[bawolff]

> Why don’t I switch forms - well, I’m scared I’ll have a worse experience with another firm, that I’d have to share the code base with someone else, and it would take another team a long time to learn the code.

Well that seems to be your first problem. If someone isn't doing their job, and they don't get better after having a talk about their performance, you find someone else. Watching their every move is not a viable solution.

It sounds a bit like you're not setting clear/reasonable acceptance criteria, and as a result are not getting what you want.

> Ever seen a real rich person outsource to another firm, share their idea, and let the firm create everything in their own - that’s a bit fail waiting to happen. And the dev firm knows it and is happy to take as much money from you as possible.

Yeah, and they probably deserve every penny. People who want something very specific, but don't really know what it is and can't explain it, are miserable to deal with. Running a business is a skill, it takes more than just an idea + $$$$