I reviewed lots of portfolios and settled on one where every logo looked really sharp and unique. I paid for just the $5 logo thinking if I was happy I would use this designer again.
Well, I was given a 10 day wait and the order went 11 days. On the 12th day I got the logo along with an additional HD file for having to wait the extra day but it was useless.
My site is about budget family travel. I gave a very detailed explanation of what I needed and my site url for reference. I assumed the designer would visit the site and get a feel for what it needed.
Instead, I got a logo in a very patriotic color scheme that looked very much like it was supposed to resemble a mother giving birth. Basically a large "C" shape, open side down, with a circle on top (moms head). Then another of the same shape, only smaller, flipped around and placed inside the "arms" of the mom. Everyone I asked to look at it said it made them think of a woman giving birth to a baby head first.
My tag line also includes the letter "g" in it but the bottom of the G was cut off. So it looked like a really glaring mistake, or a rush job.
Supposedly, I get a revision so I wrote back and explained why I can't use this logo. That was three days ago and I've yet to get a reply. Glad it was only $5 I lost.
UPDATE: It is now 6 months later. I never received a reply to my request for the revision that I was told I could have. I never received any reply at all.