I have had the worst luck with programmers. I've tried elance, craigslist, scriptlance, and even locally. So far I'm batting 0%. I can't seem to get one and keep one on board, they're just so flakey! Am I the only one suffering from this?! What gives?!
Yeah. It's true, managing programmers is like herding cats. I guess I just needed to rant, it's SO ANNOYING.
It can also depend on if you are going for freelancers or companies and if you are going for the lowest priced bidder etc. Not wanting to start the freelancer -v- company discussion again (its as boring as the php -v- asp) but typically a company which has business premises, employees etc to pay for are much more likely to get a job done so they can get paid than a freelancer doing it for a bit of pocket money around their day job. At the same time the company has higher overheads and so probably will be more expensive...
Try www.rentacoder.com you of course still need to be careful and go over there feedback of the freelancer with a fine tooth comb ! lf the freelancer has alot of good feedback for the same thing that you want done, then you have heaps more chance of getting the job done and "done right" !
Check odesk.com Its using special program for monitor programmer activity(screenshots and webcam) and you can be sure that you will only pay for good work.
Ask around for recommendations. And offer them a fair rate. But it's like any other contractor, finding a good one can be hard.
You may check out your local college/university. Im a programming student in ontario, canada, And I know that we are ALWAYS Looking for part-time coding work. The pay is a bonus, the referral is nice, and many of us actually know what we are doing. I cant help you myself, I am full on projects, But just an idea.