The Beginning - April
First Wasted Month - May
Second Wasted Month - June
Third Month Of Nothing - July 		Arman Atienza
A programmer NOT to be trusted		 Testimonials from Arman's Clients


Timeline

<< Second wasted month - June    


Jul 1, 2009 8:43 AM: Arman emails:

Hi Stefan,

Hope you are doing well today!

For our daily updates:

I'm still working with the design layouts, and selecting good and proper images that will best fit for each "site-specific" and today as soon as the work is done i will upload it to our server.

By the way i need to now the new ftp access detail of [the new site] site so i can upload my work.


Best Regards,
Arman

Wow, a "daily update" and the promise of some actual *work* being uploaded to the site.  And after only two months!


9:32 PM: I write:

Hello Arman,

 I am sorry, I was in Puerto Princesa all day today and I am just now beginning my work.

I was worried that you might still be infected, since my server was "infected" 5 times. Therefore, I changed the password.

Are you 100% certain that you computer is clean and it is safe for you to access my server?

Regards,


Stefan
 
Jul 2, 2009 10:09 PM: Arman emails:

Hi Stefan,

No problem i got your point, for us to be secured from the virus i will be working on my localhost for the meantime, if you can setup a test server for our development it will be better so we can upload and test our development live.

Attached are the mock up graphics on how it will look like for each Site Specific, please check and from there let me know what else could you suggest.

From there we will based our CSS and coding

Best Regards,
Arman

Armando goes on to attach a slightly updated version of the graphics he hurriedly put up on May 27th.  Again, they are in JPEG format, which is totally unsuited to clean non-photographic image files.  He knows that, as even an amateur graphic artist does, which means there can be only one reason why he is not doing it properly (i.e. in PNG or GIF format): He is, once again, putting up anything quick that he can design, to try to give the impression that he is working hard on the project.

So, in addition to the 3-6 hours that he spent working during the first 2 months, I estimate he spent another 1-3 hours slightly modifying that work and passing it off as hard, solid, new work.
 
Jul 3, 2009 6:02 PM: I sent an email to Armando, asking him to please upload the working pages to the site, rather than just send email graphics attachments, so that I could see the functionality of the new design.  I provided him with the FTP login details to the new site.
 
Jul 7, 2009 2:37 PM: No response till now - 4 days.  Armando writes:

Hi Stefan,

As of now everything are all working good, i have worked with all the images and converted all straight graphics to PNG file.

Right now im still working with the object oriented codes and i hope i might send you tomorrow what i have completed for the past few days.

Regarding with the inside pages i also suggest that simple but professional layout will save us page space, i will send you the layout of my idea after completing what im working as of the moment.

Right now im not yet uploading anything to [the new site] server, and before uploading anything to our server i might set all file permission to (404) read only for our security measure and re-create new folder for our development site. Agree?

Best Regards,
Arman

Nice placating words... but where is the actual WORK that he says he's doing?  He "might send it tomorrow".  Wonderful.  In fact, he never did any such thing.  He doesn't HAVE anything to upload because, for the third straight month, he is doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.


5:02 PM: I ask Armando to please not do too much program coding, but to concentrate on the graphics.  (The real reason being that I now have a great programmer doing the programming and we only need the graphics!)
 
Jul 13, 2009 2:08 AM: No contact yet.  So much for "uploading things tomorrow" and "daily updates".  I've completely had it with him.  I write an email:

Hello Arman,

Any progress? Or are you working for other clients again?? I see absolutely nothing new on [the new site] despite giving you the password and asking you twice to upload there...

Regards,


Stefan
 
Jul 14, 2009 2:27 AM: I can't believe this, so I write to Armando again:

OK Arman,

I have had ENOUGH of this.

FIRST, lying to me, pretending that you were "free to work", so that you could receive the advance payment.

SECOND, lying to me for one ENTIRE month that you were "developing [the new site]", while you worked for other clients. You even had "[New site] Developer!" on your Yahoo IM account during the entire month of May.

THIRD, lying for ANOTHER ENTIRE MONTH that you "had a nasty virus" and "didn't know what to do", while again you worked for other clients. You admitted at the end of June that it was "all a lie" and you actually fixed the virus problem in a day.

Now have "promised" a the THIRD time that you are working full time on [the new site]. Instead, you have:

(a) Produced nothing but perhaps 4-5 hours' worth of visible work during more the first half of July;
(b) Been completely out of contact for over a week;
(c) Not responded to my emails;
(d) Remained "hidden" on Yahoo IM, presumably because of the shame that you feel.

And you know what, Arman? I know exactly what you are doing. You are not working on [the new site]. You are working, again, for your other clients.

You are the most incredible liar that I have ever encountered in my 43 years on this Earth.

Your behavior is absolutely, incredibly, unbelievably dishonest and despicable.

And you know what, Arman? You have ADMITTED all of your lying and cheating in emails to me! You sent me several emails "describing" (lying about) your "virus problem" and how "difficult" it was to fix, and then two emails ADMITTING IN WRITING that you are just a big fat liar. This shows that you are incredibly stupid, as well as dishonest.


So, Arman, here is what is going to happen:

Before the end of next Friday, July 17th, I want to RECEIVE three weeks' (120 hours') worth of WORK from you. Graphics, programming, design. 120 hours of GOOD QUALITY WORK. You will email it to me, and/or upload it to the [the new site].

If this does not happen, then I will do what I was going to do at the end of June: I will offer you a choice.

(a) You return P90,000 of the money that I have paid you;

-or-

(b) I will put up a page about you for all existing and potential future employers of yours to find easily on the Internet. This page will make your actions completely clear to everyone, because I will publish word-for-word all of your emails in which you admit your lying, cheating, "breakdown" etc. etc. I can GUARANTEE that you will never, ever again receive a good job from someone who knows how to use Google unless you decide to use a false name. I will relate our entire story, from our first meeting where you needed money in advance to travel from Manila, to the story of me paying you TWICE what you asked for, IN ADVANCE (and you later writing that it wasn't enough... that's one reason you didn't do any work for me), to your LYING for one month, to your PROMISING to be honest (and asking me for P2.5 million to buy a house!), to your LYING again for a month, to your PROMISING to be honest again and to provide "daily updates', to your LYING to me for over 2 weeks more and not being in touch for over a week.

You are the most DISHONEST, most STUPID man I have ever met. Not only do you do everything you can to ruin the best opportunity that you and your family will EVER have in your WHOLE LIFE, but you admit your amazing lies and deceit openly in emails to me, which I will publish exactly as I have received them.

Maybe this is all a mistake. Maybe you have been working really, really hard every day for the past 2 weeks. You are so busy that you have no time to email me, update me, update the web site or log onto Yahoo IM. If that is true, then I would like to receive a copy of the results of your work NOW. RIGHT NOW.

You have ONE

FINAL

opportunity to do what you were paid to do, and show me that you are not stupid and not dishonest.

If you ever, EVER lie to me again, that will be THE END.

I want a detailed DAILY timesheet update from you and WEEKLY updates containing all of your code, graphics and other work.

If you are not happy with this, then either return P90,000 of the money that I gave you, or give me P90,000 worth of programming work BEFORE THE END OF JULY, or accept the fact that I will be showing the whole world what a stupid, foolish, lying, cheating, scheming, disreputable, untrustworthy, incompetent scumbag you are.

This is your absolute final warning. I will have 100% cooperation from you now, or you will see the results next weekend.

Sincerely,


Stefan


9:33 AM: Armando replies by email:

 Hi Stefan,

Can I ask you that please don't be so worried, im doing all the best i can working on this project. And please do understand that I started re-working this project just early this month July after we re-settled everything. Please don't get me wrong.

The last time I emailed you was July 7, and until now im still working on both layout and coding (OOP) for this project, i didn't able to email you because im still working with the codes based from the layout that i sent you.

Okay from hereon i will email you everyday even im not yet completed with the codings and even the codes still have errors.

 Give me until Friday July 17 to upload all my works, then from there we will discuss what will be the next step.

Best Regards,
Arman

Oh, I see.  He's unable to spend a few minutes emailing me because he's just sooooooo busy working.  Incredibly busy guy!  And by this time we all believe him, don't we boys and girls?

Note his - what? - 17th promise to start emailing me every day.  Can you guess if he did?


10:22 PM: I replied:

 Arman,

>Can I ask you that please don't be so worried, im doing all the best i can working on this project.

Worried? Me? After you have been such an honest and trustworthy partner so far?

Arman, let us imagine that a man raises up his hand and suddenly punches you in the face. It hurts, right? Then this man does it... again! The same thing! Bam! In the face! Well, you are furious of course. But what do you do when he raises his hand for a third time? Do you imagine that he is going to pick his nose, or perhaps will he punch you in the face like he did twice already?

Arman, you have lied -- for 30 solid days -- to me. Once and then AGAIN. And now you are going silent AGAIN and I am still seeing barely any productive output.

I am also seeing no updates after you promised daily updates... and you don't log into Yahoo IM as before, and you don't always respond to my emails.

What am I supposed to believe?


>And please do understand that I started re-working this project just early this month July after we re-settled everything. Please don't get me wrong.

As I wrote below, I will believe that when I see it. You have only demonstrated to me so far that you can not be trusted. You have a lot of work to do before I will believe that you can be trusted. I do not have any more patience, so please, do as I ask this time and demonstrate the sincerity of your efforts.


>The last time I emailed you was July 7, and until now im still working on both layout and coding (OOP) for this project,

Yes, that's one week. One week of silence... the same silence that I was hearing week after week after week in May and June. Perhaps you can imagine why I am again concerned?


>i didn't able to email you because im still working with the codes based from the layout that i sent you.

You could not write an email because you were "too busy working"? You really expect me to believe that?


>Okay from hereon i will email you everyday even im not yet completed with the codings and even the codes still have errors.

Thank you.


>Give me until Friday July 17 to upload all my works, then from there we will discuss what will be the next step.

OK


>Best Regards,
>Arman

Regards,


Stefan
 
Jul 16, 2009 11:06 AM: An amazingly detailed and informative update from Armando Atienza:

Hi Stefan,

This update is for yesterday and to inform you that everything was working pretty well, up until now im still working with the codes and fixing logical errors.

At the end of the day i will email you of the status of what im working, then continue until tomorrow and upload all of what i have completed so far.

Regards,
Arman

His detailed timesheet, sent a day late, states: Everything is working, and I am working.

But wait... tomorrow is the big day!  He will upload everything that he has done!
 
Jul 17, 2009 SHOWDOWN!


3:43 PM: I've had it.  Here's my email to Armando:

Arman,

You seem determined to ruin your career by REPEATEDLY lying, cheating, not performing, not responding and not listening.

Yesterday you sent me an "Everything is working, I am working" update for Wednesday. That was NOT an "update" -- it was nonsense. I have still not received an update with details about exactly what you did on Wednesday, on which files, and for how long.

I have received no response to my email about that.

I have also received no update for Thursday's activities.

And I don't think I will receive an update for Friday, will I?

I will warn you again, one final time: By the end of today (Friday, July 17th) I expect to see, in my mailbox or uploaded to the web site, THREE WEEKS worth of work from you. That's 120 hours' worth of work.

If I do not see that, then this weekend will be very busy for me: I will register a brand new domain name and put up a wonderful web site about you.

This CRAP has got to STOP, Arman. And it stops today, or that's IT.

Do you understand?


Stefan


That appears to have got his attention.  At 5:41 PM he responds:

 Stefan,

Please don’t be so anxious and worried, I’m doing my best working on this stuff, we’re both programmer and you know how it is going when you’re on the process of writing script. Right now im still having errors with the codes, remember it’s an OOP and not just like a conventional scripting. And the way you are pressuring me doesn’t make my butt positively motivated. I think you already sent me a lot of very bad words you can say with me as a human being, but I stayed calm while working on your stuff. Stefan please do understand that I cannot complete this project in a matter of weeks neither 3 or more months. I take all of your silly words and I keep myself patient and still working with this project, never did I make any negative and bad words with you. Stefan I still respect you though I got those bad comments from you.

How many times will I tell you that I will complete this project and I will not leave you in this partnership?

How many times will I tell you that the way you threatening me of your plan to put my profile on the web will not make sense and will not help both of us? That if you do that, im also a programmer and I know how to do SEO stuff like what someone did to you before, and do you think people will believe you that easy? Stefan you need to change the way you’re handling this situation.Pleas don't get me wrong.

It’s only July 17th from the time we renewed and resettled our agreement, is it too early for you to put me under this damn pressure?

The way you’re writing negative things doesn’t help me to be motivated; you are pressuring me too much.

I will upload all the work I did until this Sunday and will give you the time sheet of what I did from July 2nd where I started.

And if you will not receive anything then you can do whatever you want, it will be the end for both of us.

Arman


Oh yes, it'll all be fine on the 19th: I'll have one truckload of work uploaded and a complete detailed timesheet of Armando's activities since July 19th.  Does anyone believe that?


6:05 PM: I respond:

 Arman,

I really don't care how you feel at this point. You were only "motivated" 2-1/2 months ago before I paid you money. Since then lies, more lies, no responses, no communication on IM, no updates, no significant results.

I did not write that you need to complete the project in 3 weeks. Please reread my messages. I am saying that in 3 weeks, I want to see 3 weeks of work. Why? Because during the first 2 months I saw approximately 6 hours' worth of work.

If you don't want my 'words', then start behaving like an honest professional instead of a lying thief.

When you say, "I am free", make sure you are free to work for me.
When you say, "I will work solidly this month", work solidly for one month.
When you say, "Sorry, I lied to you for one month, but now I will be honest", be honest.
When you say, "Sorry, I lied to you for another month", don't expect me to believe you without evidence the next time.
When you say, "I will upload my work to the site tomorrow", UPLOAD THE WORK TO THE SITE. TOMORROW.
When you say, "I will send updates", SEND UPDATES. Proper updates, like your other employers expect.

Arman, you are welcome to put up a site about me. Go ahead and bust your ass. Do you really think [xxx]'s site has caused me any problems? Look at my Alexa rankings... 750,000 unique visitors per month, more than ever before.

You are welcome to fill your site with lies, which they will clearly be since I have acted properly and honorably throughout our relationship and the only "dirt" you have on me is 100% made up. I, on the other hand, have your lies IN YOUR OWN WRITING, and I will only need to put up exact copies of your emails to make sure that you never work profitably again.

Remember also, I am not LOOKING FOR WORK, and I DON'T WORK FOR A BOSS, and I DON'T CARE IF PEOPLE GOOGLE MY NAME. You, on the other hand, have a "professional" (hahaha) image to maintain if you intend to continue getting work from overseas or anywhere else. Good luck with that.

So don't fucking threaten me Arman.

GIVE ME THE WORK, TODAY, OR PAY ME BACK P90,000.

I want timesheets -- accurate, detailed ones -- for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. NOW. Not tomorrow, not Sunday, NOW.

I want you to email me or upload the work that you have done since your second month of lying, NOW. Friday, July 17th. Not tomorrow, not Sunday, NOW.

If you refuse again to do as I ask (I have asked many times, and this is the final time I will ask), then don't do anything. Stop designing. Stop programming. You probably haven't done much work anyway. Our partnership will be dissolved, and I will put up a PERMANENT site about you that will make sure you never work for anyone who knows how to use a search engine. Unless, of course, you would like to refund P90,000. Then I will take down the site.

You have had several days' notice that I expect to see a good amount of work by the end of today, Friday the 17th. Today is the day.

You are either extremely stupid, completely disrespectful, utterly lazy, or lying and working for another client again. I don't care which it is; the facts speak for themselves: Lies, lies, no work, no timesheet. But ahh, plenty of excuses now.

SHOW ME THE WORK NOW, or tomorrow I start registering a domain and programming your favorite web site.

This is your final warning, and I will not give you any more.

My next message to you will be EITHER "Thank you Arman, that is very impressive work. Let's continue this way and remember to send more updates every day!"... OR "It's been nice knowing you. Send me P90,000 immediately or Google your name in a few days."

Your choice Arman.

YOUR choice.


-Stefan


6:33 PM: Armando responds (it's all finally coming to a head):

 Stefan,

Do you think i worked 6hours only on your site, well if that's how you think that you are so good in design and programming that you can do what i did in 6hours you are GREAT! then.

My rate is $30/hr and you are aware of that and i already worked more than 80hours on this project, and try to compute everything for what you have paid already is not enough with the hours i worked on your site.

Stefan you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, i don't care its your prerogative.

What im asking is your patience until Sunday, and please dont include the 2 months history after we have the re-settlement its a new agreement we are working right now.

And for that period do you think you have the right to say silly words and bad things to me, you are matured enough to know what you are doing.

Well if you think that's your best solution then go on, do what you think is best for yourself.

Modesty aside, im not that poor person that you're thinking and i have good family background, we have enough properties, farms and fishponds in our province.

Well this day would be the end for both of us, if you will not considered what im asking you till sunday. What words can i say you stefan, you're pressuring me too much, im a human and not a machine. I dont know what i can say to you, well have a nice stay here in the Philippines i think.

Arman

Now I'm "pressuring him too much".  How funny!  He's produced two JPEG mock-up screens, completely non-functional, and claims to have worked "80 hours" (at $30 per hour, 6X the average Filipino programmer's salary no less!)  Oh, and his family has fishponds!


6:53 PM: I respond:

 Arman, you still have 5 hours left in which to SEND ME THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE DONE since our "new agreement" started (as you so politely put it -- I would say "since my failure to kick your ass for lying to me twice for one month).

If you do not upload or email your work within the next 5 hours, then there are only two possible reasons:

(1) You have not DONE the work. You have lied to me again, and are trying to delay until Sunday, when you hope I will believe that you have worked for "80 hours" or whatever. (For your information, 3 weeks equals 120 hours.)

(2) You are stubborn. You refuse, after receiving payment, to hand over the work THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR.

Either way, this is completely unacceptable and, as I wrote in my last message,

It's been nice knowing you. Send me P90,000 immediately or Google your name in a few days.

Apparently your family has assets, so returning 90% of the deposit should be no problem for you.


-Stefan


7:33 PM: Armando responds:

 I think you are the one who have no money right now, you are now asking 90K, its crystal that when we have agreed in [our original meeting place] that you don't want any written Legal Agreement because anytime you can quit and the money is nothing to you, and since there is no legal agreement the money that you gave to me is for me whatever happen either way. So why are you asking now the money, do you have financial problem? You told me that to you "money is nothing".

That's reason why i want this project to be completed, because i trusted you that i will earn a "HUGE AMOUNT" regularly every month for 50/50 equal sharing. For the past 2 months i did'nt ask and get any fund from you except from what you have initially gave me. Please think many times Stefan.

The way you are telling silly words to me is not worth from the amount you gave me.

Well i really dont care, why start counting the 5hours from now, you can do whatever you want right now if you want.

AGAIN, what im asking is untill sunday to impress you Stefan of my work, that's ALL.... and if you don't agree well its up to you.

Well go on, if you think you solve the problem by doing that, GO ON!

I will still work until sunday, and upload it to my server and show it to you....

"
Remember also, I am not LOOKING FOR WORK, and I DON'T WORK FOR A BOSS, and I DON'T CARE IF PEOPLE GOOGLE MY NAME. You, on the other hand, have a "professional" (hahaha) image to maintain if you intend to continue getting work from overseas or anywhere else. Good luck with that.

So don't fucking threaten me Arman.
"
I don't fucking threaten you Stefan, you are the one threatening me i have all your emails. I don't care whatever happened with your business with [xxx], and i don't care if you're name is appearing in the website, in blogs, in Youtube, etc. What im trying to explain to you is that what you are going to do will not make sense, and it will not help for both of us. That if you ever do that things then well i have also the right to do what ever i want to do that is IN RESPONSE TO WHATEVER YOU ARE GOING DO TO WITH MY PROFILE. Think it twice, if you are a wise person then you know where im coming from.

It's enough I don't want to argue to you anymore.

-Arman

Armando actually has the temerity to suggest that he should have been paid for the two months in which HE DID NOT WORK, and that he was being gracious by not asking for salary (after he had already received a month's salary in advance!)

If Armando ever does upload his work, I will provide a link/copy of it for you.  If you don't see a link here, it means he never did... please don't hold your breath.


7:48 PM: I respond:

 Is that really the best you can do Arman? I thought you were more intelligent than that.

You are right Arman, as always.

I have no money! I never had any! All of the statistics and graphs I showed you were fake! Alexa.com and Quantcast.com and Compete.com are all lying about [my other site]'s success! I live in a crappy apartment in Manila, not a large beach house in Palawan!

Idiot.

I am asking for return of 90% of money because, so far, I have seen only 10% (2 days) of a month's work from you. And I am being generous... the quick JPEG graphics that you put up at the end of May to 'fool' me into thinking you were working all month took about 6 hours I would estimate.

"because i trusted you that i will earn a "HUGE AMOUNT" regularly every month for 50/50 equal sharing"

Are you a COMPLETE IDIOT Arman? Do you seriously think that you can get away with LYING for a whole month, then LYING again for an entire month, and then producing ALMOST NOTHING during the next 3 weeks? Do you even understand what "50/50" is? In the beginning, my "50" is money, and your "50" is programming work. I have PAID THE MONEY. You have not PRODUCED ANY SERIOUS WORK IN ALMOST 3 MONTHS. You have LIED and LIED and probably LIED again because you are unable to show me any evidence of your work in July.

Do you understand that, or do I need to explain it again for you in language that a 4-year-old would understand?

You now have just over 4 HOURS to show me what you have done since our "Third Agreement".

If not, you know the consequences.


-Stefan


8:01 PM: Armando responds (his final response):

 DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, DO IT NOW! I THINK THAT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY... DO IT RIGHT NOW!!!!

YOU ARE SO GREAT! YOU CAN DO THE DESIGN AND LAYOUTING IN 6HOURS..... DAMN! YOU ARE GREAT!

DO IT NOW, NOT LATER! NOW!,,,, DO IT ! IF THAT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY....


8:10 PM: My final response:

 Sorry, I don't work Friday nights.

But I am very busy on Weekends, thank you :-)

Admit it, Arman: You are a big fat fucking liar. You refuse to show me the work that you have done in July BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T DONE THE FUCKING WORK. You are hoping that I will give you 2 more days, so that you can pretend that you "worked for 19 days", just like you pretended at the end of May.

And yes, ANY good graphic artist -- as you claim to be -- could have produced the JPEGS that you sent me in a few hours. And you KNOW it only took you a few hours, at the end of May when you needed to show me something quick.

You just can not stop lying, can you?

You now have 3 hours and 50 minutes to SHOW ME THE DAMNED WORK that you have "done" in July. Come on! You have been working all of July for me, right? Or are you LYING again, Arman? What is it? Where's the WORK?


-Stefan


As you can see, he never did upload any work.  Why?  Because he never had any, never did any.  He managed successfully to keep me going from April 27th till July 17th.  A saint would have murdered Armando long before I gave up on him.

Call me gullible.  Call be too trusting.  But what is left in this world without trust?  Lawyers, I guess...
 


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