Program Theft

Platinumtrader

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Got myself into a bit of a mess and not sure how to go about it.

I paid a programmer FRIEND to develop something for me. I didn't sign any contracts because he was a 'friend' . Now it has turned out that he has gone AWOL, he has disconnected all phones, no replies on MSN or email, removed himself from FB and any other social networking site, even his close family have done the same.

I know I should have had it written down but the guy was a friend for over two years, stayed with family and shared time with us. I never expected in a million years that he would do this. He has it all, software, the code and the money.

All I have is our conversation transcripts archive. Is there anything I can do? Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thank You
 
Got myself into a bit of a mess and not sure how to go about it.

I paid a programmer FRIEND to develop something for me. I didn't sign any contracts because he was a 'friend' . Now it has turned out that he has gone AWOL, he has disconnected all phones, no replies on MSN or email, removed himself from FB and any other social networking site, even his close family have done the same.

I know I should have had it written down but the guy was a friend for over two years, stayed with family and shared time with us. I never expected in a million years that he would do this. He has it all, software, the code and the money.

All I have is our conversation transcripts archive. Is there anything I can do? Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thank You

What about payment records...don't say cash !

Emails

Home address...not really important, if you want him found that would be quite an easy task.

Any materials he has sent you.

If you have enough evidence tying him to you...then a solicitor will be able to build a case regardless of absence of a written contract. A verbal contract is easy enough to prove.
 
he has gone AWOL, he has disconnected all phones, no replies on MSN or email, removed himself from FB and any other social networking site, even his close family have done the same.

It seems a bit extreme that he has done all of that, just because of you and your program.
Sounds like he and his family may have other reasons.
 
Given enough evidence a case can be established in court even without a contract but you first have to make sure nothing else is going on, like for example the guy is alive:)
 
Doesn’t matter whether he’s alive, dead, skipped the country or just plain wilfully dishonest. Doesn’t matter whether you can build a case or not. Doesn’t matter if you do build a case and take him to court. Doesn’t matter if you do that whether you win or not. Regardless of all of that, you’re still unlikely to get your money back or the code you paid for.

And all of that will cost you more time and more money.

Start again. Do it right this time.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I have all his personal details..eg copies of passport photos, email address, home address, he has changed all his phone numbers, and did have the idea of posting his details on to programming, trading websites to warn others . Then only pull them details down when he delivers my code and program. I have checked and providing it is not lies it is not slander .

But I may have to start again.
 
Trading websites may be none to keen on you posting that information as they have only your word for it that it is true. And posting written details constitutes a potential libel, not slander. Few websites would be willing to take that sort of risk; t2w is definitely one of those.

Without needing you to disclose any details, I’m guessing the amount involved is quite small, less than few thousand. In which case, you’re chasing your tail trying to get it back. And you’ll potentially end up spending more trying to do so. By that same token, it seems extreme overkill for your programmer to have gone to such lengths to cut himself off over a relatively insignificant amount. Doesn’t make sense. I’ve got no reason to doubt your word, but I have less reason to believe it now represents the totality of things than I did.

Without wishing to be derogatory, you’re unlikely to have stumped up more than a token amount for this enterprise as anyone with significant investments to make in design and development of code will normally also have the commonsense and wherewithal to implement suitable procedures to ensure payment is staged in line with deliverables received and tested.

Let it go. And yes, you will have to start again.
 
I agree with your comments, however the amount was not trivial . I had an inkling a few weeks ago that he may attempt selling the program or using it in the same way that I had intended for my business. He had discussed joining me in a future venture, but I think he decided to go it alone with my program and idea.

My fault really, should have had him bound by contract. Its not what I would have expected from him in a million years. You live and learn.
 
I know it's all in hindsight now, but if it was a significant project, did he not deliver part of the program to you in stages?

Do you not have any copies of the program in part-finished states?

As per others here, you should have paid on completion of stages.

And having myself paid for some programming, you may have shot yourself in the foot if you disclosed the full nature of the program.

Agree with TheBramble, put it behind you, and start again.

Without knowing the nature of the program, next time, try to cut up the project into jigsaw pieces, and if any set values are involved, ask for them to be user-definable.

Or have some Control File where you enter key values, etc, without the programmers aid.
So, without knowing the full power of a system, the programmer is kept relatively in the dark.
Under these circumstances, a privacy contract becomes mostly irrelevant.

Give it another go, and good luck.
 
I didnt reveal any strategies. Funnily enough on our last conversation he asked me to give him my method of trading saying that he would program it more efficiently. I declined on the basis that he was not ready with the program, as he had said, but looking back now it was all coming.

Any good coders please get in touch.
 
I had an inkling a few weeks ago that he may attempt selling the program or using it in the same way that I had intended for my business. He had discussed joining me in a future venture, but I think he decided to go it alone with my program and idea.
.

I assume that it was a trading program, so wait until he starts trying to sell it.
Then crucify it on all the forums :LOL: :LOL: :clap:
 
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