As consultants and developers for hire we often don’t get to put our name in a product we work on. Sometimes we are not even allowed to reference the client or even mention that we were even part of the development effort. That’s part of the job description, and I’m ok with that.
What’s not ok is when people try to take credit for work they didn’t do.
Recently I’ve been contacted by several companies trying to sell their iPhone development services to me. I’m not interested in outsourcing the core of my business to another company, but I sometimes play along just to hear their pitch. One of the first things I ask for is references. What apps, available on the App Store, have you developed?
Here’s how the conversation went with the Business Development Manager at a company called Backfire Solutions:
– In the document with references that Alexa Shame sent me, you list an app called Curious George. Can you tell me what your company’s role was on this project?
– Full lifecycle development.
– Very interesting. What would you say if I told you that a colleague of mine developed this app?
– That is very strange because we developed that app.
– I’m looking at the source code for the app on my computer screen right now and I see my colleague’s name in the headers, but not yours.
– Uhmm. Please hold a minute, let me talk to my project manager. [Typing furiously, presumably in an IM window.] Actually, we just did some image work for that app.
– So not really any full lifecycle development?
– No. And actually we’re not really allowed to reference this client. Please do not talk to them about this. Is it ok if we sign an NDA now?
– Let me get this straight: You claim to have developed apps that you didn’t, you provide client references that are not really references, and you share client confidential information when soliciting new business. Did I miss anything?
– Uhmm.
– Good bye.
As a developer I get really upset when people claim that they have written code that they clearly had nothing to do with. But I’m not a spiteful person so I was going to let this go. That was until Backfire Solutions called us a second time! This time it was a colleague of mine that took the call, and they launched into a similar sales pitch. This is how you end up on the iPhone Developer Wall of Shame.
The next story comes courtesy of Rutabaga Makeincident at As*h**e Designs. He claims his 11 programmers are “are sort of expert in IPhone”. When asked for references he sent over a list of iPhone apps that included Twitterific.
– Twitterific? Really?!
– No reply.
Repeated attempts to clarify their role in the development of Twitterific were met with silence. I assume that they realized that their bluff had been called and they were busy working their next lead — one that hopefully would not question their references.
How do these companies think they can get away with such blatant lies? My guess is that they don’t realize how small and tight the iPhone development community in the U.S. is. I’m probably not more than two or three degrees of separation away from any professional iPhone developer based in this country. So if I don’t directly know the developer of an app, chances are that I know somebody who does. Within a great community like this, it’s very easy to verify who actually developed an app.
I know I’m not alone in getting these solicitations. Please share your stories in the comments.
- Developers stealing from developers: an App Store tale
- iPhone Appmakers Caught Taking Credit For Apps They Didn’t Build
- Some iPhone Coders Padding Resumés With Lies
Update 11/22/2010: Mr. Rutabaga Makeincident has contacted me with a “Concern” about what I wrote about him and his company in this blog post. This of course made me concerned too, and I offered to immediately correct anything that was factually incorrect in what I have written. After further conversation it turns out that there wasn’t really anything wrong with what I wrote, he just wanted his name removed from this web page.
Mr. Rutabaga furthermore said that his prior fraudulent claims about his company’s credentials was a mistake, and he profusely apologized. I think we can all agree that lying to potential customers is a big mistake, and I offered to publish his apology. From there the conversation degenerated into threats, culminating with “YOU HAVE TO PAY US FOR THIS 1000 USD FOR SPOIL REPUTATION”. It wasn’t sent with letters cut out from a newspaper, but I guess this is as close as you can get to a ransom note via email.
To be clear: I have no experience with, or knowledge of the quality of the work performed by the companies mentioned here, and I make no such claims. (In fact there are comments below from apparent clients who have had success in working with with them.) I have merely reported the sales tactics these companies use with potential new clients, based on actual conversations that these companies initiated with me and my company.
Update 11/23/2010: I have been advised that giving in to extortionists demands is actually a good thing. My point with this post was to expose shady business practices in our industry, not necessarily hanging out the bad guys to rot. Therefore the names above have been altered to protect the not so innocent.
March 22nd, 2010 at 08:58
Two or three degrees of separation from any professional iPhone developer? Really?! Toot-toot. I find that about as believable as the claim that Mindfire developed Twitterific.
March 22nd, 2010 at 09:35
@Arnold: I did say U.S. based iPhone developers, which is an important qualification. Looking at my LinkedIn network statistics I have 43,800 contacts two degrees away, and over 3 million three degrees away. For sure these are not all iPhone developers, but the network effects are exponential. And when I include my readers of this blog as part of my first degree contacts, I think I cast a pretty wide net.
But lets put some numbers on the calculation. This blog gets about 35k unique visitors per month. Of those, about 12k are from the U.S. If we assume that each professional iPhone developer knows on average two other developers, then I have 24k developers in my second degree, and 48k in the third degree. For a grand total of 84,000 iPhone developers within three degrees of separation. I think that covers the number of U.S. based professional iPhone developers with some margin. And that doesn’t include the majority of my readers who live outside this country, some of which very likely knows one or two developers here.
March 25th, 2010 at 21:40
🙂 LOL.. Why are you even talking to them..
March 28th, 2010 at 21:15
This is so true!!! Don’t forget about the freelance sites. I have run across many unqualified developers putting lowball bids on projects. I don’t even stop by the sites anymore.
Well, they aren’t really iPhone/Objective-C developers – they are PHP, MySql, etc. experts that “think” they can write an iPhone application. In the meantime, customers are expecting to get an application for some ridiculously low amount of money. Most of the programmers, and clients, aren’t even familiar with the Apple process. Unfortunately, the projects end up listed again and again because some programmers “think” they can write Objective-C.
For kicks and giggles I posted a job listing about 3 or so months ago. The job listing was to create a native application for ChatRoulette on the iPad or iPhone. Hahaha. You wouldn’t believe the responses…(still laughing). I questioned them on how they could implement flash, some tried to tell me they were expert at flash and could have the project done in 3 days. Seriously! Only one real developer (from the UK) came to the front and called me out – he is my friend now. I told him what I was doing and he thought it was funny. I think it made him realize as well how many people bid for jobs with no knowledge of the device, or SDK.
BTW – Here is a listing by someone on a freelancer site:
“We generate considerable number of iPhone development leads and would like to outsource to a developers offshore. Our company currently provides solutions to our clients within the united state, we intend to expand the business to cover all mobile phone development. Please respond with updated profile, sample projects, and references. Note: Please be very specific with your core skill so we can properly align your organization profile.”
He will definitely get what he pays for!! I think his projects are listed for $100 or less….lol. Really? He wants to outsource? Is he just cheap or ignorant? I didn’t put the company name because he doesn’t deserve any publicity.
April 8th, 2010 at 03:45
We got few apps done from Aston Designs and they have successfully delivered our app yes there was few heart throbbing moments but in the end it got well 🙂 may be you could have mis understood.
July 4th, 2010 at 11:55
I think than many companies lie in their portolios, I’m sure that few of our clients (like agencies) use our portfolio to show to the clients as their work. They just say it’s confidential and show clients our work (I don’t recommend sending brochures etc. to agencies etc. – just to direct clients).
We are seeking for clients (which is actually not easy when you are not US based), but I think it’s hard when you have to deal with unfair competitors.
Some day one of India based companies contacted us to “cooperate” or something, then after losing some time for discussion I figure out that they just want money for work. OK I asked them for some sample pricing and project, I just get request to join linked in and that their expert will contact me ASAP when he back from somewhere (can’t remember), so it’s like 2 months and didn’t get any reponse. I think that they don’t have any iPhone portfolio and just seeking for any project.
November 22nd, 2010 at 21:43
Hi All ,
My name is Rupen , We have done an app called speaking twitter and the app is more powerful then twitterfic , and the links was given by mistake to Nick which i think he has taken seriously
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/speakingtwitter/id366646673?mt=8
Nick , the reason for not replying you is that i found you a time pass person who just enquire companies to know what they are doing and not interested in giving business , sorry fur misunderstanding
Guys why are you entertaining this type of things which are written against a company or an individual , however Nick i think has no better business other then that but what about other guys ?
I would like you to stop commenting on blog here and even warn Nick not to do this any further
Thanks
Rupen – Aston Designs
November 22nd, 2010 at 22:19
Nick if you not approving this then you are not fair
Hi All ,
My name is Rupen , We have done an app called speaking twitter and the app is more powerful then twitterfic , and the links was given by mistake to Nick which i think he has taken seriously
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/speakingtwitter/id366646673?mt=8
Nick , the reason for not replying you is that i found you a time pass person who just enquire companies to know what they are doing and not interested in giving business , sorry fur misunderstanding
Guys why are you entertaining this type of things which are written against a company or an individual , however Nick i think has no better business other then that but what about other guys ?
I would like you to stop commenting on blog here and even warn Nick not to do this any further
Thanks and Regards
Rupen – Aston Designs