Don’t use WPFixit.com

Last June a friend turned over a WordPress website to me. It had content I wanted to save but the site was acting up: I could get into the admin section, but the site itself would not load posts or pages for visitors.

I tried contacting the hosting company, but I did not have an account with them and they never responded. I had never seen WordPress do what this installation was doing; I was temporarily stumped.

While searching the Internet for answers, I came across a link to WPFixit.com. For $39 they said they could fix most WordPress problems. The clincher was this promise, which appears on more than one page of their website:

“Do you have a WordPress issue that is driving you mad? If so let us fix it for you. We will fix any single issue for only $39. If we can’t fix it we will refund your money. You have nothing to lose!!!” (emphasis added)

Well, as it turned out, they could not help me. Their advice was to contact the hosting company, which I had already done, and already found out was a dead end. After tinkering for about 30 minutes, I restored the functionality of the site, grabbed the content, and moved everything to one of my installs at WPEngine.com (where it has been running flawlessly ever since, as you might expect).

I informed WPFixit.com that I would resolve the issue myself, and thus did not need their help. Curiously, instead of a refund, they offered me a credit. That should have been a warning, but I let it slide.

Recently, I figured that since nothing else had come up on any of my other WordPress sites that needed outside help, I would try to convert my credit to a refund.

No dice.

Both Grace and Jay and WPFixit.com told me on no uncertain terms that there was no way for me to get a refund. I quoted their website promise to them.

Nothing doing.

I pointed out that I had resolved the issue myself. Jay responded that I had been able to do this only with his help! Considering his advice was to contact the hosting provider, and the hosting provider had never gotten back to me, this is a very curious position to take, to say the least.

So, if you find yourself with a WordPress problem, avoid WPFixit.com and find someone who is competent and honest, or simply use a WordPress host that offers technical assistance as part of your hosting package.

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