[ad_1]
What do you do when you have purchased a theme for yourself or a client and then the theme owner abandons the theme and it stops working properly?
I have purchased the [Ecome]) them a few years back and the last time it was updated was 9 June 2021.
It is not optimized for the latest version of wordpress or php.
[ad_2]
I forgot to mention but the item support [link]) also does not work.
I use a new theme.
You could take on the responsibility of doing the updates yourself, if you know how to do that type of work. To me that’s still more trouble than it’s worth.
Yep, I know. Website is only 2 years old, client doesn’t want to pay for a redesign, yada, yada, yada…but this is the chance you take when you use a theme without a decent support history.
I always use the same themes that had been around forever and just customized them to my liking.
IMO, if it’s your site, and you’re OK with the risk, so be it. The worst thing you can do with a client site is to let them use an out of date theme and just wait for it to break or get hacked….which will be FAR more trouble than just fixing it now.
And yes, I’ve had to redo a site for the exact same reason, for free. It was my fuck-up, and I fixed it. Never made that mistake again.
If it’s a theme the client requested, then they eat the cost of correcting it. If that’s the case, hopefully you explained the risks ahead of time…if not, still your fault.
This is from the Ecome Regular License:
>You can modify or manipulate the Item. You can combine the Item with other works and make a derivative work from it. The resulting works are subject to the terms of this license. You can do these things as long as the End Product you then create is one that’s permitted
​
So it sounds like, if you really wanted to, you could make updates to the theme yourself. I don’t see anything in the license that prevents you from allowing outside developers to make updates on your behalf as long as the theme is only used on your website.
You can also try contacting the theme author to see if they would be willing to make the theme open source and then the fixes could be public.
But if fixing the theme isn’t an option I’d look for a replacement. It definitely isn’t worth downgrading WordPress for compatibility.
Either fix the issue or move to a new theme.
Cry and rebuild the site on a better theme like GeneratePress, Ocean, Astra, Kadence, or similar.
This is why your work contract needs to invoke a maximum support timeline for defects, and your customer needs to be informed that technology requires constant updates and maintenance to remain functional.
Technology is not a one-and-done for life.
Technology is always going out of date and losing support.
In general, a business should be constantly updating the website to keep it from feeling outdated and abandoned, as it reflects poorly on the business.
If a website feels old, stale, or abandoned, customers think the business is performing poorly and can’t afford to modernize, which they interpret as the business does poor quality work and that’s why customers don’t return, and why the business struggles financially to afford a revamp.
In general, I would tell customers to budget a redesign, or at least some moderate revamp, every 2 years.
That said, generally an update to WordPress doesn’t break themes, everything is usually backwards compatible.
So if the theme is breaking, it must mean the customers WordPress is several generations behind (5+ years).
Whatever you do, don’t swallow this work for free, bill the customer as it’s not your responsibility to keep them updated.
The same warnings should be given to customers about plugins. Generally if it’s a paid plugin with a yearly subscription the support is dependable.
But these theme and plugin developers can’t afford a pay-once and receive lifetime support business model. Rent is due every month lol
Stick to established themes like Divi and Elementor, which have a subscription model that requires yearly payment. That yearly fee ensures ongoing compatibility updates, as well as customer support through chat/email.
That is why, this is one of the cardinal rules of WordPress, I understand the need to support Indy developers but you have to do what is best for you and that is why you should always go with the big 5 or so.