A Web Development Deal Goes Sour

An interesting tale of a Web site development deal gone wrong appears in Ad Age, which reports that Avalanche client Rx Remedy, a consumer health mag, claims to have been “left adrift.”

Avalanche Solutions, recently acquired by Razorfish, was hired in December 1996 to create a promotional Web site for the mag by May 1997. “Fourteen months and $280,000 later, Remedy Online still doesn’t have its Web site and has severed ties to Avalanche,” the article says.

However, the site should be ready for a preliminary launch next month, Ad Age said.

Peter Seidler, Avalanche chief creative officer, was quoted as saying problems developed because Remedy kept changing the site’s technical specifications, and the health magazine never signed a contract with Avalanche.

Valorie Weaver, Remedy Publishing executive vice president-general manager, was quoted as saying Remedy didn’t receive a final version of a contract until months into the project, and its lawyers advised against signing it to avoid getting stuck in a contract dispute.

It’s an interest ing read if you’re involved in a similar situation–or want to avoid one.