Why is the template you sell nothing like the one you advertise?

I'm not here to buy some junk code and play with it for weeks. I'm here to buy a template and use it fast. Time is money... money is everything. You sell these things without a care in the world towards what the end user is getting.. if you did, the end result would emulate your advertised template... at least somewhat.

I downloaded new lifestyle.. I installed HikaShop.. I adjusted all the settings you have posted that you claim need adjusting. (Is everyone there ESL by the way?? .. Why can't you people write documentation like ANY other company in this or any other technical field?)

I get the feeling that you simply believe any modifications you made to sell the templates aren't included in the template price... what other reason could you have for not sending along settings or files to get the template looking the same and working correctly?

I have a few days left on my subscription..Please do the right thing and stand by your work...

Not impressed to date..

Ian

Hi Ian,

I'm sorry we are not reaching your expectations - we really do try hard in user support,template code and in documentation

Regarding New Lifestyle - given the complexity of ecommerce extensions we do refer users in many cases to the provider of the component e.g. Hikashop in this case

Can you point me to what you need help with documentation wise?

Regarding the template download itself - we don't include the shop component as it means the user would have to reconfigure the shop configuration, shop products, photos etc - together with the size of the download

Would it help if I created a ticket with a link to a downloadable version of the demo site file (minus the calendar extension for licensing reasons)? - this would be an akeeba file

Regards,

Paul

1)Your Templates should look exactly or nearly exactly to the templates you flog. We aren't buying a picture of what we can make it look like eventually. We're buying a shortcut,

2)Documentation is just that.. if you edit files.. and we need to do the same.and for some reason they can't be shipped as such.. then you record which ones and where they are and what edits were made. You include this as part of your "Documentation". IF necessary you RATE your installs by the ability of end users to ensure people who know nothing don't buy sites that require a lot of complex changes. This way they will buy them knowing they may need to hire someone.

I'll happily accept the akeeba backup.. as without it I either tweek this mess for hours unpaid and potentially without success) or I direct her to a different template. Having the files and ..sql dump file stored changed settings on should help.

There's a better way to ensure these products are more user friendly.

I don't know what purpose the Calendar serves on that template as of yet..

I don't recall seeing it in the demo site.... again.. A template is a template.. I'm not understanding how one sells a Truck and delivers something different. If you can't sell a template without certain add-on extensions.. then your pricing or licensing is out of whack... it should never be advertised as such.

If you think the Calendar isn't a big deal to the site then by all means send the backup along along.

Ian

Hi Ian,

I'll pass on your comments to the team so we can best respond to you feedback and improve on our offering

The calendar was at several users request and is intended to show the support offered for this popular component - its not required for the shop

The demo site with the shop has to be personalised to some degree for it to work so many users didn't want that given they would need to remove all these details and add their own.

I'll create the ticket for you shortly once the demo template is uploaded to drop box - the demo site I would suggest rather than using it as the site build I would use it as a reference to refer to

Regards
Paul

Hi Ian,

I have created a ticket for you - you should have received an email with the details in it

Thanks
Paul

Appreciated Paul..

I have a client who wants a certain look and feel to how her products are displayed for example. I sent her here and she chose two sites.. now I'm left trying get the look and feel of the original template before I can begin backend development of new features as she won't even indulge me until I show her the style she likes is what she is going to get.

I could have sold ten JoomlaBamboo sites (Plus Facebook versions etc.. I suggest you create one to go with some or even most of your templates as its a very popular request) in this subscription period if the templates were easily brought to demo likeness.

I'm not a designer.. re-styling takes me far longer than developing core functions and features.LIke many here I code in a variety of Frameworks.. but specialize in none (although I'm gravitating towards Joomla for my own projects of late). What might take you guys an hour to tweak will take me a day. Many here will have the same hurdles I suspect. So it is imperative the adjustments you guys make get passed on.

Help me sell your products.. Offering Facebook matching versions of sites that have eCommerce features will greatly increase sales in my opinion.. but again.. these things need to install clean and resemble what the client was attracted to in the first place.

Thanks again,

Ian

Hi Ian,

Can I just check what you mean by facebook versions?

Cheers
Paul

Paul...

There are template providers that create a "Facebook" template to match the site templates in whatever frameworks they are using. Google it.

I've only handled a few of them but have had requests from almost every client for one.

The Akeeba files are of no use .. Just more time wasted time. I'm astonished you'd advertise a product you know full well you aren't prepared to ship. A Template should be received as a carbon copy of what was sold. We're not buying ideas.

What you advertise is nothing close to what you ship.You're taking a risk considering your clients specialize in putting information on the web.

Hi Ian,

Please let me first apologise for the obvious frustration this has caused. I've added 6 months to your subscription to go towards trying to make this up to you.

Also before I respond to your points can I say that at this stage the quickest way to get you working with the theme is to install the demo package that Paul sent to you. I'm more than happy to do this for you if you like, we would just need ftp and cpanel or database details added to the ticket. To use Akeeba packages you need to use this kickstart file: www.akeebabackup.com/products/akeeba-kickstart.html

So to get to your points ... I completely understand your disappointment regarding this and I understand that when you purchase something out of the box the expectation is that it will just work.

All of the packages we release behave like this, with the exception New Lifestyle and Presto package. These two templates are special cases and it is remiss of me to not have advertised this on the feature page. We mention this on the documentation page but I understand that that's a little too late down the line.

Aside from the New Lifestyle and Presto, the other quickstart packages are more less replicas of the demo site. In most cases the demo has some tweaks such as the theme style menu items that are not included in the release package and are added to the demo after the demo is prepared.

When I built New Lifestyle, my experience of the Hikashop install process was that it was a relatively minor process to set up the shop the way we use it on the demo, as the default sample data used by Hikashop is quite useful.

I anticipated that it would take more work for the user to have to remove / edit the categories, products etc that we added as samples, rather than using the sample data provided by Hikashop. Using the installer from Hikashop plus the screenshots of the module settings on this page:

docs.joomlabamboo.com/joomla-templates/new-lifestyle

I felt that that would provide the detail required to setup a fresh install with Hikashop. It's obvious from your feedback that this is not the case.

As a result I will prepare a package for New Lifestyle that uses the demo data seen on the demo. The new package will be available Monday.

There should however be no need to edit any files so I would be keen to hear from you which files required editing.

Please accept my apologies again for the frustration this has caused.
Anthony

Hi Anthony,

I'm working from my own development server. I won't be posting it to a remote server until I'm done adding the custom functions and components etc.

The Akeeba backup has multiple issues.. blank admin page.. CSS not loading.. missing directory (Extensions) being pointed at in the database etc. Too much trouble shooting to bother with.. PHP versions and different server settings could also play into errors.

I'm considering trying to copy the style from the product views within Hikashop to get what you have displayed (I'm assuming those files are present and the same ones).

The client wants the products displayed like the posted site.. she quite likes your design Anthony.

My login states my membership has expired. I'd be happy with a 2 month extension and solving this situation.. then I'll renew.

Appreciate the effort to get this resolved.

Hi Iain,
Just letting you know that the quickstart package had been updated and should reflect most of the demo.

We can't package jCalPro in the package so it's been removed.

www.joomlabamboo.com/downloads/template-downloads?param=newlifestyle

Thanks

Not sure what happened with your extension but have just added the 2 months for you.
Thanks

Thank-you my friends! Installs fine.. appears as it should (I haven't messed with it.. but it seems fine and really it is the look I need ASAP to salvage this client).

Not only did you guys stand behind your product.. you put up with a stressed out, over-tired, client on a very tight deadline..

Customer service here really is second to none.Most shops would have handled me off their hands.. You guys stepped up!... That is huge to someone like me. I'm sure this template will become extremely popular now.

I'll try and dig up one of the templates I've purchased with a Facebook version (It wasn't cheap.. nearly $200 US or something like that just for the FB version) and pass the link and info along privately. I may have it archived somewhere.

Thanks again boys!..

Ian

P.S. If you have a page I can post about my positive experience, I'd love to share it with your customers. Well done.

Hey Iain,

Thanks for your great feedback and yes that's certainly our aim here. We don';t always hit the target but it's a part of our deep philosophy so we are always trying.

If you felt like reviewing Zentools here that would be helpful.

extensions.joomla.org/extensions/news-display/articles-display/articles-showcase/20759

Thanks