I have to believe there were red flags very early on. I'm guessing the price skyrocketed from $2k -> 20k/month and they didn't think that was strange?
Don't Outsource
11–20 of 35 posts
Re: Don't Outsource
#12This is pretty common in my experience, which really sucks because it leads to stereotypes. I know some fantastic Chinese and Indian developers, but far more often than not, I've dealt with charlatans. I think it's just much easier for criminals to get an actual business going and get money flowing in when they're (a) not held to the same legal standards and (b) can hide in complete and utter anonymity due to geographic distance.
I don't know if there's a good way to solve that other than to seek out well-reviewed, established firms, but at that point you'd be spending nearly as much for a US developer. :)
Re: Don't Outsource
#13New article: Don't walk down the street!
John Doe was walking down the street, when some thugs mugged him and took his wallet. Don't walk down the street!
(flagged for xenophobism, over-generalisation, and general "omg them terrists in other countries want to kill us" feel - this shit does not belong on HN)
Re: Don't Outsource
#14I think a better title would be 'Don't outsource if you don't have any way of overseeing the process locally'. Really it's a valid warning for anybody who outsources whether locally or internationally. I guess doubly so if outsourcing to a country where you don't have trustable local contacts and an easily accessible legal system.
Re: Don't Outsource
#15I wouldn't go as far as generalizing all outsourcing efforts as dubious, but I do find it particularly shocking that government bodies deny assistance in a million dollar shamble.
Re: Don't Outsource
#16This article seems more like simply "don't be a fucking idiot".
And judging china, India, etc. is unfair. I once worked with a guy in Toronto, Canada, maybe 4 hours away from my home in New York. He ended up stealing $3,000 from me and there was nothing I could do.
So "don't outsource" isn't necessarily a good message in my opinion. A better one would be "try to avoid working with random people you've never met or heard anything about".
Re: Don't Outsource
#17After paying so much money, they refused to spend a few thousand on bribes to stop the guy? That doesn't make much sense.
Bribing someone is a crime, and not something you want to admit on a website. I think there are U.S. laws that also forbid U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials.
Re: Don't Outsource
#18This Prashant guy is insane and I don't think this has something to do with outsourcing. Guys like Prashant are everywhere so companies will just have to be careful who they hire or work with.
Re: Don't Outsource
#19After paying so much money, they refused to spend a few thousand on bribes to stop the guy? That doesn't make much sense.
If they did so, they would be breaking U.S. law—and it’s one that is being fairly well enforced (the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, I believe).
Re: Don't Outsource
#20What is the other side of the truth?
Common, who would spend 240k/yr on a ecommerce website in today's world? There are so many ready to use open source stuff. And how can someone who has access to your server steal the domain? This is like handing over your email account to the developer that has access to the godaddy account in order to manage the server.