Where Have the Real Designers Gone?

[Update 2013-01-05: I should clarify the following is a general rant, and should add: there is a problem in business of simply speaking the language of the ignorant, not attempting to increase knowledge but simply pander to little prejudices or inklings formed from hype about what should be sought in that unknowing state. Such pandering is perhaps necessary for services, however, when they aren't going to learn. I have to deal with people who often cause most of their own problems every day, yet scream at you! Precisely for the same set of circumstances and ills in humanity. 

People end up presenting themselves as something they are not, both for providing what ends-up being honest services and also for pretense to just make money off someone who doesn't know better, and I used the adds by sashajuliard on Craigslist as a general example of the phenomena. Sashajuliard left a comment (received in email) in reply, that I've elevated to occupy a post so he has his say.]

Meander through listings on Craigslist for 'web design', and you will stumble upon one bumbler after another whose real skillset is pretentiousness to knowing what he is doing while really exhorbitantly pricing services to drop Wordpress onto a cheap or free hosting service somewhere with a pre-made theme. e.g. if you look at http://sashajuliard.com/.

The last few days I have contacted several, and in each requested they send examples of work with a description of their abilities and background in HTML, CSS, and JS, and only then if they are familiar with Wordpress and, more importantly, with more--such as drupal; I have also asked that they specify if they are capable of modifying themes of such frameworks, and whether capable of integrating well with Google Apps and Docs' spreadsheets.

No answers.

I must say immediately however, the Sashajuliard site is not one I even tried to contact because  when I looked under the hood and then did some digging, I found him simply using the template "konzept", found here http://themeforest.net/item/konzept-fullscreen-portfolio-wordpress-theme/2383907. (The problem with someone just accustomed to themeing, is their likely inability to deal with any security problems or bugs.)

It's one thing for someone to become an expert, say, in Wordpress; another to present oneself as a designer without even being able to modify a template, but only use those available: those making the templates are real designers, those incapable are fakes. It is perfectly upright, on the other hand, to say openly, "I just install existing technology and equipment I deem the best off-the-shelf solutions for clients lacking the skill and experience in making such determinations on their own" however: it is perfectly ethical business.

Lesson re-learned as always, as over-and-over: anyone presenting themselves as a free-spirit I-do-this-because-I-have-to-move type, is likely not doing anything like a very technical discipline. That takes significant dedication. Let the photographers pretend to be nothing more, and may marketers stop pretending to be technical shops.