Alt-Team Rocks

[color=“#006400”]I just wanted to tell the story of my dealings with Alt-Team (particularly Alexey) and how they solved a complex problem super fast and without a bunch of drama.



Here's how it usually goes with any IT support:



[indent]1. problem happens

2. developer asks for help from the software provider

3. software provider says, “it's your server's fault”

4. developer asks for help from the server admin

5. server admin says, “it's your software provider's fault”

6. return to step 2 and repeat Ad Infinitum[/indent]



Here's how it went with Alt-Team:

[indent]1. There's a problem with a image uploader in the Product Designer Add-On -It could be the server blocking the file transfer

2. Contact Alt-Team support and ask for help

3. Wait a couple of days

4. Alt-Team replies with this email:[/indent][/color]


[quote]Dear Matt,



I have redeveloped the functionality of photo uploading. The issue with photo uploading should be resolved. I have updated add-on on your server. Please check it.

Also new package I have uploaded to your server: http://mydomain.com/1.0.5_v2.zip



Thank you.



Best regards,

Alexey Bogdanov[/quote]





[color=“#006400”]…So they not only took ownership of the issue without the customary passing-of-the-buck, they REDESIGNED that part of the addon to allow for my type of server configuration. THEN they reinstalled the addon on my server. THEN they tested it and THEN they uploaded the whole package for backup on my server!



I'm so used to crap support that this painless and pleasant transaction just floored me.



Bravo Alt-Team. Everyone go buy all their products right now.[/color]

Thanks for review, always nice to hear of good support they stand out like a candle in the dark !

I think there are couple of sides to one story and I would like to share mine.



If you would like to work with Alt-Team, you need to keep these in mind:

-When you email them even during their business hours, you are only allowed to receive one response. They won't email you back until next day.

-I guess they are not looking into hiring more people although they are pushing their services in the market so the quickes a project they can even “start” is about 6 weeks on average.

-They give you a skype address but they don't discuss project details on Skype. You have to email them thus wait minimum 1 business day to be responded.

-When they respond, they cut your email into pieces and respond to the parts they feel like so you have to email them back to get the final answer thus the email trail.

-Looks like they have adjusted their prices to “US” prices. They are not negotiable nor very reasonable.



This has been my experience and due to the first 4 reasons, I couldn't even start to work with them for past 3 months.

Sorry to hear about your experience with Alt-Team. I really like working with them!



None of the reasons you posted sounded that bad to me, really.



The email thing we should all be used to with CS Cart. They're in Russia, after all.



And I totally get the “Cutting up” of the email part. But it's really difficult to explain complex technical problems in writing. I never tried to skype them.



They started my project within a few days and delivered on-time, tested and installed. Maybe they're having a backlog of customers right now?



I thought their prices were pretty good, for what I wanted to do.



My company has a little more money to throw around than, say, someone just running a cart from their house as a second job or something. And we can afford to wait a few weeks for a big project.

The Alt team has always been efficient for me , as a matter of fact they have just taken my payment for a complex mod and told me they will start in 3 days and it will take 4 days to complete, also this is the first post I have seen a post saying the alt team were anything other than good.

I also know that about 6 months ago they hired extra developers so perhaps through their good work they have continued to expand and may be time to hire more= good business growth.



I have had many mods done by them and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.



John

Like I said, I can't talk about your experiences but I went through every bit of this information. The earliest they can start on any design - integration project (what they told me) is 6 weeks from now and you would see results in about 4 weeks so you would make payment and wait to see any results in about 2.5 months. I'm not sure who can do that right now.



I can not really talk about the prices as I have knowledge and experience in this field and I have seen more other quick solutions like buying a template for $49 and getting it modified for $450 so you could get your design integration done for $500 vs over $1000 so I am not trying to put any stain on them but I found their price is really not in line of Russia or overseas charges more arranged for US customers.



If you guys do not hesitate to recommend them to anyone, good for you but if there are other people who had recent dealings with them and they are trying to share it with others, you don't have shadow what they are trying to share with your past dealings.

What's your project? “Integration Project” sounds kinda vague…

[quote name='plinkplink' timestamp='1347394199' post='144806']

What's your project? “Integration Project” sounds kinda vague…

[/quote]



Design Integration.

Ahhh, that sounds like fun right about now. I've been mired in this heinous ShopSite rebuild forever. That's a terrible platform; ShopSite. I wish I had time, I'd offer to take the project myself!



Maybe they're pricing you/timing you out on purpose because they don't think the job's going to be worth it? That sounds pretty shady, and I hesitate to insinuate that Alt-Team is capable of anything other than sheer awesomeness, but it's been known to happen with even the best design firms.



When I was a freelancer, and this is no offense intended to you at all!, I used to do that with customers that I knew were going to be more trouble than they were worth. Clients would come to me with a blank page and start demanding ridiculous deadlines and crazy functionality for dirt-cheap and I would have no choice but to quote high and set my own time-table. If they still wanted it, great! I'd do it. But more often than not, they'd go find someone cheaper and hungrier for work. Those projects never turned out very well.



Hopefully, Alt-Team is just super-busy or it's some crazy Russian Holiday week or something.

[quote name=‘mazter’ timestamp=‘1347386017’ post=‘144793’]

you don’t have shadow what they are trying to share with your past dealings.

[/quote]



Hey everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even if it is wrong !. :mrgreen:



John

[quote name=‘johnbol1’ timestamp=‘1347406845’ post=‘144819’]

Hey everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even if it is wrong !. :mrgreen:



John

[/quote]



:)) I am not suggesting either of us is wrong. We are talking about a service company and their service quality might down or up at times so the only way we can keep the quality up is by giving feedback to other people and reminding alt-team that they are not the only ones doing this business and they can lose customers if they don’t keep up the good work. The main reason I contacted alt-team at the first place was basically people like you and now I am doing my responsibility to let other know what’s going on with alt-team. That’s all.

[quote name='mazter' timestamp='1347407485' post='144821']

I am doing my responsibility to let other know what's going on with alt-team. That's all.

[/quote]



I see. thanks then for making sure and posting same content in 2 threads.



John

I assume they are probably busy with a good number of clients. They are also working on the first batch of a large number of addons for me.

Communication so far is good, professional and helpful.

Quotes were reasonable.



Its actually good that project description goes though email or better yet: support ticket. This allows both parties to read past communications and agreements. This I think is vital.



They did not deliver on time, and apologized for that. I'm sure that they will deliver the addons very soon. To me quality & care is more important than time. (within reason)



So far I am happy with their services.

I personally manage projects on my customer's behalf so I can say:



There can sometimes be a delay in responding back via emails, however as numerous my projects are, I typically get one response per project, per day. If I email-bombard it becomes very difficult to follow the thread of thoughts rather than reviewing EXACT requirements on one page.



The projects that I manage vary in complexity and due to my own time constraints, there are times where a project can stretch over weeks to months. This is not a fault of their own and for the price I'm paying for the module - I honestly don't care how long it takes to get done. As they provide a value-added service free of charge (quotations, bug fixes, suggestions) I believe the delay to be a worthwhile wait for a cheap premium service.



Alt-Team do provide a 'rush service' which will typically be provided with an additional charge - this might be your route if you cannot wait 3-6 weeks, after all CS-Cart's own design services are typically higher in charge with a shorter wait time (don't quote, it's been a while).



You initial statement referred to the cost pricing now being in line with Russian/American standards - To put it bluntly, neither are mine and for a good reason, Alt-Team are exceptional at what they do and I find it hard to believe that a design integration should be any less than US$2000 regardless of complexity. Bug fixes are included within the product so their charges are quite literally in line with what most businesses are willing to invest into their own operations.



As for discussion via Skype, I admit to wanting more of a sales role to be evident - someone I can converse about a project prior to requesting quotation HOWEVER 99% of the time, I learn more writing a thorough email than I will chatting to someone and then attempting to fix the bugs that I introduced unknowingly.



I understand that you've had a mediocre or negative experience however my post should balance the scales.

For those who DONT know - every developer on this forum has too much work to complete at this very point in time - personally I can't get someone to work immediately at the same rates I did two years ago.

[quote name='johnbol1' timestamp='1347407763' post='144822']

I see. thanks then for making sure and posting same content in 2 threads.



John

[/quote]



Sure, thanks for coming to save them, good angel. Do you have share in alt-team? You guys jumped on me right after I posted and you have been posting since then so what's the deal?

Look at the title of this thread!



In a world of charlatans and half-assed service providers, these guys always come through for us. A negative review on the internet can be very damaging to a company. I like these guys so I'm sticking up for them. That's all.



Hopefully when others are deciding whether they want to go with Alt-Team for their business, they'll research and find that good service and good work creates real customer loyalty. As online business owners this should be a top goal for all of us.

The deal is we love their service and support and have for years, me included.

You have said your piece, now move on.

[quote name='JesseLeeStringer' timestamp='1347446608' post='144856']

I understand that you've had a mediocre or negative experience however my post should balance the scales.

[/quote]



I very much appreciate the explanation and I am mostly on the same page regarding development time, design issues, bug fixes etc. However, I couldn't even get there. Like you said, I only get one response per day and this has been the pattern for almost 2 months now.



Here is just what happened this week. I sent them an email on Monday central time (manager@alt-team.com), I got my response next day after 7 AM and I responded at 8 AM (central). They say they are open till 7 PM Russian time which is 10 AM central so they are open and received my email but I still have to wait to another day to get response. Skype is not an option to discuss project details. So I was not even able to reach to the group or developer/designer people, this is just pre-sales and getting to know their prices/work.



Could they find somebody who can answer pre-sales questions from US? Could they stay a bit more on Skype or email to reply back to their future customers?



I don't have the answer maybe John has it?

[quote name='mazter' timestamp='1347462130' post='144878']

I don't have the answer maybe John has it?

[/quote]



Yeah, let me think. …No not a definitive answer but sometimes in my company when I dont want to deal with people who come across as whiners I really up the price and turn round times that are equal or more than my competition, and if they go for it…fine.



I am not saying this is what happened to you of course…!



Can I also remind people about the post up and post down arrows on the right.



This thread will see itself out as what is is…pointless, I'm done.



John

Well, has anyone else had a “bad experience” with Alt-Team?



If not, then I think we're done here.