This dispute escalates because both sides are usually right — you didn’t get what you expected and they delivered what was agreed. Establish which of four situations you’re actually in before starting a fight, because only two of them give you a claim.
Why both sides are right
Your position: you paid ₹25,000, the site has been live three months, and you’ve had no enquiries. On any commercial reading you didn’t get value.
Their position: they built the pages, it works, it’s live on your domain. They never sold traffic, and nothing in the quote said they did.
Both statements are true, which is exactly why the conversation gets heated. Nobody is lying; you were operating on different definitions of the deliverable.
The underlying cause is documented: the belief that a live website brings customers automatically is widespread and false, and an entire genre of Indian content exists to explain it after the money is spent.
The four situations
Work out which you’re in before doing anything else.
1. The site works and nothing was sent to it.
Visitors in single digits. The contact form works. The site converts what arrives — there just isn’t any arrival.
Do you have a claim? On the build, no. They delivered a website. What you’re missing is traffic, which was a separate purchase nobody named.
2. Something is broken.
The contact form doesn’t deliver. The WhatsApp button lacks the country code. The phone number is wrong. The site is unusable on a phone.
Claim? Yes, and a strong one — but ask for it fixed rather than refunded. That’s faster, cheaper for both sides, and it’s what you actually want.
3. Traffic or SEO was explicitly promised.
The quote said “we’ll get you on the first page,” or a salesperson said enquiries would start within weeks.
Claim? Yes, if it’s in writing. Find the message. Ranking positions can’t be guaranteed by anyone, and a promise of them is a misrepresentation you can point at.
4. It was never delivered, or is incomplete.
Not live, or missing pages you paid for.
Claim? Yes. This is a delivery dispute, not an expectations dispute, and it’s a different conversation entirely.
| Situation | Claim? | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Works, no traffic sent | No | Nothing from them; buy reach |
| Something broken | Yes | A fix, not a refund |
| Traffic promised in writing | Yes | Refund of the promised portion, or the work |
| Not delivered | Yes | Delivery or refund |
The ten-minute check before you argue
Run this and situation 1 versus 2 resolves itself:
- Is analytics installed? If not, that’s a finding — nobody set up measurement. Search Console will at least show whether Google is displaying your pages.
- How many visitors last month? Single digits means no traffic, not a broken site.
- Test the contact form. Submit an enquiry. Where did it go? Is it an inbox you check?
- Tap the WhatsApp button and the phone number. Country code present? Right number?
- Read what the quote actually said about SEO, Google or marketing. Literally, not from memory.
Most refund wars end at step two or step five, in one direction or the other.
Why a refund is unlikely even with a claim
Being honest about the landscape. Refund policies are near-universally absent from small website offers in India, most projects have no written agreement, and some work genuinely was done — which makes a full refund a negotiation rather than a right.
So the practical ask changes depending on what you want:
If something is broken: ask for it fixed. You’ll get that. It’s cheaper for them than arguing.
If traffic was promised in writing: ask for the promised work to be done, or a partial refund of that portion. Quote their own message back.
If nothing was delivered: a legal notice is the route that most often produces money, and it’s modest in cost.
If the site works and nothing was sent to it: don’t start the fight. You’ll spend weeks and lose, and you still won’t have traffic at the end.
The more useful conversation
If you’re in situation 1, this message gets you further than a refund demand:
The site is live and working but we’re getting no visitors. What would it cost to get people to it — and can you tell me what a realistic monthly budget and expected cost per enquiry looks like?
Two outcomes, both better than a dispute. A capable vendor gives you a plan and a number. One who says traffic will come automatically has told you to look elsewhere for that part — which is useful information rather than a grievance.
Preventing it next time
One question, before buying:
Does this package include anything that brings visitors to the site, or only building it?
A vendor who answers honestly — “only building it; here’s what reach would cost” — has removed this entire dispute before it exists.
What to do this week
- Install analytics and Search Console if missing, then wait a week.
- Test the contact form, WhatsApp button and phone number from your own phone.
- Read your quote’s exact wording on SEO and marketing.
- Identify which of the four situations you’re in.
- Ask for a fix, a plan, or a notice — matched to the situation.
If you want it done the certain way
Send us your website address and we’ll tell you which of the four situations you’re in — including when the honest answer is that the site is fine and you need traffic, not a refund. We quote build and reach as two numbers so this dispute can’t happen. WhatsApp us; we reply in about five minutes between 9am and 7pm.
Related reading
- My website is live — why are there no customers?
- Whose fault is zero enquiries?
- Was SEO included in your website package?
- Does the company have a refund policy?
FAQ
Can I get a refund if my website brings no customers?
Usually not, if the site works and nothing was sent to it — building the site and driving traffic are separate purchases. You do have a claim where something is broken, where traffic was promised in writing, or where the site wasn’t delivered.
How do I tell whether my website is broken or just has no traffic?
Check analytics for visitor numbers, then test the contact form, WhatsApp button and phone number yourself. Single-digit monthly visitors means a traffic gap; a form that doesn’t deliver means a defect you can insist is fixed.
What if the vendor promised first-page rankings?
Find the message. Ranking positions can’t be guaranteed by anyone, so a written promise is something you can point at when asking for the work to be done or a partial refund of that portion.
