Contractor Question

What would happen if you hired a contractor, and they were given full access to your hosting account and Zen Cart files ... and they got pissed off (or just were off their rocker) and they changed the admin password to your ZC site to where you couldn't access it?

1. Would you have to uninstall and reinstall ZC to start over?

2. Is there a database file/folder where you can go get them off of the account?

Thanks bunches! Jules

First, you should really never give full access to ANYONE. There's no need to do that. There are lots of ways to avoid that. Some are even outlined in the /docs/ImplentationGuide.pdf that comes in your Zen Cart files.

As long as you still have access to your hosting account control panel and phpMyAdmin, you can reset your ZC admin password by these instructions: http://www.zen-cart.com/content.php?44-how-do-i-change-or-reset-my-admin-password-%28i-lost-it%29

And of course, use your hosting account control panel's password-change feature to change your hosting account's password to lock out anyone you'd given that password to!

Thanks!! This wasn't for me, but for a friend who has no computer experience, much less design experience. She hired someone to do everything, and that person has now set a new password and she can't access the Zen site. She isn't from here, and has been doing the best she could to get her website up and running. Hard lesson to learn, but now she knows. I will send her that link!!

HUGz! Jules

NekkidFish:

What would happen if you hired a contractor, and they were given full access to your hosting account and Zen Cart files ...

They'd be able to do everything you (or site owner) could do, and probably a whole lot more (due to their expertise).

I'll not give any reprimands for (needlessly) providing this level of access, but in my experience this tend to be the rule rather than the exception. :(

NekkidFish:

and they got pissed off

Avoid this situation at all costs.

NekkidFish:

(or just were off their rocker)

Or both? That's when you really need to worry ;-)

NekkidFish:

and they changed the admin password to your ZC site to where you couldn't access it?

I have to ask, what makes you so sure that it is/was the contractor that did this?
If it was the contractor, was it intentional? Sometimes password related issues aren't necessarily uncommon after performing an upgrade.

NekkidFish:

1. Would you have to uninstall and reinstall ZC to start over?

2. Is there a database file/folder where you can go get them off of the account?

Please refer to DrBytes reply for more info about this.

Cheers
Rod

She spoke with a friend yesterday, who referred her to her longtime ZC contractor, and he was able to get the old contractor removed and get her stuff back into a secure position for her.

I of course told her about using Odesk and a reputable contractor, and that even then, she has to monitor things to cover her azz!

Thanks guys!

NekkidFish:

...using Odesk and a reputable contractor...

I've been with Odesk since it started up and I've yet to find a "reputable" contractor. All these "freelancer" services suck.

schoolboy:

I've been with Odesk since it started up and I've yet to find a "reputable" contractor. All these "freelancer" services suck.Yep.. I agree I found ONE, and now he is so busy that I cannot use him again if I wanted to..

I'm getting just a little tired of these statements that there are no reputable contractors on Odesk. I don't know how you define reputable but making a blanket statement like that just scares people away from hiring contractors to do work. I don't know what your motive might be but it's harmful to those of us that are trying to make a living. Sorry you had a bad experience but get over it. If you have suggestions that might help others evaluate the quality of the reputable contractors on Odesk I'm all for that. Some of us work really hard at being reputable and satisfying our clients.

badarac:

I'm getting just a little tired of these statements that there are no reputable contractors on Odesk. I don't know how you define reputable but making a blanket statement like that just scares people away from hiring contractors to do work. I don't know what your motive might be but it's harmful to those of us that are trying to make a living. Sorry you had a bad experience but get over it. If you have suggestions that might help others evaluate the quality of the reputable contractors on Odesk I'm all for that. Some of us work really hard at being reputable and satisfying our clients.
I have no motives.. I am making a statement on my OWN experiences with oDesk.. and SO far with the exception of ONE developer and ONE graphic designer (who has since left oDesk), I have had nothing but one BAD experience after another with the quality of the contractors I've encountered on oDesk..
Things like:

• Accepting projects without any real knowledge or understanding of the requirements
• LACK of timely communication
• LYING to me!!!!!!!
• Accepting a project, then once getting into the heart of the work, pulling out because (their words) "this is too hard.. I didn't realize it would be this hard"
• Delivery of invalid/incorrect/buggy code and the inability to correct issues or worse yet, fixing one issue and then introducing two more, THEN failing to fix any of the issues let alone deliver the code required

As an example, one developer's work was soooo bad that I canceled the contract because of his inability to follow the detailed requirements. This lead to a Skype discussion with his manager. His manger agreed that his worker's work was not quality work, and had no problem with me cancelling.. but he was MORE CONCERNED with what rating I was going to give his worker than the fact that he FAILED to do the job he was hired to do in the first place. (WTF???)

I know how to screen contractors.. I have been careful about doing so.. I work with developers all day long in my day job, and I have hired outside developers before for the company I work for with NO issues.. but based on MY EXPERIENCE with oDesk, clearly the ratings/reviews don't always tell the whole story. I have had better experiences with vWorker, but found that the responses on vWorker were poor (not enough responses to evaluate and choose a contractor).. The projects I tried to use oDesk for I have since gotten done with other resources, and I MAY take a look at oDesk again in the future..

Now I don't doubt that you may be an exception.. and I'm sure there are others.. PM me your oDesk ID.. I'll be more than happy to have some names I KNOW are reliable, dependable, and KNOWLEDGEABLE to invite to bid on a proposal should I opt to use oDesk again:smile:. Thus far, MY EXPERIENCE is that I haven't found that :no:..

DivaVocals:

I have no motives.. I am making a statement on my OWN experiences with oDesk.. and SO far with the exception of ONE developer and ONE graphic designer (who has since left oDesk), I have had nothing but one BAD experience after another with the quality of the contractors I've encountered on oDesk..

Diva,
I didn't mean to imply that you had any motives. I have a problem with the blanket statements which which paint everyone with the same brush. I just meant to say that, and to point out that it might be better to help less experienced zencart users find a qualified contractor. I'm sure I can't be the only reputable contractor on Odesk. I'll send you a PM.