The agency is gone, the freelancer has vanished—and no one knows how the website works anymore?
We’ll take over your website. Even if the code was written by three different people, the password is lost, and no one is available anymore. We’ll respond within 30 minutes, even in the evenings, at night, and on weekends. We’ll be honest if we can’t help.
This happens more often than you think. The agency that built your website five years ago has gone out of business, been sold, or is simply no longer reachable. The freelancer has quit, moved abroad, or stopped responding to emails. Eventually, a plugin stops working, an update fails, the page won’t load—and you’re left with a website that no one can maintain anymore.
We call this “Code Rescue” internally. It’s the most unpleasant job for you and the most challenging for us. We don’t take on every case. But when we can help, we take over the website completely, make it maintainable, and give you back full control.
Am I in an emergency?
Seven common signs
Not every issue with a website is an emergency. If you nod in agreement with any of these points, it’s an emergency for us.
-
Period 01 / KW
The agency is no longer responding
Bankrupt, sold off, dissolved — communication dead.
-
Period 02 / KW
Passwords and admin accounts are missing
No one knows where they are or who had them.
-
Period 03 / KW
The update messed up the site
And the developer can't be reached—there's no documented rollback option.
-
Period 04 / KW
No functional backup site
Because no one has set one up—or the backup system itself is broken.
-
Period 05 / KW
The website is up and running, but no one understands how it works
Making a change is too risky—the slightest touch could ruin everything.
-
Period 06 / KW
Security vulnerabilities are not being addressed
WordPress or TYPO3 installation is outdated, and no one is taking care of it.
-
Period 07 / KW
Hostage to its own website
Your agency's ongoing costs have suddenly doubled—you feel like you're being blackmailed.
Response time guarantee — even at night and on weekends
When you fill out the form or call, you’ll receive an initial response within 30 minutes—day, evening, night, or weekend. This response will come from Dennis personally.
What the response includes:
- Confirmation that your inquiry has been received
- Initial assessment of whether this is a case for us
- A specific timeframe for when the in-depth analysis will begin
- In case of acute risk: initial security measures (triggering a backup, deactivating critical plugins)
What we’ll be honest about: We don’t work through the night. Taking over a website requires focus, and tired work leads to errors. If you reach out at 11 PM on Sunday night, we’ll get back to you within 30 minutes and secure the first critical points. The real in-depth work begins at the next reasonable time slot—typically 6 AM on Monday morning. This isn’t a lack of commitment, but quality assurance.
Exception: VIP Emergency Slot. For true all-nighters (website completely down, business-critical, warning deadline today), there is a premium slot with a €1,000 flat-rate fee plus an hourly rate. We book this a maximum of once per month—otherwise, the quality of service for other clients suffers. Availability upon request.
Website Audit
What we review before an acquisition
We don’t start by making code changes. We start with a thorough website audit. Sometimes the conclusion is that the site is so broken that building a new one from scratch is cheaper. We’ll let you know before you waste money on a losing battle.
-
Period 01 / KW
Access Audit
What access points are available, which are missing, and what do we need to reconstruct (hosting support, DENIC process)?
-
Period 02 / KW
Code Audit
State of the codebase, version control, comments, documentation.
-
Period 03 / KW
Security Audit
What known security vulnerabilities exist, and how critical are they?
-
Period 04 / KW
GDPR Audit
Is the website GDPR-compliant, or is there a risk of receiving a warning letter?
-
Period 05 / KW
Dependency Check
Which external services, plugins, and APIs are connected to it—what happens if one of them fails?
WordPress Help and TYPO3 Help
We’ve been working with both systems since 2007.
WordPress Help. From WP 3.x to 6.x, we’ve gone through most of the version updates ourselves. We know the usual pain points: overloaded plugin lists with 30+ items, outdated page builders like WPBakery or Divi with non-cancellable licenses, themes that haven’t been updated in years, custom PHP functions in the functions.php without comments. Typical WordPress rescue scenarios.
TYPO3 Support. From TYPO3 v4 to v13.4 LTS. TYPO3 emergencies look different: outdated extensions no longer available in the TER, custom extensions from a predecessor without a repository, TypoScript configurations with dependencies that no one understands, major version jumps that were never performed. Challenging, but doable.
Take over the website
Five Steps to Handover
If, after reviewing the case, we say, “Yes, we can take this on,” here’s what happens. Phases 1–4 typically take 3–8 weeks.
-
Period 01 / KW
Take inventory + reconstruct additions
From the hosting provider, the domain registrar, or the last known email contacts. If login credentials are lost: legal recovery (DENIC, hosting provider support).
-
Period 02 / KW
Backup and Staging
No changes without a full backup. We copy everything to the staging environment and work there.
-
Period 03 / KW
Stabilization
The site is running smoothly, security updates have been installed, and GDPR gaps have been closed. No further development yet—just making it maintainable.
-
Period 04 / KW
Documentation
We're documenting how this thing is built—in a way that a future successor can understand. The document belongs to you.
-
Period 05 / KW
Transfer or continued care
It’s up to you: We can continue to manage the project (retainer fee of €108/hour), or we can hand it over entirely to you or your new agency.
Prices — transparent, flat-rate, and clearly justified
We deliberately chose a flat-rate model instead of a tiered pricing structure (evening, night, and weekend rates). The reason: In an emergency, you don’t want to have to decipher a price list—you want a clear price and clarity about the consequences.
| Service | Price | When |
|---|---|---|
| Standard hourly rate | €108/h | Planned work: CMS maintenance, new features, planned migrations, SEO, consulting |
| Code Rescue (Emergency Takeover) | €270/h flat rate | Immediate takeover of abandoned or broken websites. All time slots are the same. Response < 30 min, even at night/on weekends. |
| Transition to regular maintenance | Back to €108/hour | After rescue is complete, once the website is running stably. |
| VIP Immediate Slot (Exception) | €1,000 flat fee + €270/hour | Real work done overnight. Available a maximum of once per month. |
Why €270/hour for Code Rescue (+150% on top of €108):
- More analysis time upfront. Third-party code takes longer than our own.
- Higher project risk. Undetected dependencies, broken backups, outdated libraries.
- Greater accountability for results. You’re under pressure (website down, warning letter, deadline) — we have to deliver.
- 24/7 responsiveness. Only available with the flat rate.
About Dennis
Dennis Hüttner personally handles every emergency
Dennis Hüttner heads up Waterproof Web Wizard GmbH and is your first point of contact in any emergency—even at night and on weekends. He has been working with TYPO3, WordPress, and SEO since 2007. Code rescue isn’t for everyone; we do it because 18 years of CMS experience is exactly what makes us good at it.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Website Emergencies
Four honest answers.
Why €270/hour instead of €108?
Code Rescue requires more time for analysis (third-party code), involves higher project risks (corrupted backups, outdated libraries), entails greater responsibility (high-pressure situations), and demands 24/7 availability. The premium is justified; it’s not a rip-off.
What if you can't help?
Honest assessment following a website review. We recommend either building a new site (often cheaper than salvaging the existing one) or refer you to more suitable specialists. There is no obligation to proceed.
Will I really get the complete code?
Yes. Once things are stable, the admin accounts, repository permissions, and documentation are all yours. No hostage situation.
What happens after the rescue?
The choice is yours: continued support from us at our standard hourly rate of €108/hour, handover to you or your new agency, or a one-time completion. No lock-in contracts.
Call or write now
For genuine emergencies, call us directly. We’ll get back to you within 30 minutes—even at night and on weekends. Initial response from Dennis personally.