Q –
Hi Angela,
I’m hoping you can help me with a writing problem. I have been having trouble getting Freelancer.com to pay me for work I’ve completed for an employer using their platform.
The overview:
On the Freelancer.com platform, the employer was “verified” and had deposited their money with the platform. That gives writers the green light to work on it, as Freelancer.com is holding the money. I submitted to the employer an outline and first paragraph. The employer loved it. I knew I was on the right track, so I completed the project and handed it in. Then the employer vanished. The employer is supposed to “release” funds to the writer once jobs are complete. I filed a complaint through Freelancer.com’s formal complaint channel. They said if the employer doesn’t respond within two weeks, they would find in my favor and I would get paid.
Two weeks passed and the funds were released. I felt relieved until after two days (the normal time it takes for funds to transfer from Freelancer.com to PayPal), I received a notice that the transfer was being cancelled because they needed more information from the employer. What? Freelancer.com insisted that they needed the employer to verify his identity. Uh, that had already been done! They said so when I took the job or I would not have taken it.
Then they claimed that their system automatically found some information on the employer that needed verifying, but in two weeks, it would likely be resolved. Then the employer’s account was closed. Over a month has passed and lately they’ve been saying that I have to wait until the ghosting employer decides to re-open the account and verify the information they want so I can get the money that Freelancer.com is holding. Yeah, like that’s ever happening! Interestingly, this is the first sizable amount of money I’ve earned through Freelancer.com. I have been paid on several smaller projects just fine.
A –
In my opinion, if Freelancer.com has the money from the employer already, they need to pay you for the work you did. If they erred somewhere along the way, that’s not your fault and you should not be penalized for that.
There are plenty of complaints about freelancer.com online.
Here’s a sampling:
The trouble with Freelancer.com
The Trouble With Freelancer.com: Part II
Freelancer.com is destroying my life – A warning to freelancers
I always recommend writers avoid bidding sites. Write for real publications that offer firm rates for quality work.
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