Hope to get some advice and recommendation on which Freelancing sites (odesk, freelancer, guru etc) provides the best protection for Buyers/Employer.
I’ve had horrible experience in the past with Odesk (http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?987335-Odesk-getting-ripped-off) where I got ripped off by a contractor and only to found out that Odesk does not care about work quality, as long hours are logged properly (screenshots), it does not matter whether what they(contractor) did is functional or not. My website is in a mess, I was forced to make full payment (Odesk doesn’t give you control of your own money, crazy right?), it’s been a nightmare.
I found Realtyna (realtyna.com) on Elance.com which I might hire for a real estate portal project, how does Elance handles disputes in such case? I know they charge an insane amount of fee for arbitration (For jobs valued under $1000.00 the cost to file is $399.00 to be reviewed by a single arbitrator. For jobs valued $1000.00 and over the cost to file is $750.00 to be reviewed by a panel of arbitrators.)
I’ve had an agreement with the contractor on the Odesk case in our discussion where in the event that they could not deliver the website as per specification, they will refund the money, the contractor also written back and agreed with the terms. When things gone bad, Odesk told me that the “agreement” I had with the contractor can’t be enforced and the contractor won’t be held accountable for what they’ve agreed and promised.
I was using hourly contract, that was the problem. As long contractor log their hours accordingly (doesn’t matter whether their work functions or not), they will be paid. Also you have no control over your own money either, my project was supposed to be completed in 7 days, the contractor charged me the full sum within the first 4 days without producing any result. When I file the dispute, Odesk says screenshots checks out so the Contractor got paid. When I ask about quality, Odesk told me if quality matters to me I should have chosen a Fixed job contract so I can pay when I see results. What a joke…
Any recommendation on which freelancing site that protects Employer?
On smaller projects and projects where you are not familiar with the contractor, I would recommend only using fixed price projects. The freelance jobsites are all setup so that the contractor doesn’t get paid on these types of jobs before the you accept the work.
If you are looking for alternatives to oDesk, there are elance and freelancer.com.
I can’t help but wonder if you checked out the individuals ratings before you assigned them to your project. When looking at those ratings, also keep in mind that if they have only had 10 jobs, their rating isn’t really that reliable, even if the rating is high. Always, find someone with a high rating, as well as high numbers in completed projects. If you don’t, you are putting yourself in pretty serious risk. By the sounds of how Odesk handled matters though, it seems negligent to say the least.
Yes you are right Odesk does not care about work quality, you have to take care of your work personally Odesk does contractor work.
But nobody forced you to make full payment if you are not satisfied with work.
Alternate to oDesk is elance and freelancer.com, vworker.
Hi,
Newbie here. I’ve been to Odesk and I don’t like their system (sorry). What I could share is this site Staff.com, although it’s still growing and it’s not that popular like Freelancer or Odesk but their service is superb. Odesk has its own time tracking system and they (Staff) too has a unique time tracker that takes screenshots and tracks your time even if you’re on break.
For contract work, I think the only one I would recommend other than oDesk is Elance.
But then, I am not quite sure if they do this:
If that is your concern, maybe you should check out Staff.com (the one mentioned in the above comment). They are for full time remote work though. Not sure if that is what you are after. But, since they have dedicated people who would assist you with connecting to an employee, I think that is enough protection.
Working on hourly bases on odesk.com I think is safe. On the other hand Elance is a good choice. What I use to do now I take local projects and they pay me fair amount and I am happy. So, I would suggest you can start your website and take projects.
Now a days so many people blame to odesk. Yes something going on so bad there . Especially, i dislike their price range . Any one can bid with low and low price. so new contractor try to bid with very low price for get the early jobs and doing low quality work.
I thing comparatively Elance is the best.
I have solely tried odesk and I felt it is one of the best freelancing sites. Actually, Odesk was my foremost sign up. oDesk is the marketplace for online workteams, with the best business model for both buyers and providers.
It’s interesting to see how hourly billing can be problematic for clients (I’ve always been against charging by the hour for my own services for other reasons). I know it’s more difficult to do with a web development project than with a writing project, but setting up well-defined deliverables that can be paid in milestones does make a big difference. Breaking things down into “bite-sized” pieces allows the provider to prove that they are meeting their end of the agreement as things progress. They know they will get paid as they go along for achieving each of their client’s objectives - which means they must be very sure they can actually do what they claim. This approach will give you better protection than any contract or even the use of escrow (although I advocate using both).
An “Agile” project management approach might be a good model to use the next time you set up a scope of work. It may lead to early delivery of a functional “product” that can then be refined as much as desired (or until the costs outweigh the benefits). Either way, you end up with something that works.
I am a freelancer doing jobs on freelancer and odesk. Most of the clients of mine are more than happy with me. You have to select a contractor after checking other employers testimonials. If you are trying it for the first time you have to try fixed price jobs on odesk. In my experience Odesk is best.
I don’t think it has something to do with the freelancing site. You also have to remember that you are solely responsible for what have been engaging into, especially if it involves money. It doesn’t matter which freelancing site or whether you have entered into an agreement with somebody. You just have begin small and know the contractor fully well before going big. What happens to you is that you’ve met someone not as skillful and honest as you think. If you’re not happy with the results, then you’ve got to stop early on.
