Need some SEO professionals to help in a legal matter

Hi, I need some real SEO professionals to help me. I am a SEO and have clients and do get high rankings however it does take me longer than some people so that is why I decided to hire someone to optimize my site for $300 as I saw my time in it would cost way more than that.

Now the SEO seems to think the job is done and wants payment. All he has provided is a Google Sitemaps report that says my site was #19 for 3 days. Which could have been easily Photoshoped. However I have checked my rankings manually about every other day and never saw my site within top 200.

Also the links this SEO has gotten me are link farm links which i don't believe would have ever gotten me such a position.

Here is a few that he got me.
http://www.syn-flex-usa.com/parts.asp
http://www.smartavi.com/parts.php
http://www.applica.com/parts.php
http://www.natural-weight-loss.biz/parts.php
http://www.emeraldhardwoodfloors.com/parts.asp

Do any of you SEO pros think that 100 of these links would have gotten me top 20 position in Google? I don't think Link Farm links like this with 0/10 PR would get any ranking.

My keywords I supposedly came up for was "Small Business Web Hosting" without the quotes.

I would really like to talk to someone who knows alot about all of this and has been working for a long time.

If someone could talk to me on MSN about this I would be greatful.
MSN ID: randy at visiohosting dot com
AIM ID: randylacelle
YIM ID: visio_hosting@yahoo.com

Thanks again!

Just a comment: IMO, a total of $300 for optimizing your site for on-page may be reasonable dependent upon the condition and size of your site. To expect high SERP rankings just based upon on-page work may be too optimistic.

To expect a lot of off-page SEM along with on-page SEO for a total of $300 may not be reasonable. For a good SEO professional, $300 isn't even a down payment.

$300 was supposed to be for a top 10 ranking for Small Business Web Hosting keyword. That is why I had another 'seo' do it as I cannot do it myself for that cheap. My time is worth alot more than that.

A G search for "small business web hosting" without quotes gives you 112 million results with very stiff competition. You really think anyone, including yourself, can give you top 10 results for $300? If some SEO can, I will hire them for three times that amount.

As I mentioned above that is why I hired him. He claimed to be able to do it. Maybe I was stupid to believe it.
That is what I told myself. I said if he can do it for that I will hire him to do all the clients I have to deny.

It proves the old axiom: "If it sounds too good to be true... it usually is."

Didn't you say before that he showed you a ranking of 19 for that?

If that's the case it's simple. He promised "top 10" and didn't deliver. In my eyes that's enough grounds for non-payment. Even verbal contracts are still contracts in the eyes of the law in cases like this. And honestly, for $300, it's not worth his time or effort to chase even if he gets upset. One well-worded letter from your solicitor will send him running if he tries to pull any sort of legal fight.

Well first off - pay him. Assuming you know a little about SEO you already know what can and can't be achieved and what MUST be done to achieve that.

In that context, if you don't specified "exactly what you get for funds paid" - that's is your error not the consultant.

When is comes to seeing legit complaints from clients of other SEOs I tend to be overly hard on the SEOs - since they should know their own experience level and the client's "risk" is they do not nor do they appreciate all the variables of a continuous changing environment... e.g. "we're not miracle workers" or "fortune tellers".

At the same time - it isn't like a client can't do a little research online, and ask for references, and specified exact what they want for services rendered.

You got what you wanted... e.g. "I don't really want waste time ensuring I got a good deal"... so I'll risk $300 and accept what I get.

It takes me 2-3 months negotiating contracts... to ensure "I don't get had" and at the same time to protect the client's interests. Terms, performances, liability concerns, dispute resolutions, etc.

Your $300 doesn't even cover the cost of the paperwork...

In any case it is in your best interest to pay - since that same person can post here and everywhere else about you not keeping your end of the deal either. [two wrongs don't make either of you right]

...and next time specified exactly what you want, and when they agree - research them out.

I know that. And I did tell him exactly what I wanted. I have already figured out by now he is a crook as he claimed to have a Google Stiemaps screenshot of my ranking when you need to verify your site to see those stats which he could not have done. Also he used link farms, and hidden text which was against what I originaly said I did not want.

I know I should have been smarter and never thought I could get a good deal. Well I did learn a lesson from all this so somethign came of it
Thanks everyone for your comments!