The Blue from the Sky: The Bittersweet Promises of Unscrupulous Internet Agencies

Author: Kurt Schauer

Nowadays, even self-employed individuals and micro-entrepreneurs should have a presence on the internet with their own website. The vast majority of Germans research local service providers online. The problem: Many freelancers and micro-entrepreneurs have no idea how a reputable internet agency works to get them online. They are welcome victims for countless disreputable providers, some of whom display an almost criminal energy to win over customers. They promise the moon and stars – but their contracts contain nothing but poison. Fortunately, the methods of disreputable agencies are easy to see through once you know them.

Obscuring costs & creating time pressure

One of the most well-known internet agencies, which has a negative reputation online, offers so-called „Internet System Contracts.“ Through these contracts, it promises to create a website for clients. The agency employs two extremely unfair tricks: Firstly, the real costs are concealed. The external representative promises that the website will cost almost nothing because they want to present it as a reference client. Due to this self-promotion, some cost items would be waived.

Those who have had such experiences report that the company’s representatives, in typical salesperson fashion, presented a list of costs and would strike out item after item due to the „reference client“ bonus. The fact that the final sum was still very high would not even be noticed. In addition, the provider charges monthly „usage fees,“ which are often in the low three-digit range. Final sums are not mentioned. The financial scope often appears manageable – in reality, however, the costs with the agency quickly add up to a five-digit sum. This is also because many of the „reference client“ benefits cannot actually be obtained. Furthermore, the usage rights of the homepage do not transfer to the client at the end of the contract term but remain with the agency. This is often overlooked and is an absolute no-go for reputable providers. The courts have examined the contracts and consider them watertight. Ultimately, the costs are indeed accurately communicated. One should therefore read the document very carefully.

However, according to reports on the internet, the providers naturally do not want this. The agency’s representatives use a trick that is very common among disreputable partners. They create time pressure! The offer is only valid here and now and immediately. Such concessions cannot be granted later. The good news is: Anyone who is so afraid of having their offer reviewed in peace can easily be identified as disreputable.

The Trick with the Right of Withdrawal

A strategy that is making the rounds in many places is almost criminal: the trick with the right of withdrawal. Unscrupulous agencies suggest to potential customers that they naturally have 14 days to withdraw from the contract. After all, the statutory right of withdrawal applies. The problem with this is: the 14-day statutory withdrawal period applies to consumers and not to commercial enterprises! Anyone who, as a self-employed person or company, has a homepage created does not have the right of withdrawal! In court, it is word against word, and the withdrawal period naturally does not appear in the contracts.

Cold Calls and Empty Promises

Unscrupulous agencies often contact businesses unsolicited and make the most appealing promises. For example, they might claim to have noticed that a business only appears on the third results page of Google for relevant search terms, and that they can change this. Experts advise treating these cold calls (often agency representatives even visit in person) as unsolicited advertising calls and hanging up immediately. Ideally, one should prepare an email informing the agency that such calls are no longer desired.

Especially since the promises heard during such contacts would do Baron von Münchhausen proud. Often, Google rankings are guaranteed, which is impossible simply because the search engine constantly changes the parameters for its results lists.

Another common promise is the enticing offer to quickly improve search engine rankings. Such an offer is also baseless. Such leaps cannot be achieved overnight.

Recognizing Reputable Partners

Reputable agencies do not approach their clients unsolicited like foreign trade representatives, nor do they promise the moon. They also pursue a transparent and honest pricing policy. They do not create time pressure, as the client is king, even for internet agencies.

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Do you have questions?

Eliana Gramer

Head of Web/Digital