Last week one of our client’s websites went down. Out of nowhere there was a huge spike in traffic and requests, and the server got hit hard.
At first it looked like an AI-driven attack. After digging deeper we found the real reason, and it was not an attacker at all.
What actually happened
The client was testing an AI platform to run their Google Ads. It connected directly to Magento through the API and started pulling real-time product data at enormous volume. The requests piled up faster than the server could answer them, and the store went down.
Nobody did anything malicious. A tool was plugged in without anyone asking what load it would put on the infrastructure. That is the quiet risk with a lot of AI tooling right now: it is trivial to connect, and the cost only shows up downstream. It is the same category of self-inflicted outage as the everyday breakage in the bugs nobody fixes, except this one arrived through the front door.
The question behind the question
I asked the client why they decided to do this. The answer was simple: “I’ll run my ads myself.” So I asked why. “Our ads guy is running automated price-adjust scripts for a monthly fee.”
That was the actual problem. Someone was charging a monthly fee for scripts running in the background, and the client reasonably concluded they could do that themselves. The billing model taught them to see the work as a commodity.
What we do not charge for
We have worked with this client for years, and the only reason relationships like that last is trust. Trust is not built on scripts. It is built on how you deliver.
We do not charge for scripts running in the background. We do not charge for malware monitoring. We do not bill separately when an improvement takes less time than expected. That is exactly why our pricing is a flat fee rather than a metered retainer, and why we judge partners on value rather than commission. The moment a client is counting your line items, they start looking for ways to remove you.
It is the same instinct behind answering in minutes on a weekend and the reason the clients who stay for years name dedication rather than deliverables.
If you want a partner who tells you what a tool will do to your infrastructure before you connect it, book a call.