4 ms·

There are similar stories for Upwork (brand name after Odesk + Elance merger). I was literally blackmailed by an Upwork contractor who refused to release the a

by loceng 8y ago

There are similar stories for Upwork (brand name after Odesk + Elance merger). I was literally blackmailed by an Upwork contractor who refused to release the already paid-for source code unless I gave them a 5-star rating. I notified the platform and they didn't care - and the solution was for the platform to prevent my ability to leave a review at all, making the contractor happy. That contractor/agency was still on the platform at least a year after it happened.

gowld 8y ago
This is why escrow companies exist. They are specifically to handle the case where parties need to transact but can't risk trusting each other.
- ivanstojic 8y ago
  These companies (freelancer, upwork/odesk) aren’t really escrow companies: they are scalpers of financial transactions they enable and provide.
  - loceng 8y ago
    And it seems they've found they need to keep the supplier happy as there's plenty of demand, especially if you have all of the "5 star" ratings - whether legitimately earned or deceptive because of practices of bad actors including the platforms lack of integrity themselves.
dannylandau 8y ago
Exact same issue happened to me as well. It was a Chinese iOS developer. Did an OK job, was planning to give him good reviews anyways, until he gave the condition to leave a 5-star review or no code. Got in touch with his team leader and matter was resolved quickly. Ended up leaving a negative review. Generally, had very positive experiences with Upwork and other platforms including Freelancer.com which I no longer use anymore.
wolco 8y ago
Didn't you have to release the milestone in order for the developer to be paid? Doesn't the rating part come after the contract is closed?
- loceng 8y ago
  I don't remember how the system was designed at the time - they wouldn't have given me the code regardless until it was shown I gave a 5-star rating; it wouldn't matter what technical protocol was implemented if they don't care to follow it.
jermaustin1 8y ago
I've hired a lot of fiction writers over the years on upwork, used to spend a few hundred a month on getting stories written, I've tapered off a little bit, mainly because managing a team of writers was getting to be more work than it was worth for a never ending supply of mediocre fantasy and sci-fi. I even stopped updating the site I was publishing them all to[1]. All of the writers but 1 were amazing from the start. I had a single bad experience that eventually I made a good experience by just communicating with the writer, telling them I knew they were better than the quality they provided, and to just give it another go. That story eventually became one of my favorites[2]. 1: http://fictorio.us/ http://fictorio.us/ 2: https://fictorio.us/2017/10/12/zeta-mu/ https://fictorio.us/2017/10/12/zeta-mu/
- dennisgorelik 8y ago
  How much do services of these fiction writers [from Upwork] cost?
  - jermaustin1 8y ago
    Typically between 3 and 10 cents per word. I hired from all over the world to get different viewpoints, and my prompts were usually very open. It would be something like: An historic fiction set in your country's or region's capitol city during a war. And I would have 5 openings for stories similar to that.

by loceng 8y ago

gowld 8y ago

This is why escrow companies exist. They are specifically to handle the case where parties need to transact but can't risk trusting each other.

ivanstojic 8y ago
These companies (freelancer, upwork/odesk) aren’t really escrow companies: they are scalpers of financial transactions they enable and provide.
- loceng 8y ago
  And it seems they've found they need to keep the supplier happy as there's plenty of demand, especially if you have all of the "5 star" ratings - whether legitimately earned or deceptive because of practices of bad actors including the platforms lack of integrity themselves.

dannylandau 8y ago

Exact same issue happened to me as well. It was a Chinese iOS developer. Did an OK job, was planning to give him good reviews anyways, until he gave the condition to leave a 5-star review or no code. Got in touch with his team leader and matter was resolved quickly. Ended up leaving a negative review. Generally, had very positive experiences with Upwork and other platforms including Freelancer.com which I no longer use anymore.

wolco 8y ago

Didn't you have to release the milestone in order for the developer to be paid? Doesn't the rating part come after the contract is closed?

loceng 8y ago
I don't remember how the system was designed at the time - they wouldn't have given me the code regardless until it was shown I gave a 5-star rating; it wouldn't matter what technical protocol was implemented if they don't care to follow it.

jermaustin1 8y ago

I've hired a lot of fiction writers over the years on upwork, used to spend a few hundred a month on getting stories written, I've tapered off a little bit, mainly because managing a team of writers was getting to be more work than it was worth for a never ending supply of mediocre fantasy and sci-fi. I even stopped updating the site I was publishing them all to[1]. All of the writers but 1 were amazing from the start. I had a single bad experience that eventually I made a good experience by just communicating with the writer, telling them I knew they were better than the quality they provided, and to just give it another go. That story eventually became one of my favorites[2]. 1: http://fictorio.us/ http://fictorio.us/ 2: https://fictorio.us/2017/10/12/zeta-mu/ https://fictorio.us/2017/10/12/zeta-mu/

dennisgorelik 8y ago
How much do services of these fiction writers [from Upwork] cost?
- jermaustin1 8y ago
  Typically between 3 and 10 cents per word. I hired from all over the world to get different viewpoints, and my prompts were usually very open. It would be something like: An historic fiction set in your country's or region's capitol city during a war. And I would have 5 openings for stories similar to that.