Comments on: Has anyone used ProSavvy?

By: Screwed by eWork Markets

Screwed by eWork Markets — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 22:12:09 +0000

Stay away from these idiots. Google, Yahoo them with eWork Markets you’ll only see positive results (in the 1st few pages). Do the same with their “former name” and everything is negative…

We signed-up for service with them without doing our homework and based on a HEAVILY modified agreement with our attorney. We paid them only 1 of 3 payments because after the 1st month of service our account representative Melissa never called us back (although she would mark in her CRM system that she did) and each time we would bid on projects they would be closed.

I even had one of my employees sign-up as a client and submit project details that fit with our EXACT qualifications in our exact region and we never received the lead nor was she given our companies name as an option to bid on (with their “premium” service).

So we continue to not pay them based on not getting any emails or calls returned (I’ve got the phone logs to prove it) and they then have a Senior account representative Mike McMurray contact me by email saying I have 2 weeks to pay or they’ll close my account.

I emailed him back and we agreed on a payment arrangement where the same account representative will contact us, help us setup our account so that we can receive bids (the excused on our own internal test was because “we failed to complete our setup”) and we would pay them 1 of the 2 remaining payments. This account representative NEVER called back.

The next call was made to us by their collections agency where I explained the situation to her and she divulged that they are in similar situations with other consultants and she’s seen them sue for less.

Close to one year later I emailed them saying that I would like to give them one more chance to see if their services have changed and this idiot Mike McMurray emails me back saying the account is with his collections agency and he’s going to file lawsuit.

I emailed him reminding him that he was the one that agreed to our payment arrangement and that this written arrangement was never fulfilled because this “dedicated” account representative STILL has not contacted me although I sent several emails and even demanded to work with someone more responsive.

I explained to him that my offer still stands true however he will need to act on our agreement before they see a dime from our company. He replied back saying “so be it”… we’ll see you in court.

I’ve explained the situation to our attorney, forwarded him all emails that we have with eWork Markets and he feels we have a very strong defense against them based on them failing to fulfill their agreed upon obligations.

I decided to email the “President” of the company David Proestos dproestos@eworkmarkets.com to explain him the situation with Mike McMurray but he never replied back, so now it seems we’re going to have to deal with this situation the good old fashion way through the legal system.

My advise to anyone reading this is to stay clear of this company. Do yourself a favor take the $4000.00 and put it into a good old fashion marketing campaign of appointment setting you’ll see a better return on your investment than with this company.

STAY AWAY!!!!

By: Embarrased

Embarrased — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 01:52:53 +0000

A complete waste of money. I thought this might work, but I should have known that the 3900 dollars was a complete waste (not including all time spent answering the RFQ’s) The “clients” drain you upfront, only to either realize that good talent is too expensive, or, as in most cases, deal away. Stay away, stay far, far away.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 22:17:09 +0000

Wow, I didn’t send any money to eworksmarkets and I’m glad I found this blog…. I was working with a Kathleen Barnes, who at one point mentioned that they had 100,000 consultants working for them. I asked for a couple of phone numbers to chat with others who have been successful and got no reply. I even copied the link to this blog and got no comments.

I agree, I was assuming a ton of risk by sending in an upfront fee, and even asked for this fee to be pulled from future work found from the company… as I expected… no reply.

I would recommend avoiding this firm.

By: lawsuit

lawsuit — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 21:48:01 +0000

Is there a way to file consumer suit against this people?

By: cmcgee

cmcgee — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:53:03 +0000

What most people fail to realise, is that while most of these consultant clearing house organizations require a contract that contains a non-compete and hold harmless clause together. The implications of this are actually quite comprehensive. The same companies often have agreements with offshore outsourcing sites that are the real benefactors to the whole scheme. By signing a non-compete agreement you are essentially saying, that if they choose to in reality only allow business with the offshore bunch, that you can’t go to an alternative firm without possible litigation. The hold harmless clause basically allows them to hurt your own prospects without consequence. Many states have been slowly catching up to these jokers.

If you have to go to a contract auction site then you have probably already felt the pinch, and I feel sorry for you. There is a general rule of thumb: If a business relationship requires an NRE (nonrecoverable expense) up front, and they are not actually manufacturing anything and thus need it to begin work, then they are either ripping you off, or they are taking the actual contracts to their outsourcing firm and using the idea of a low price auction to get you in the door. Either way it is no good, and certainly illegal in more than a few states.

Either it is a Ponzi scheme or it is fraudulent advertising and representation. For the person who was told they had to pay according to the contract another month’s installment, don’t call the BBB call the FBI instead. I’m sure with a little digging, the FBI frequently investigates these matters and either refers them to local jurisdiction or in the case where the crime crosses state boundaries, will pursue it themselves.

Once again, if they want the money up front for a broker service they rarely deliver on, then you have other avenues of defense. Better Business Bureau in your town is not a legal organization, and while the contract may appear legitimate in in all likelihood is not fully compliant with state and federal law.

Try to avoid signing something before you get a lawyer to look at it, since while the initial contract may be for a small sum, if you are forced to continue the relationship against your will and after receiving poor service, you may be into it for more than just money.

By: Burned by Prosavvy

Burned by Prosavvy — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:18:07 +0000

They burned us for $7K, wasted a lot of time, did nothing for us. We got one client thourgh them but they already knew about us from another source.
run away from these assholes. Their money back gaurantee is full of loopholes that allow them to keep your money.
Steve

By: Saved bcz of 20 minutes!

Saved bcz of 20 minutes! — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:30:37 +0000

Dear All, thanks a ton for all the information mentioned above, I have just decided NOT to go ahead with EWM. I think its been a major scam for quite a long time now.. (looking at the posts since 2003) But how is it they are sending such wonderfully convincing & practical-sounding emails to my inbox? I think there’s more dough in having yet another version of EWM than trying to bid for projects in one such!!

By: Suckered in Sacramento

Suckered in Sacramento — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:45:17 +0000

I wish I would have seen this site before signing up with eworks. I was told repeatedly that I would receive 5-10 quality projects in which I could bid on. Leslie McKenzie told me she would be SHOCKED if I didn’t get enough just within CA to work on. In the 5 months since I have joined, there have been exactly 3 projects that I was qualified to bid on. I was chosen as one of the short list companies for 2 of the projects. These two wonderful projects were
always too busy to get to the project they posted. After much time spent following up with them; I understand they were simply unqualified leads.

I would be very interested in participating in any type of lawsuit.
I would be happy to hear from anyone pursuing this form of action.

LockL4@yahoo.com

Thanks
and RUN RUN RUN if you are considering signing up with eWorks!

By: wdg1258

wdg1258 — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 04:59:17 +0000

Joe,

Haven’t posted here in a while…I’ve used Rent-a-coder as a buyer and had incredibly good luck. Don’t know much about the others, just eScam Markets.

An update to those of you who might owe EWM some money….when there collection law firm called on us we practically begged them to sue us (it would have to be in Georgia
). My attorney says that opens up the avenue for counter-suing and a possible class action….they havent contacted us since.

By: JOE

JOE — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 22:19:43 +0000

Ok, so if prosavvy is bad, lets list others:

elance.com
getafreelancer.com
guru.com
getacoder.com
scriptlance.com
rentacoder.com

Anyone have good luck with any of these? Have some additional suggestions?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 03:40:42 +0000

Thanks for the posts. I, too, almost signed up for eWork Markets and I’m glad I didn’t shelve the money that I don’t have. I’m an independent consultant who just left a permanent job to pursue consulting and I’m still learning the ropes. I specialize in training, change management and organizational development and so some of the sites that were provided in earlier posts don’t seem to have very few (if any at all) leads for me.

I have posted at guru.com and sologig.com but that doesn’t seem to generate any response for me. This might work for some of you so, good luck. And if you find another venue to search for contracts please share.

By: Closed Another One

Closed Another One — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 16:03:33 +0000

Dear wdg1258,

I understand. I guess what I didn’t say is that I have responded to 562 projects in 2 years to land these three. If you add all the time it takes to respond, then I probably am in reality losing money. I read sites like these to see where my vendors are as far as business is concerned. The lawsuit talk scared me a bit as I am up for renewal and just want to make sure that I am not throwing money away if eWork is indeed in pending litigation. I did not mean to offend anyone with my Jerry Springer comment, I just try to focus on the positive but at the same time, I do not want ANYONE losing good hard earned money.

By: jedward

jedward — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 20:21:49 +0000

Thanks guys for the heads up. I found the info very informative to my decision for my SEO Company to join eWorks or not join.
Like they say, it sounds great but if nobody is closing, then it doesn’t matter.

Jon
SEO Consultant

By: wdg1258

wdg1258 — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 16:03:57 +0000

Dear Closed another One,

We’re all really glad you got the contract. I don’t understand why you would even take the time to post here….you need to get to work!

Please if you have a bone of compassion in you…we beseech you…go,make us wrong man…..prove to us that it is just our laziness and that we aren’t really as dumb as we feel. Our sincerest hope is that we are the only few that felt like ProPonzi was bangin’ us like a screen door in a hurricane.

By: Closed Another One

Closed Another One — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:41:34 +0000

Reading this site is like watching a good episode of Jerry Springer. I just closed my 3rd project through eWork. Granted, it was a small $25,000 contract but it has paid for my fee and then some. I keep reading about a lawsuit against eWork. Where does that stand Jack or was it thrown out based on fruitless claims? Just curious.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:05:04 +0000

I hate this service. Their sales-person lied to get me in saying that I might be able to get a refund if I didn’t get any business, 1 year, 40-worthless leads, many phone calls and $3,500 later I asked for my refund and low and behold a very seasoned jerk of a account payable guy referenced a confusing section of the contract which I guess says that they won’t give any refund. There is a silly amount of competition and the people who use the service ARE NOT SERIOUS about working with anyone, they are just fishing and eWork makes money 2 ways- 1. by Signing new vendors! 2. By commissions that they somehow finneagled between very large companies that would have worked together anyway like: Microsoft and OmniCom, good job guys, you setup a worthless service and stole money from your affiliates. Spare yourself the heartache and go join your chamber of commerce instead.

By: anonymous customer

anonymous customer — Mon, 14 May 2007 17:36:30 +0000

I too joined eWork Markets and have regretted my decision ever since. I was misled by a smooth talking grandmotherly type named Leslie McKenzie. She told me that on average 300 projects posted each month and about 50% of those closed with a consultant. She told me the average closed value of the projects were $20,000. When I responded to project after project and never was contacted by a client I called my rep Melissa. She told me that in reality approximately 10% of posted projects closed with consultant who paid fees to eWork Markets. The other 40% of projects closed with consultants who clients already were using and who never paid the fees to join eWork Markets. I am ashamed that I paid $5,000 to join a network of projects of which maybe 30 close each month with a paying customer. I do not know if Leslie lied to me or misled me but either way she did get me to pay the money. I have since found out that Melissa no longer works at eWork Markets maybe because she was telling the truth. Watch out!

By: Jack Durban

Jack Durban — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 07:26:40 +0000

Just a little common sense for anyone thinking about joining. Any firm that charges huge upfront fees is likely a scam. This pertains to proponzy or whatever name they go by now or tomorrow and most all invention submission firms. There is only one reason for charging huge fees in advance and that is when someone does not believe that they will see a ROI the old fashioned way, earning it. If these bozos really believed in what they are shoveling they would just drop the huge front end fees and just increase commission fees.If the projects were real everyone would share the harvest. If they tell you that the fees are for setting up your “web page” don’t be fooled. Their idea of a web page can be had for ten bucks on scriptlance.com. This is just like the invention submission firms that rip off inventors. In this scam huge up front fees are collected and boiler plate template reports and “brochures” are created to make it look like they actually performed. To the ininformed it appears that the firm is going to fulfill their agreement. After months and finally years of broken promises the client just tires and goes away. Sound familiar?

I think these types of scam artists know going in that most victims will just go away and as long as they can keep fooling new ones to join with aggressive marketing, the cash will just keep rolling in.

In closing always avoid the cons that ask for the big deposit. Once they have your cash there is no incentive to perform. If you want to get projects use Google adsense and learn the art of SEO optimization. Once you get well ranked on the search engines you can drop the Adsense campaigns.

All the best,

Jack

Oh, to all you proponzy shills posting here get a real job and sleep nights instead of worrying about the marhalls finally showing up with the search warrants.

By: JD

JD — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:17:56 +0000

DO NOT GO WITH EWORKS. We paid several thousands of dolars with certain assurances of refunds etc if not satisfied. I am about to get involved in a lawsuit with them as they di nothing for us. We did everything they said and did not get a single contract. Now that we want the refund, they are now suddenly unaware of any obligation to do so. Quite a scam.

By: wdg1258

wdg1258 — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:44:13 +0000

Ken,

I am a long time construction industry software consultant on Timberline. Can you drop me an email at wdg1258@hotmail.com with a way to contact you? We might be able to help each other out.

By: ken l

ken l — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:10:57 +0000

The info you have all provided has helped me decide NOT to go with eWorks. I spoke with a representative today and have a conference call at 9:00am tomorrow (that will not take place) I started a construction consultant firm US wide and this company looked like the best way to market it. If anyone knows of a reputable way of marketing please advice. I will monitor this site and forward any leads that come my way.

The web is great; with all this talent I don’t understand why we can’t put together all our efforts and start a free website for consulting. Just a thought

By: wdg1258

wdg1258 — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 22:13:56 +0000

Colin – I don’t know how it is from the suppliers (coder) side, but we have used rentacoder.com to find talent. They really have their act together and it’s free to join. They hold escrow, manage arbitrations, and just generally make the whole process pretty smooth.

The down side may be that you are competing with coders worldwide who will work for very little….but it’s still worth a shot.

By: Colin Valencia

Colin Valencia — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 21:49:01 +0000

My name is Colin Valencia. I am a managing partner of a small Texas IT/Design firm. I was about to get with these people but will not be doing so, after reading all of this. I’m sorry for all of your troubles and thank you for speaking out. Would anyone happen to, then, know of a good place to get IT leads, etc.?

Thank you in advance.

Colin Valencia
http://www.urbnmedia.com
cvalencia@urbnmedia.com

By: wdg1258

wdg1258 — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 03:49:48 +0000

Really? I’d sure like to talk to them and find out who they are blowing at EWM to get the qualified leads.

By: Losers

Losers — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 01:38:20 +0000

You guys are all a bunch of whiners aka consultants who do not know how to close business. I know for a fact that there are many firms closing millions of dollars in business with Eworkmarkets. You guys on here wasting your time blogging instead of working definitely fall into the 80 of the 80-20 rule.