Website Hostage Situations Are Real – And They’re Uglier Than You Think

How one local art gallery got locked out of its own website (and what we did about it)

We wish this wasn’t a common story—but it is.

A well-known local art gallery recently came to us in a panic. They were mid-launch on some much-needed new features—registration forms, event listings, maybe even an online store. The vision was clear. The direction was sound.

The problem?
The person they’d hired to build the site was in over their head.

The developer started strong but quickly hit a wall. Features didn’t work, progress stalled, deadlines came and went. Then came the classic one-two punch:

1. "I need more money to finish this."
2. Radio silence. No replies to emails. No returned calls.

And here’s where it gets worse:
The gallery didn’t even have admin access to their own website.
They couldn’t update content. They couldn’t finish the project. They couldn’t even move their site somewhere else.

They were stuck. Held hostage by a so-called “professional” who left them with an unfinished product—and no way to fix it.

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Enter Hyperweb

They came to us frustrated, confused, and (understandably) skeptical. But this isn’t our first hostage situation.

We started by carefully untangling the mess:

• Helped them regain domain and admin access
• Backed up their site and moved it to a secure, reliable host
• Cleaned up half-baked code and broken features
• Finished the job—with the level of quality, clarity, and support they should’ve had from day one

Today, they have a fully functioning, beautifully designed site that serves their needs, supports their programming, and—most importantly—they own it.

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Don’t Let This Happen to You

Too many businesses—especially nonprofits, local orgs, and small teams—fall into the trap of trusting the wrong person with too much power. They don’t think to ask for:

• Admin-level WordPress access
• Domain registrar logins
• Clear contracts and scopes of work
• Ongoing support guarantees

And unfortunately, some developers use that lack of knowledge to take control. We’ve seen everything from total ghosting to ransom-style “maintenance fees” for minor updates.

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💡 Here’s What You Should Always Own:

• Your domain name
• Your hosting account
• Your website files and database
• Your Google accounts (Analytics, Search Console, Ads, etc.)
• Your CMS admin login (WordPress, Shopify, etc.)

If you don’t have these, you don’t truly control your website.
And that’s a recipe for disaster.

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Hyperweb’s Rule: You Own Everything

When you work with us, we don’t just build websites—we build relationships rooted in trust. We give you full access to your tools, and we never gatekeep your own data.

Your business should never be dependent on a single person.
Especially not one who won’t pick up the phone.

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If you’re in a similar situation—stuck, ghosted, or locked out—we can help.
It’s not too late. But the longer you wait, the harder it gets.

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📞 Need help getting your site back?

Let’s talk → hyperweb.ca/contact