Updated!

If you would like to know the entire full saga including all the juicy bits, I suggest you read this blog post:
>> The Sheikh Ridhuan Saga // Summary & FAQ <<
>> The Sheikh Ridhuan Saga // Summary & FAQ <<

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Updated: 31st March

I received this from the guy last night threatening/warning me that he would include me into his sueing process or something so I should immediately remove my post.

Not sure if his threats are groundless but the bf says he’s just trying to intimidate me into taking down this post. Well, to refute his claim, I don’t think that I posted any of his personal information here ie, address, full name, nric etc. I only posted what can be found easily online. All these can be found on his public LinkedIn account that was shared in the original post by Cassandra.

Anyway, the point of this post is to help a fellow blogshop owner – Cassandra to share her post about this guy to raise awareness amongst people who may encounter the same guy and may in turn get cheated as well.

I don’t think that warrants to me being her ‘public supporter for public humiliation’.

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Original Post:

As a budding blogshop owner looking to upgrade your current site to a fully functional ecommerce site or a business owner looking to create a company website, you may start out by searching for good (and affordable) web designers around to do – like what I did previously.
(In the end, I stuck to my Weebly site for now)

But ANYWAY, if you do encounter this particular guy (as seen below) from the company – Interactive Media Workz (not sure if it’s a registered company), I would highly suggest you don’t hire him despite the rates he offers you.

Why you may ask?
Well, just read Cassandra’s very negative experience with him/the company as seen:

As taken from the original poster, Cassandra Tansh on Facebook (removed due to Facebook saying that it’s a violation of Community Standards)

This is a PRECAUTION to anyone who is looking for web design services out there – Please DO NOT hire this Singaporean guy SHEIKH RIDHUAN, working under company name INTERACTIVE MEDIA WORKZ!

He is a CHEAT, FULL OF EXCUSES and will NEVER GET YOUR WORK DONE! Also, he has promised me a refund after not delivering my work but he has gone AWOL!!!

Here is the full story:
Beginning Feb 2013, I was searching for an online website designer on Elance.com to help me design a relatively affordable e-commerce site. SHEIKH RIDHUAN contacted me to say that he could meet my budget to design the site using WordPress. I agreed.

We met up on 8 February to go through my requirements. I also paid up two-thirds of his fee upfront. TAKE NOTE OF THE DATES AS IT WILL DETAIL ALL THE BULLSHIT HE PUT ME THROUGH.

TIMELINE
8 Feb – Met up, agreed 1st draft by 12 February and completion deadline by end Feb

12 Feb- No update

13 Feb- He says that the site is complete and I’ll have a preview. I see NOTHING.

14 Feb- He said there were issues syncing with my hosting and he couldn’t get my
site up. And he asks for a cash advance as he only has $20 to spend with his GF for Valentine’s Day. He also says the site would be up tonight. Feeling sorry for him, I give him an advance of $50.

17 Feb- STILL NO SITE. He claims he downloaded a WordPress plug-in for $30 and wants to add it to my charges. I ask him for the plug-in name and also his Paypal receipt so I can reimburse him. He gives a vague response and says he will send his own invoice for the charges. I REFUSE TO PAY WITHOUT A PROPER RECEIPT. KNN YOU THINK I’M STUPID?

22 Feb- No site still. We meet up again. This meeting was intended as a guide to teach me how to use the CMS of the site, but there is no site AT ALL. I spend 3 hours of my time sitting there watching him work on my site. He claims he is flying to Jakarta the next day, for 1 week and is $30 short to pay for airline ticket. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I give him the $30. KNN MACHIAM ATM RIGHT?! Feel like telling him “I am your customer, not your ATM machine” but I kept my mouth shut as I didn’t want to spoil the working relationship.

25 Feb- I pay the remaining amount owed to get my CMS login. However, when I go in, THE SITE IS BASICALLY A COPIED WORDPRESS TEMPLATE WITH ONLY THE VERY BASICS DONE. My e-commerce cart was not configured, Contact Us was not configured, even the Registration still had another company’s logo in the confirmation email sent! I send him an email detailing changes to be done.

25 Feb – 15 Mar (3 WEEKS IN TOTAL) – Nothing from him at all. Multiple chasers sent, multiple promises as usual. On 15 Mar I tell him that my final deadline is 20 Mar, Wednesday. He agrees.

20 Mar- He asks me to give him until 22 Mar, Friday to make the changes. I tell him this is the final extension and he ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEES HE WILL GET THE CHANGES DONE.

22 Mar – He says his uncle passed away and he has to go to Malaysia for the funeral and will update me soon. What can I do?

24 Mar – He says he is unable to complete my website as he got into an “accident” and he needs to “rest”. He says he will give me a full refund by 27 Mar.

27 Mar – He is not answering calls or messages and has gone AWOL. I am filing a claim with the Small Claims Tribunal, but the world also needs to know what kind of UNETHICAL PERSON THIS MAN IS.

Again, please STAY FAR FAR AWAY if you ever come across this guy SHEIKH RIDUAN for ANY KIND OF WORK! I’m ASHAMED to call you a fellow Singaporean!

Credits: Cassandra Tansh on Facebook(removed due to Facebook saying that it’s a violation of Community Standards)

Updated from Cassandra as seen HERE:

Hi everyone,

My post on SHEIKH RIDHUAN AKA IWAN ALI, the web designer CHEAT has been taken down by Facebook this morning for violation of Community Standards.

I have filed a police report, but the police have said that they are unable to pursue the matter as there was no proper signed contract in place. I would have to file a civil lawsuit to pursue this, but it is simply not worth it for the amount spent. 

While the post with over 3,000 shares was taken down, I do hope that what I did was sufficient to spread the word on this guy’s lies. Many others have PM-ed me, his ex-schoolmates, NS mates, ex-lecturer saying that he often went around borrowing money (never returned) and had theft issues.

For the haters who said I was a cheapo/stingy etc. – I’m a self-funded blogshop start-up trying to expand my business without support. If I had the money, I would have engaged a reputable company already – I do have contacts, unfortunately I do not have the funds to engage them, that is why I had to look for a freelancer.

However, being a freelancer doesn’t mean one has the right to deliver shoddy work or cheat people. I hope you understand that point.

For the rest who supported and helped to share, thank you for sharing and spreading the word. I may have been foolish enough to be cheated, but I do not want others to get cheated the same way too.

Credits: Cassandra Facebook HERE

So yea, just sharing!(:

If you would like to know the entire full saga including all the juicy bits, I suggest you read this blog post:
>> The Sheikh Ridhuan Saga // Summary & FAQ <<
>> The Sheikh Ridhuan Saga // Summary & FAQ <<

Till later,
♥ mitsueki