clippy Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Well its been one day since I started trying to use Prestashop. Its been nothing but headaches. Unfortunately I bought a theme that is only supported by version 1.3 because another person who does design work told me they could edit the theme and customize it the way I need. Nothing but errors everywhere and the designer jumped ship. I have worked with Magento and Zencart, and was hoping based on some of the rave reviews that I would come to love Prestashop, but in the end its turned out to be a big mess. It just seems like sometimes you put so many hours into something only to have nothing to show for. I guess i'm just burnt out at this point and in the hole for wasting money on a Prestashop theme that doesn't work. Not sure what to do at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy@abc Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Hi there, I just had to respond, as I know exactly how you are feeling right now. I was introduced to Prestashop in mid-July, with no experience at all of coding, design etc. I didn't know what an FTP manager was and had never made a banner before. Confusion and tiredness reigned! In my hurry and enthusiasm I also bought a theme for v1.3 not knowing the difference! Didn't know I was running a v1.4.3. I contacted the developer, but he wouldn't help, basically tough luck. I was hoping for some money back! Once I accepted I would have to pay for add ons to get the look I wanted (which is fair enough, as Prestashop is free), I found I made myself keep going as I didn't want to lose any more money! I had to put the poor start behind me and move on. I had already invested so much time and didn't want to think it was wasted. I'll admit I found it tough going, it was a very steep learning curve - I was often at the stage of frustration, disappointment and confusion and nearly gave it up a zillion times because I kept feeling like it was one problem after another - BUT, I can only encourage you to keep at it. There is light at the end of the tunnel! I have used the forums and bug tracker to work my way through issues, bugs and extreme lack of knowledge and got there in the end. It has taken 5/6 weeks and I am finally live. Yes, my shop is basic, but I am happy with it, knowing what I have gone through to get there! It's definitely not a designer's dream - lol, but it has mostly been created by me. I honestly would advise you to try and put the bad experience behind you and start again - there are loads of free themes and loads of inexpensive ones - just search the forums or ask to be pointed in the right direction. There are some really nice people on here who will try their level best to help, very trustworthy and with the patience of a saint to deal with the likes of me! There are also some great free modules to help the look of your shop as well. Please give it another chance, any issues you have can be brought here - there are loads of Prestashop experts who will help you and it really is worth it in the end, as Presta has a fantastic look and feel about it! Apologies for the length of this post and if it is a bit muddled (writing quickly before you give up!), but please try again! Wendy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Serralta Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Hello, Thank you Both with your posting. It is true that using PrestaShop can be a little more involved than a hosting solution that charges monthly hosting fees. All open source solution will require the purchase of a domain, and the uploading of the website, and that level of complexity. We are actually the simplest solution to start. I was a new merchant once and its true that there is a learning curve, and even though it requires a bit of effort today, your possibilities become endless. I would also like to mention that PrestaShop comes with all the features that you need to open your store, and it is the most customizable solution. Add-ons or modules are by no mean a requirement. If you purchased your theme from the PrestaShop add-on store, I would love to offer you to exchange it for another of equal value compatible with version 1.4. Also, may I suggest to look carefully at the instructions as even though it sounds cumbersome at the beginning, they will save you much time in the long term... Here is the kicker, we have new offices in Miami, to help support our US community. The number is not published on the website yet, but here it is : (888) 947-6543. We will soon have a new website for the US and it will reflect the number. Before giving up, give me a call, let me help you out, you won't regret it. :-) I will modify the title to reflect a bit more about the subject. Matt Hi there, I just had to respond, as I know exactly how you are feeling right now. I was introduced to Prestashop in mid-July, with no experience at all of coding, design etc. I didn't know what an FTP manager was and had never made a banner before. Confusion and tiredness reigned! In my hurry and enthusiasm I also bought a theme for v1.3 not knowing the difference! Didn't know I was running a v1.4.3. I contacted the developer, but he wouldn't help, basically tough luck. I was hoping for some money back! Once I accepted I would have to pay for add ons to get the look I wanted (which is fair enough, as Prestashop is free), I found I made myself keep going as I didn't want to lose any more money! I had to put the poor start behind me and move on. I had already invested so much time and didn't want to think it was wasted. I'll admit I found it tough going, it was a very steep learning curve - I was often at the stage of frustration, disappointment and confusion and nearly gave it up a zillion times because I kept feeling like it was one problem after another - BUT, I can only encourage you to keep at it. There is light at the end of the tunnel! I have used the forums and bug tracker to work my way through issues, bugs and extreme lack of knowledge and got there in the end. It has taken 5/6 weeks and I am finally live. Yes, my shop is basic, but I am happy with it, knowing what I have gone through to get there! It's definitely not a designer's dream - lol, but it has mostly been created by me. I honestly would advise you to try and put the bad experience behind you and start again - there are loads of free themes and loads of inexpensive ones - just search the forums or ask to be pointed in the right direction. There are some really nice people on here who will try their level best to help, very trustworthy and with the patience of a saint to deal with the likes of me! There are also some great free modules to help the look of your shop as well. Please give it another chance, any issues you have can be brought here - there are loads of Prestashop experts who will help you and it really is worth it in the end, as Presta has a fantastic look and feel about it! Apologies for the length of this post and if it is a bit muddled (writing quickly before you give up!), but please try again! Wendy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clippy Posted August 27, 2011 Author Share Posted August 27, 2011 Thank you both for the replies. That did give me a nice little boost of encouragement. I think its just so tough finding an ecommerce solution that is fulfilling. I know there will always be positives and negatives of every ecommerce platform. Everything takes time, but its the investment of the time that you hope pays off. I will give this another go and I hope I can get some things figured out with the theme. Thank you both again. Matt I tried calling but couldn't get through. I guess you guys are closed right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indus Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Hi clippy Also make sure to go through some really good and free themes and modules contributed by members on the forums.Trust me,the free modules are so good you will mostly not need to buy a paid module at all. I do wish that the prestashop team makes a few stunning themes as default in prestashop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Serralta Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Hi clippy Also make sure to go through some really good and free themes and modules contributed by members on the forums.Trust me,the free modules are so good you will mostly not need to buy a paid module at all. I do wish that the prestashop team makes a few stunning themes as default in prestashop. Stunning Themes are in the works :-) Almost there.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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