support hours, what counts as out of scope, and the price for extra work. Add how long fixes are supported after delivery and what happens if a target is missed.
How do I scope customisation work properly?
Write the feature as testable acceptance criteria, list what is excluded, set a fixed price or an hours cap, and agree a delivery date. Ask for a staging build to approve before payment of the final instalment, and confirm who owns the finished code.
What can I do if the vendor stops replying?
Send a dated written notice that quotes the agreed terms and sets a reasonable deadline. Escalate to a named manager, then to the contract's dispute process. Keep copies of every message. A regulator or legal adviser can tell you which remedies apply.
Do consumer-law protections apply to software support?
They can. In Australia, business.gov.au says services must use due care and skill, suit the stated purpose and be supplied in a reasonable time. Whether they cover a business purchase depends on the circumstances, so check with the regulator in your country.
Sources
- Business.gov.au states that under Australian consumer guarantees, services must be carried out with due care and skill, be fit for the purpose stated, and be supplied in a reasonable time if no timeframe was agreed with the consumer. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Business.gov.au states that a business cannot have a store policy that overrides consumer guarantee rights, such as a 'no refunds' sign, and that a warranty cannot override the consumer guarantees. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Drupal's security advisory policy says covered contributed projects display a note that stable releases are covered by the security advisory policy, meaning the Drupal Security Team issues public announcements about vulnerabilities. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- WordPress's update documentation warns that updating affects all core files and that any modifications made to core files will be lost. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Drupal's licensing page states that Drupal modules and themes are a derivative work of Drupal and, if distributed, must be distributed under the terms of the GPL version 2 or later. — source, checked 10 October 2026.