Freelancer is a website that allow employers to do their project from thousands of freelance programmers from internet. They are actually like an introduction agent who introduce the client and freelancers.
Highlights
It is the greediest website I ever came across. They do lot of tricks and techniques to milk the money from employer as well as from freelancers from india, bangladesh etc. It is like halloween trick or treat. If you do not treat them there will be lot of tricks out there to trap you. See some example
Hiding Employers rating
After finishing the project the employer and freelancer has to rate each other. This rating system is used by ebay and all other sites so that people can look at the persons reviews and rating before dealing with it. But freelancer will hide the rating of the employers?? An employer can see his rating himself and get satisfied. Until now I never know that this is a cheating. Why yes it is a trick designed by them to get treated. Due to this the freelancer who is biding on your project is not having any clue about the employer’s reputation. Only way you to get the quality bid is makinf mile stone payment, which will stay in their account and they will be happily eating the interest of our money.
When I bought this issue to their support their consult was fuming with anger and reasons on phone, because I accused that this is not a bug and it definitely made by freelancer to grab more money from employers and freelancers. he was telling me it is a bug and I am going to tell our engineers to correct it. Any way after 2 hours I got an email from him. it is below
Hi,
The engineers have told me that hiding the employer profiles is in fact a feature of the site.
We have no plans to change this at the moment. We appreciate the feedback.Thanks.
Sincerely,
Michael Kapowski
Freelancer.com Support
e: [email protected]
w: http://www.freelancer.com
Cheating cheating cheating
Please see the support requests
What is this?? Why users say they can not see the profile??
See the chat with one bidder
Profile picture
I am unable to see your profile?
Profile picture
I have edited my BID
Profile picture
why can’t see my profile?
Profile picture
I dont know it shows good reviews and when I click I cant see
Profile picture
can you please send me the url
https://www.freelancer.com/u/sandesh1908s.html?ref_project_id=5022371
regards
Sajith
Their reply
Hello Sajith,
Thank you for contacting Freelancer.com Support.
If you are referring to the project “Project 61 300 blog comments for article writer – ID: 5022371,” please inform your freelancer “sandesh1908s” to send us an email so we can further assist them on how he can view your profile page.
Feel free to contact us again if you have other questions.
—
Sincerely,
Haley C.
Freelancer.com Support
e: [email protected]
w: http://www.freelancer.com
———————————–
My reply
Why sandesh1908s
I created one user profile for wife and check how I have seen by the users. No review nothing. It is shocking. Freelancer won’t delay even one second to take the money from our paypal account. Then you should check this also
It is really Bad
regards
SajithHello I checked up to see what is wrong. When I browse other users I can see their reviews and works. I know why it is. Your stupid system newer shows the employer reviews and ratings. SInce I do not have any freelancer review (As I never did a project) it never shows anything
Regards
SajithThe Employer profile is not available for this user.
What is that message? Do we have to pay extra to show our profile??
Sombody already made video for this bug
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yttKAADYFm4
————————–
Their reply
We have forwarded your freelancer’s concern about not being able to view your profile even if you have already sent a private message. We will update you with this ticket once we have received a response from the proper department regarding the matter.
Please let us know if you need further assistance.
—
Sincerely,
Haley C.
Freelancer.com Support
————————————–
Hello What stupid system is this. The freelancers should be able to view employers rating and reviews before placing a bid. THis will assist them to select employers
Regards
Sajith
————-
Hello there,
We appreciate your response.
Thank you for providing us a feedback. If you want, you can send us a suggestion with the complete details on how you think the system should improve to better assist users.
In the meantime, let us wait for the proper department’s response on your concern.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
—
Sincerely,
Haley C.
Freelancer.com Support
e: [email protected]
w: http://www.freelancer.com
—————————-
Hey I want to cancel this project or Post an apology to the users, by freelancer staff. You are not providing the service you are offering.
I asked my wife to bid on this project and found that lot of restriction. And even after I responded she could not view my profile? Then how the freelancers are going to bid for project.
I want my profile (rating and reviews to be enable to all). Users are not giving us ratings and reviews not to keep in freelancers under desk.
If that is the case why are you enabling freelancer reviews??
I am considering this as a scam so that employers will be forced to pay milestone to you. I am updating my blog
http://sajith.snydle.com/freelancer-com-scam.html
Regards
Sajith
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Yes added this issue it is here
Hiding Ratings and Reviews about employers
Another way they found is hide the ratings and reviews about employers. So there is only one way to get good bids by creating a milestone payment to their account. (And they eat all the interest earned from our money.) Once you created the milestone it is very hard to get it back, if the vendor did not agree. And freelancer will decide who is right (They are doing Judiciary work, that is strictly illegal in Australia).
————————–
Hi there,
Can you please provide me with a working phone number so I can contact you directly? I’d like to clarify your questions and try to solve any issues you are experiencing.
Thanks.
Sincerely,
Michael Ruhfus
Freelancer.com Support
e: [email protected]
w: http://www.freelancer.com
—————————
The issue has been clearly explained. You can log in as a freelancer and
try to see my rating and reviews. I could not understand what is there to
talk with me
any way my phone number is +61*********
Regards
Sajith
Hello,
Can you login as freelancer and try to bid on my project
If you click on view breif (It should have been view detail), any way you can see my pofile with rating 5 and 19 review. If you click on that it will go to my profile, there you see no reviews or rating. Even if you click employer button, nothing is visible. Can you correct it please, and contact me
regards
sajith
———————-
Hi, I have tried a few times to call you. I can not recreate your issue. Please view this screencast: http://screencast.com/t/uFiR5bEuHV
We do not allow users to bid on projects that they are not qualified for (this is probable why your wife could not bid).
If you want to close the project, please follow these steps: http://screencast.com/t/p3RbL7ff
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Sincerely,
Michael Kapowski
Freelancer.com Support
e: [email protected]
w: http://www.freelancer.com
——————————-
I am unable to see what you are seeing. I can see what you are seeing when
I logged in as me. But when I lo-gin as somebody else I can see as zero
rating
http://sajith.snydle.com/files/2013/10/freelancer.jpg
I do not need my rating and reviews. Others has to see. This is another
freelancer.com cheating. (Showing the employers own rating and hding to
others). What are you people achieve by this?? Annoying the users?? Even
ebay leave the rating and reviews public
Regards
Sajith
—————————————-
Hello,
I’d firstly like to ask you to stop making unsubstantiated claims about freelancer.com scamming you. I have tried to be helpful and address your concerns in a respectful fashion, I’d like to ask you to show me the same respect.
I have lodged your issues with our engineering department. I will update you when I get a response from them.
Thanks for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Michael Kapowski
Freelancer.com Support
e: [email protected]
w: http://www.freelancer.com
—————————————
Eversince Freelancer tried to hide the subcontractors contact information
from employer (even after awarding the project and paying commission), I
lost all respect to freelancer. Not only that freelancer asked to discuss
the project detail on your board?? How dare you people to force 3rd party
to discuss the confidential business in your premises or board.
. Even I have written a blog about it here
http://sajith.snydle.com/freelancer-com-scam.html
Regards
Sajith
——————————–
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear that you are not happy with the changes we have made. I’ve tried to call you multiple times to go over your concerns, but you are yet to accept my call.
If you are dissatisfied with freelancer to the point that you are writing disparaging articles (despite my many attempts to help you) then I suggest you cease using our platform.
Thanks.
Sincerely,
Michael Kapowski
Freelancer.com Support
e: [email protected]
w: http://www.freelancer.com
—————————————
Stop using your platform is not a solution. If the bus service is not good
in Melbourne, will you stop travelling in bus?? or will you try to fight
for your rights. Discussing my business with my client is matter between me
and my client, and I will do it where I feel safe, not were freelancer is
asking me to do. As simple as that.
Now. Tell me why are you hiding the employers ratings and reviews from
freelancers.
Regards
Sajith
——————————————————–
Hi,
The engineers have told me that hiding the employer profiles is in fact a feature of the site.
We have no plans to change this at the moment. We appreciate the feedback.
Thanks.
Sincerely,
Michael Kapowski
Freelancer.com Support
e: [email protected]
w: http://www.freelancer.com
—————————–
So my conclusion was correct. When all legitimate websites like ebay etc
make rating open so that the others can see the people’s rating, freelancer
choose to hide it. Why?? What is the use of me seeing my own rating??
It is as normal freelancers another trick to so that people will put
milestone payment to your account and you can eat the interest on that
money.
I never seen any website as greedy as freelancer in my life
Regards
Sajith
———————————-
Ban on Email exchanges:
They tried to implement a ban on exchanging contact information even after you award the project and paid their fees. They want you to work with ghost programmers so that all the project payment will be passing through them and they eat another 10% from those money. Oh my god what all they are trying to implement to grab others money.
They were asking me to discuss my project and details in their message board where their staff is always sniffing. Why should I do that?? What is the security that their staff will not hijack our secret??
When I questioned about it they came back to me telling that their authorised staff only will sniff my secrets. What a joke.
Finally when I tried take that matter to fairtrade australia, they accepted that it my right to discuss my project where I feel safe.
You can read my communication and support requests here
http://sajith.snydle.com/free-lancer-scam-contact-information-discussion-thread.html
Conclusion:
I can see that already lot of people are going out of freelancer due to their trick or treat policy. The quality of bidders is worst. I used to get far better bids from scriptlance. Now I expect further deterioration in the quality of freelancers doing the project through freelancer.com. Historically any company that adopted trick or treat policy to their customers is failed