Surface51 reviews

1577384176

Lynn D.

google

Lynn, It's been several months since we've heard from you, and I'm really sorry to hear that you're having issues. I'm here to help. I'm Barry Abrams, Tech Director at SURFACE 51. Please send me an email at [email protected] or call me on my cell at 217-621-5269 so I can discuss this with you. I'd be happy to help you out. I hope to hear from you soon.

1577389116

2

S51 built a beautiful website with high functionality. However, they also promised they were "in the business of building websites, not maintaining them" and that "your website will be 100% your own". Neither of these things proved to be true. The CMS that S51 uses, Drupal, is only appropriate for high level intermediate to advanced web developers. I made it very clear I was a beginner when I began contract negotiations with S51. At no point did the difficult learning curve of Drupal come up. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH ON CMS PLATFORMS (DRUPAL, WORDPRESS, JOOMLA). Do not just accept S51 sales pitch. If Drupal is not for you, then choose a different company. They also assured me I would be able to manage my own site. If you hope to perform your own updates, plan on having a web developer on staff or purchasing S51's maintenance package. They knew my budget, that I was a start-up, and that I was only planning on creating a website if I could maintain it myself. Despite that knowledge, at no point was it mentioned how difficult Drupal would be to use and the price of the S51 maintenance package was never discussed until I had already given S51 $14,000 to complete the website build. Only after all my checks had cleared, my month "training and bug fix" period was up, and my website had encountered a fatal error did S51 quote me the $6000 a year to maintain and update my website. At this point they also backtracked by saying that they meant that managing your own website was editing your own text and photos, not completing your own security updates. I never would have committed to building a website, especially a Drupal one, if it had been made clear in the beginning that I would spend months of my life trying to keep it cobbled together. I would gladly give the entire thing back including the year of data in the database that I generated for my money back. Having S51 build this website is one of my greatest regrets. If you have a large annual budget for website development and maintenance, then S51 is the right choice. Even in my frustration, I can admit that their design is sleek and impeccable. I have a lot of respect for Andy and Michelle, the Drupal and web developers, after having fought a terrible 2 years trying to learn what they know. But I can't recommend S51 because the sales and contract process lacks transparency, the training they provided that was included in my contract was a joke, and the month support package is a placebo. Most the issues you encounter, particularly with the Drupal or module updates, won't occur until after the month of bug support has elapsed. I can't emphasize enough doing your own research about CMS platforms, security and platform updates after your initial contract expires, and the actual extent of the training packages offered by the website development company you are looking to employ.

1549667182

David Warfel

google

5

I had the privilege to work with the incredible team at Surface 51 multiple times over the past 15 years. From freelance website to academic department website to product launch, branding, and print materials, they impressed me with their fabulous design skills. Their team continues to blow me away with their knowledge and experience at seemingly every level of graphic design, marketing, web development, product marketing, print design, video, and animations. They tell the story, they are professional and creative, and just plain great collaborators. I will be back!

1546546631

Paige Smith

google

5

AMAZING group of extremely talented individuals!! This team always goes above & beyond ALL expectations- they never disappoint!! Not to mention, they take a lot of time to truly get to know your business and your needs so they may serve you the best way possible! They are the BEST at what they do, hands down!

1580394947

Ruth Wyman

google

5

Surface 51 is amazing! They listened to me, my ideas and the issues I care about and made an incredible marketing plan that has propelled my campaign further than I ever imagined. They listen and act and take in any suggestions and turn the work into most amazing products I have seen.

1548421923

Kristy K.

google

5

Surface 51 is an excellent partner! They do a great job designing and maintaining our website, with very good turnaround times for our requests. They are a great source for print design projects and have created a number of pieces for us over the years. The S51 team is easy to work with and always offers up fresh ideas to help us communicate more effectively.