Choosing an agency for a Magento implementation is a decision that affects several years of business. A bad choice is not just overpaying – it is a project that does not reach completion, a store that does not work as it should, and running from agency to agency to fix a predecessor’s mistakes. Below are signals to watch out for before signing a contract.
Red flags in communication
No questions about your business. An agency that goes straight to technology and prices on the first meeting without asking about business processes, target audience and goals does not understand that a store is a business tool, not an end in itself. Too fast and too low a quote. A Magento project quoted in 2 hours without a Discovery workshop is a quote without analysis – risk of large “surprises” during the project.
Red flags in the offer
No specification or a half-page specification. No clear terms for scope changes. No information about the testing process. No references or portfolio with projects of similar scale and industry. Contract clauses that keep code on the agency’s side or require “buyout” after project completion.
Technical red flags
The agency proposes solutions that bypass the Magento core (direct database queries instead of Repository API, modifications to core files). This is convenient short-term, costly at every update. No CI/CD, no staging environment, no automated tests. This is not an option for a professional project.
What to check
References – call the agency’s previous clients and ask how the collaboration went, not just whether the store works. Check Magento certifications (Adobe Commerce Certified) – not a quality guarantee, but a signal of commitment to the platform. Ask for a sample functional specification from a previous project.
If any of the signals described sound familiar, it is worth analysing before the problem grows. I offer a free initial consultation – write to biuro@tews.pl or visit tews.pl.
