Boss Encounters: Episode 2 — “I Paid The Developer But the Website Is Gone! Why?”
It’s Thursday afternoon. The office is quiet. I’m sipping black tea, reviewing maintenance audit results.
Then the call comes in.
He refuses to speak to the receptionist.
He won’t hang up either.
He insists on speaking to a supervisor — someone senior.
Me: “Yes, how can I help you?”
Caller: “My website has disappeared. I think you people took it down.”
Me: “Sorry to hear that, sir. May I have the domain name?”
He gives it. I check.
DNS zone records: empty.
Website: not loading.
Something’s off.
Caller: “I paid a guy called Kevin to handle everything. He said he bought the domain, built the site, even did SEO.”
Me: “Do you have access to the domain or hosting logins?”
Caller: “No. Kevin had all that.”
Me: “Where is Kevin now?”
Caller: (Pause) “He blocked me.”
I ask for a vendor payment receipt. He sends one.
It’s a WhatsApp screenshot — an M-Pesa transfer:
KES 35,000 to ‘Kevin The Developer’.
That’s it.
No contract.
No domain access.
No backups.
No proof of ownership.
The Lesson?
Paying someone to build your website doesn't mean you own it.
If you're a business owner:
- Get formal agreements with your developer.
- Insist on domain and hosting credentials.
- Request backups — and keep them.
If you're a developer or freelancer:
- Be transparent. Don’t gatekeep client assets.
- Use contracts. Set clear expectations early.
- Empower your clients — don’t trap them.
Digital ownership matters.
If you don’t control your domain and hosting, you don’t own your website — no matter what you paid.