Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

ODesk vs Elance vs Freelancer vs Guru

blog.assembla.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 118 posts

Re: ODesk vs Elance vs Freelancer vs Guru

#71

Post by mattbarrie »

sfjailbird wrote: post #69

I personally recommend everyone to not use Freelancer.com. I learned in this thread that they also bought vWorker, and I am not surprised to read that it has turned for the worse after being acquired. In short, they steal from both the freelancers and the outsourcers - stories aplenty about this [1]. I only know about these stories because I started looking into them after being bamboozled myself, luckily for only a…

Hi there, I'm the Chief Executive of Freelancer.com. This is ridiculous. If you have a specific example and can send me your username to matt@freelancer.com, I can get someone to look into your case for you.

Re: ODesk vs Elance vs Freelancer vs Guru

#72

Post by troels »

leknarf wrote: post #31
braum wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We are currently looking for a front-end developer. Do you offer only programmers or would we be able to find a quality front-end developer?

We do have quite a few front-end developers. In fact, I've been surprised at how many designer/developers (that is, designers who can implement their own designs) have signed up. That combination of skills was always in short supply when I've tried to hire for in-house teams. I guess they tend to prefer freelancing :) Please send me an email at andrew [at] getlambda.com and we'll see what we can do!

I guess they tend to prefer freelancing That's my experience as well.

FYI: Your "Get started" form looks botched to me (Chrome, Mac OS)

Re: ODesk vs Elance vs Freelancer vs Guru

#73

Post by mattbarrie »

mudil wrote: post #61
mattbarrie wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hello there. I replied to your issues with Freelancer on the previous thread.

Matt, All I wanted is to file a feedback. And after paying >$1000, not getting anything back, my project (the one that I started and paid for) was closed by a developer, and I can't even leave a feedback! So, what kind of protections do your customers get?

We ban freelancers who do not provide the service. You can also leave feedback in the form of an "incomplete" report which is a very damaging form of feedback. Normal feedback cannot be left unless the project is paid in full.

Re: ODesk vs Elance vs Freelancer vs Guru

#74

Post by cpuri »

mudil wrote: post #21

I used both Odesk and Freelancer to hire developers, and I urge everyone to look at my previous submission ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5177951 ) about deplorable protections at Freelancer.com. In summary, my $2500 project was closed by the developer at his will, with no money returned and no way to even leave a feedback! Multiple attempts asking the company to allow me to even leave a feedback came to noth…

I had the same problem also a few times

Re: ODesk vs Elance vs Freelancer vs Guru

#76

Post by SlavD »

Freelancer.com is a massive SCAM - IMHO

1. you can only withdraw if you have more than $x in funds - I have had $7 left on the site and can't get it back!

2. their conflict resolution is non-existent or biased - a person clearly didn't deliver what I asked for in my job and they simply refused to help me deal with it

3. after I left honest but negative feedback the freelance worker contacted me and tried to bully me into changing it. after I refused he proposed that I withdraw my feedback and he will refund me for the job

4. after I have withdrawn my feedback and he didn't refund me - I tried to bring it back - but hey what do you know - freelancer.com doesn't allow you to bring back my original feedback unless both parties agree!

5. I contacted their support to try to resolve it - again no help there

fortunately for me the job was only small $50 project, but I learned my lesson and will NEVER use this website again!

after that I used both Elance and oDesk and I think both are good and professional

Re: ODesk vs Elance vs Freelancer vs Guru

#77

Post by yawniek »

i got a diverse set of projects done through elance contractors in the last years. over all a good experience so far.

usually i do a general chat through skype with those providing a useful application. since i am a programmer myself, this helps me to quickly figure out someones skill set. Agencies are usually complicated and a lot of information gets lost between workers there. I did a iOS app with an agency, the design, ux and code were horrible. Rebuilt the App with a single contractor from Lisbon for half the price. He quickly understood the application, provided clean code and simple but elegant design. So evaluation of the contractor is something you need to do with care.

i prefer elance because it allows you to search for people based on their location easily. a feature which odesk is bad at. But still the main reason to use any such service is the legal frame, payment and escrow.

ps. i'm currently hiring for a golang job

Re: ODesk vs Elance vs Freelancer vs Guru

#78

Post by sfjailbird »

mattbarrie wrote: post #71
sfjailbird wrote: post #69

I personally recommend everyone to not use Freelancer.com. I learned in this thread that they also bought vWorker, and I am not surprised to read that it has turned for the worse after being acquired. In short, they steal from both the freelancers and the outsourcers - stories aplenty about this [1]. I only know about these stories because I started looking into them after being bamboozled myself, luckily for only a…

Hi there, I'm the Chief Executive of Freelancer.com. This is ridiculous. If you have a specific example and can send me your username to matt@freelancer.com, I can get someone to look into your case for you.

I have noticed that you guys tend to pop up when these thing surface. Perhaps you should dedicate your efforts to better customer service, so you wouldn't see these stories in the first place? As you can see I am far from the only one with a bad experience.

Thanks for the offer to look into my case, but I have wasted enough time with it. Keep the 50 dollars. But the price is that I warn everyone that will listen. So, in the long run, better customer service would probably be worth it for you.

Re: ODesk vs Elance vs Freelancer vs Guru

#79

Post by bambax »

mattbarrie wrote: post #75
bambax wrote: post #67

freelancer.com doesn't work with Ghostery turned on. Not a good sign.

Hi there, I'm the Chief Executive of Freelancer.com. I've never heard of Ghostery, why is it an issue?

It's an issue because I have Ghostery turned on at all times (www.ghostery.com) and when I visit Freelancer.com and click on either "Hire" or "Work", nothing happens -- the site appears to be broken.

I have no idea, of course, of how many people use Ghostery and attempt to visit Freelancer.com, but I would guess the freelancer demography is over-represented in the total population of Ghostery users.

Re: ODesk vs Elance vs Freelancer vs Guru

#80

Post by mattbarrie »

sfjailbird wrote: post #78
mattbarrie wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi there, I'm the Chief Executive of Freelancer.com. This is ridiculous. If you have a specific example and can send me your username to matt@freelancer.com, I can get someone to look into your case for you.

I have noticed that you guys tend to pop up when these thing surface. Perhaps you should dedicate your efforts to better customer service, so you wouldn't see these stories in the first place? As you can see I am far from the only one with a bad experience. Thanks for the offer to look into my case, but I have wasted enough time with it. Keep the 50 dollars. But the price is that I warn everyone that will listen. So,…

We have more customer support agents than any of our competitors- we have over 220 people in our support centre. We also provide support in 10 languages, which no-one else does. If you have a specific issue I will be happy to look into it.
Post reply on HN