Sometimes, "off the shelf" software does not quite fit the way you run your business. Lots of you write to us and say, "your extension is great, but we need it to do xyz". Some of you ask us how much it would cost for us to make the change for you, probably hoping that the cost will be in some kind of proportion to the cost of the extension...
Quoting for a bespoke software project is often, in itself, a substantial piece of work. We need to understand and clarify the requirement, investigate any API's involved, make a draft design, estimate the number of hours required to code, test, document and support the solution, and then prepare a detailed contractual statement of work. That could be days of work, and of course, you expect that part to be free.
Bespoke work is a very different business from ours. It needs a different way of thinking, different terms and conditions, different experience, and different marketing. In the early years of our business we did do some quotes for bespoke work, but our quotes were multiples of what you wanted to pay. Now we prefer to focus on what we are really good at, and we decline all offers of bespoke work.
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