Odesk Scam - DON'T USE ODESK.com **Odesk Scam Warning**

ODESK is one of the platform that was used as necessity by many of the people online to Earn money.So is the case with employers to find right people to finish their job as very low price.USA prices are much different from Uk and UK prices are much more different from India.One of the biggest issue is we can not sue them that easily as individual.If you are a company surely go ahead bear some cost and let them learn lesson but if you are individual stop wasting your time thinking in it.Bad things happened,this is one of the difference between lancing site and USA market.You have contractual obligation and the parties suffering from contract can sue guilty party in court but no such laws exists at Lancing site.

 

The people who get scammed on odesk are Idiots in my opinion..... Don't send any money upfront, don't pay until you've received the product or service, don't pay by the hour instead make milestone payments.

oDesk IS NOT a scam... but there are scammers that use it. Just use your head and don't be so trusting.
Also, look into the out-sourcers feedback rating.... bad/no feedback... then don't use. It's simple.

 

Right this is the key point for sure.This is not some where you can go and catch the guy in Asia.You need to follow Milestone and their Terms and conditions to make things working.

 

@MobileInternet,

The IDIOT is you who support a company that scams people..
Do you know that Odesk makes money from the contractors and NOT the ones who employ them? SO who is Odesk going to side with ?
Secondly did you know that a freelancer has the power to block and hide a negative feedback, therefore their feedback system is nothing but a JOKE..
Are you an Odesk employee ?

 

Zeshan,

I don't know in India, but in the USA you can sue a company and actually win a small claim court.. Odesk knows they're wrong and I highly doubt it they even going to show up in court.. Their support is a joke, and they don't even have a legal department, when i asked for their legal department they only provided an email address, what a bunch of morons!!!

 

YOU ARE THE JOKE MATE....
I'm not an Odesk employee at all, BUT... i have been using the website for the last 2 years and spent thousands of dollars on hundreds of different projects and have NEVER been scammed once.
If it wasn't for oDesk and the EXTREMELY cheap outsourcing, i don't know how i would have made the money that i have online or completed the projects that i have. I certainly couldn't have done all the work myself. I owe a lot of my success to the people i have worked with on oDesk. I've built up good relationships with a lot of the contractors, which has also given me more free time to work on other things. I never pay by the hour, I only make payment once a job is completed to my satisfaction.

I can understand if you're stupid enough to have been scammed on the site, you are going to be bitter about it..... but like many other users have said in this thread, there are scammers everywhere in the world....

 

@Mobile,

You obviously missed the point or perhaps it takes some time for your reading to synch in.
I'm glad that you're "smart" and were able to use you BIG brain of yours, and I'm sure Odesk will be more than happy to post you "success" story on their side, but for us that are not genius like you, and trust me there are plenty out there just do a google search form you "MOBILE INTERNET", and you'll be surprised how many Unsatisfied people are out there.
Since, you don't know the type of issue i have with Odesk, you're nothing but a moron judging people and insulting people by trying to putting your idiotic 2cents.
The points i made was that Odesk will side with people who pay their bills and 'We" the employers don't pay their bills.
Second, their feedback system is a JOKE and misleading, since the contractor can block negative feedback, and be able to keep the good ones, so basically can eff up and still show up a 5 start contractor..
How about you getting your head otta your @$$, and actually read what people has complained?
I would suggest you go work for Odesk, if you not already as they need people like you to defend their scam system!!
And guess what I have placed complains with Attorney General, BBB, FTC, San Mateo District Attorney Consumer and Environment Protection Unit, not only they have agreed with my complain, but have started the process. It seems that Odesk its eager to find a resolution after all..

To others, who their legit disputes were denied by Odeks, I suggest you do just the same as I'm doing, and don't let people like this clown discourage you!!

Feel free to contact directly if you need help on how to file the complains..

 

I prefer Fiverr over Odesk... one, Fiverr resolves issue fast... two, the work gets done within specified time.. I've ordered gigs on Odesk that are still waiting to be done a month later... At first the users were responding but once I've placed the order no work is done... Some have done their job while other's having done anything.

 

Thanks Tony, I'll give them a try.. They look pretty small do they have a good pool of skilled workers ?

 

For anyone wanting to use ANY freelance site keep a few things in mind;

1) Never pay by the hour, it is illegal under US federal law to have control over the working time or the time in which a "contractor" can complete the work with them than becoming an employee.

2) Since your Not paying by the hour now set up milestone payments Before you award the project, be clear and what must be delivered and at what percentage for each payment.

3) Stopped trying to hire the cheapest guy out there, look at their history and projects completed FIRST than look at price.

4) If their new than think about breaking up the project into smaller subsections so you can see how they preform first before giving an untested contractor a large project.

5) Require daily updates as part of the milestone agreement.

You will set your self up for failure if you only ever look at cost. I personally would never pay by the hour as I believe the IRS at some point will start looking into companies like ODesk and could decide that many of these where employee's rather than contractors. At that point many of the US based Buyer's could be facing fee's or fine's way beyond their financial capacity.

 

Just be careful when hiring someone from especially from Odesk. Look around and do some research. There are so many legit outsourcing solutions in the internet nowadays that you can contact.

 

oDesk much like other places that let someone bid 1$ for a 1000$ project thrives by delivering half assed products from idiots. This is why they have a very high number of complaints.

Overseas outsourcing works for products that require nearly zero skill otherwise it fails and it fails hard. Recent studies show that over 30% of the companies that outsourced parts of their process had to spend more money to get the problem fixed. This includes giants like Reddit, Lenovo, Dell and so on.

If you would know a doctor that makes 30% of it's patients sick you'd never set foot in his cabinet. However thousands use oDesk or Freelancer and thousands get scammed.

 

I'm on oDesk since 2008. as a freelancer (contractor).
I can not say that oDesk is a scam but there are buyers how are looking for cheep slaves, yes. Since there is no way to find them as an serious employer so I do avoid them.


Disagreements exist as well in the real world and they has to be solved (if possible) and that's taking some efforts.
Also, as in the real world there are many individuals or agencies which provide some kind of services. As in the real world, employers should take care about choosing who they will hire. There are visible factors by which one can choose a good contractor. The guide for something like that you may find on the net. Easily. Beside that there could be found An worker's guide to avoiding bad clinets as well.

Although the agreement should be respected from both sides. Even so my advice is: Get serious! (if you want serious service).
Expecting some super-ultra quality and service for a few cents/bucks is just nonsense. So something like that does not exist.
Also, expect to not get scamed in a game whose rules isn't familiar to you is another nonsense (it is childish thinking).

In the end of story, about security of the money;
fixed payment model may be good (but not for sure) only for buyer, but there is no security. Hourly payment model provides higher level of security for both sides and provides perfect / full control of the money for employers. Get familiar!!

 

The employer pays 10% of the total project cost to oDesk, a contractor pays its fee per each money withdrawing.All contractor can hide descriptive assessment, but can not hide the "stars"/rate, and can not block them to not be seen in the profile, and can't block obtained rate to not affect on total rating.

 

You fool , next time read this theme, https://forums.digitalpoint.com/threads/how-to-hire-freelancer-or-a-team-for-webdeveloping-6-rules.2477789/ . Freelancing websites are full of scammers, you can't find there professional service. Guys ,99% members are from Asia, and rest have bogus location.Be aware, scammers from Asia, represent themself like they are from UK,usa,Australia to get higher rate. Freelancing websites like odesk are part of all deceives.

 

Remember when dirty small Asian have cheated on you,freelancing website always earns extra profit too. And you fools pay hahahahhaha

 

Odesk software takes snapshots of employees screen where they work. The snapshots can be the proof and you can sui him.

 

these informations are not correct.
virtual world are full of scammers nothing more than real world.
all freelancers are not from asia.
as I said, before somebody start to talk about some topic, it will advisable to get familiar with the basic information.
and get serious as well, because it's not possible to get professional service for a few bucks.

 

I am very familiar with this topic ! I posted there job and all bids were from Asia. Means many dirty and hungry scams try cheat on you and take money. I didnt say that all are from Asia, some them(Asians) lie that they are from West to get bigger money and cheat more efficiently. Rember on freelance websites you won t get professional service just expensive partaly done or ruined job. Professionals are already employed they dont look for jobs on internet. HAHAHAH. Btw , wtf have you ever got professional or high quality product from India? They are cheap labor , if you hire them pay them few bucks bcs even that is too much what you will get . 0.5 - 2 USD AN HOUR EVERYTHING MORE MEANS YOUR ARE CHEATED AND NEVER HIRE THEM HOURY (just fix deal) BCS THEY DONT WORK AND THEY HAVE SPACE TO CHARGE YOU INFINITE. Freelance websites support that bcs they take stake .

 

That's why it is important to check all feedback first and then proceed with your business relations especially when comes to hourly pay! We all know that we are different! I can do the job for 1 hour, other can do the same job for 5 hours, third can end it up for 30 minutes!
I recommend firstly to contact the other side and ask how many hours could the job take!