Freelancer.com and their scammer rafim I lost all my money for nothing!

Even the CEO of Freelancer looks like a con man! Look here http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-07/02/freelancercom-matt-barrie

 

Most good programmers will require progress payments. As the job passes certain agreed-upon milestones, you pay a certain agreed-upon percentage of the total price. Unless it's a small project that will be finished in a few days. No one is going to live on promises for a month while he's developing your site.

 

I was told 7 days to complete my project, $200 up front as the Milestone and a further $200 after completion.

Communication was great with the Freelancer, until I paid the milestone and then he deleted me from Skype and didn´t reply to my emails or messages on Freelancer!!

End of the day, I paid out $200 (actually $205) as a Milestone, yes Freelancer made me pay the Paypal fee. I was then charged just over $12, probably for listing my job, although this was not mentioned by Freelancer and then, even after reporting the Freelancer as going AWOL and the job not getting done, FREELANCER TRIED TO TAKE MORE MONEY WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION!!! I am glad I cancelled the Paypal agreement with those scamming t**ts because if I hadn´t, they would have scammed me for more money without my knowledge!!

Matt Barrie (CEO of Freelancer) should be in f***ing jail not being praised by review websites, he probably used the money he scammed from us to pay websites for fake reviews. Matt Barrie is a conman of the highest degree you will find on the internet! His company will recommend a scammer as the best Freelancer for the job, with fake reviews and feedback, you hire him, they take the money, you dont get your job complete, nevermind even started!!

The entire Freelancer setup is a scam and I think it should be closed down and that conning little s**t Matt Barrie should be locked up and the key thrown away.

I still believe in what comes around goes around and Matt Barrie will get what he deserves one day soon. I am after you also Matt, you scammed the wrong person you p***k.

Sorry for my language, I am just mega angry when I think about Freelancer and see the conmans f***ing face!

 

And just checking my Paypal account, both disputes have gone in Freelancers way!!! What a fking joke, I have a baby on the way, trying to make a living and the $200 would be really handy in my pocket right now, but instead, Paypal have decided that the scamming c**ts at Freelancer have the right to take my money for NOTHING!!

FREELANCER = ROBBING BASTARDS

FREELANCER = SCAMMING COMPANY

MATT BARRIE = YOU ARE GOING TO GET F**KED UP.

 

Sorry, I am not thread bumping! I have just left a live chat with a Freelancer employee and as you can see, they have a lot of problems! Through the conversation I have learnt that you can only leave feedback when a job is complete, not when a Freelancer has taken your money and not even started a job. The money that was my Milestone is not in my Freelancer account, after Paypal have already sided with Freelancer and sent my money back to them! As soon as I lost the Paypal dispute, Rafim, the Freelancer who scammed me, is no longer suspended and I can not leave any negative feedback on his profile! Below is a screenshot of Rafims profile that I just took during the conversation..



Now read my conversation with a Freelancer employee or probably one of their scammers!

You are now chatting with Thomas S. (Email and Chat Support Agent) - General
21:40Thomas S.: Hi! Thank you for contacting Freelancer.com support. How may I help you?
21:43Simon Ward: where is my money?
21:43Simon Ward: you took $200 from me for a milestone payment, the freelancer was suspended from you and i never even had my job get started!
21:43Simon Ward: Ticket BDE-812-74440‏
21:43Simon Ward: read it and now you have my money, refund it
21:44Thomas S.: Can I have your username so I can take a look at your account?
21:44Simon Ward: si0077
21:45Simon Ward: sorry
21:45Simon Ward: simonward77
21:45Thomas S.: Thanks for that information. Please give me around 2 minutes while I check your account.
21:45Thomas S.: Thanks for that information. Please give me around 2 minutes while I check your account.
21:45Thomas S.: Thanks for the clarification.
21:46Simon Ward: please bare in mind that I will post this conversation on a webmaster forum if I do not get any luck with my account. Right now it is showing -$12.00 and I have paid you $212 and NOT HAD ANYTHING
21:47Simon Ward: if you ignore my questions or cancel the conversation it will not look good on Freelancer.com, it will give me a good screenshot of the scam you are running
21:48Simon Ward: you owe me in total $217.61
21:50Simon Ward: hello?
21:50Thomas S.: I'm still here.
21:50Simon Ward: so can you tell me what is going on?
21:52Thomas S.: I can see that your account has a balance of -$12.
21:52Thomas S.: I can see that your account has a balance of -$12.
21:52Thomas S.: I can see that your account has a balance of -$12.
21:52Thomas S.: I can see that your account has a balance of -$12.
21:52Simon Ward: yes, have you read the ticket
21:52Simon Ward: ?
21:53Simon Ward: I paid $200 as a milestone to a scammer on your site, the milestone was never released because he cut me off skype and never even started the project
21:53Thomas S.: Unfortunately, I am unable to see the ticket you mentioned since it is in another department.
21:53Simon Ward: well thats handy, transfer me to that department please
21:54Simon Ward: and send them a copy of this chat
21:55Thomas S.: I regret to inform you that we do not have the option to transfer chats to other departments. However, I can send them a copy of this chat in your behalf.
21:55Simon Ward: lame excuse really
21:55Simon Ward: what is this chat for then?
21:56Simon Ward: is it to make it look like Freelancer.com have customer support when really, you only have customer support when it suites you?
21:56Simon Ward: you are a website, you dont have departments
21:56Thomas S.: This chat is for general concerns and inquiries.
21:56Simon Ward: you are scammers and I want my money back right now!
21:57Simon Ward: this conversation is going onto a webmaster forum on a post I found about you being scammers
22:01Simon Ward: you can see into my account and find out my balance but you can not find out where my milestone payment is?
22:01Thomas S.: I understand how you feel.
22:01Simon Ward: you do?
22:01Simon Ward: why happened many times before hasnt it?!
22:02Simon Ward: people complaining to you about the scams that your company does
22:02Thomas S.: The milestone payment to rafim was cancelled. The funds were returned to your account. However, since you filed for a reversal, a negative balance reflected on your account.
22:03Simon Ward: so where is it now then?
22:03Simon Ward: there are no funds in my account
22:03Simon Ward: and paypal returned my money to you
22:04Simon Ward: the milestone was cancelled but I have a negative balance and nothing to show for my payments and the freelancer who took my job is suspended or was suspended for being a scammer
22:04Simon Ward: I am missing $217 here so tell me where it is?
22:05Thomas S.: Our records show that the funds have not been returned by PayPal yet.
22:05Simon Ward: do you want me to post proof here?
22:07Simon Ward: Transaction #11540347YR851160U

-$205,02 USD
04/08/2012 16:56 GMT+02:00
FREELANCER INTERNATIONAL PTY LTD


Invoice ID: 2000372
22:07Simon Ward: Non-receipt - Claim - #PP-001-942-638-259
22:07Simon Ward: Disputed Amount:


$205,02 USD

Status

After careful consideration, we're unable to decide this claim in your favor at this time.
Supporting documents

Files (0)

You haven't submitted any files.

Faxes (0)

You haven't submitted any faxes.
22:07Simon Ward: Do you want the other dispute details???
22:08Simon Ward: Transaction #3AH90459N0036173A
22:08Simon Ward: -$12,59 USD
04/08/2012 16:56 GMT+02:00
FREELANCER INTERNATIONAL PTY LTD


Invoice ID: 2000375
22:08Simon Ward: Non-receipt - Claim - #PP-001-942-640-925
22:08Simon Ward: Disputed Amount:


$12,59 USD

Status

After careful consideration, we're unable to decide this claim in your favor at this time.
Supporting documents

Files (0)

You haven't submitted any files.

Faxes (0)

You haven't submitted any faxes.
22:09Thomas S.: I recommend that you send us an email at so that we can forward this information to the proper department.
22:09Thomas S.: I recommend that you send us an email at so that we can forward this information to the proper department.
22:09Thomas S.: I recommend that you send us an email at so that we can forward this information to the proper department.
22:09Thomas S.: I recommend that you send us an email at so that we can forward this information to the proper department.
22:09Thomas S.: I recommend that you send us an email at so that we can forward this information to the proper department.
22:09Simon Ward: I recommend that you do something about this right away and speak to the department now
22:09Simon Ward: because I am not waiting any longer for my money
22:14Simon Ward: hello?
22:14Simon Ward: 5 minutes and nothing
22:14Simon Ward: are you speaking to the other department or not?
22:16Thomas S.: I apologize but your concern cannot be resolved in just a few minutes. I highly recommend that you send us an email containing the information you mentioned.
22:18Simon Ward: I sent an email well before this conversation without reply, this has been going on for over 3 weeks
22:20Thomas S.: We apologize for the delay. We have been receiving a high volume of emails at the moment. However, I have noted your concern and will have your ticket's response expedited.
22:20Simon Ward: high number of emails? would this have to do with a high number of scams?!
22:22Thomas S.: I am unable to comment on this. We have a larged user base and we receive several inquiries and questions everyday.
22:23Simon Ward: I see, I will put that down to the fact that you are scammers. I see that the person who scammed me is no longer suspended http://www.freelancer.com/u/rafim.html is this one of your fake profiles that you recommend to people?
22:23Simon Ward: after the paypal dispute is over, suddenly he is un-suspended!
22:23Simon Ward: how many of these fake profiles do you have in your system?
22:24Simon Ward: How does a scammer get un-suspended?
22:25Simon Ward: your company works like this, you create fake profiles, you leave all good feedback on these fake profiles and then you recommend these fake profiles to people posting jobs, as the best freelancer for the job.
22:25Simon Ward: You take the milestone payment, the fake profile suddenly becomes suspended and the milestone payment just dissapears!
22:26Simon Ward: Nice scam, shame that many people have caught on to it and know what Freelancer.com is all about, would explain your high email volume!
22:26Thomas S.: Our records show that your former freelancer rafim is still suspended.
22:26Simon Ward: this page here says "Hire Me!" http://www.freelancer.com/u/rafim.html
22:27Simon Ward: screenshot taken by the way, so dont suddenly suspend him again!
22:28Simon Ward: another thing, I cant leave feedback on his profile!
22:29Simon Ward: when a job poster is scammed by a freelancer, you make it so that the job poster cant leave the negative feedback required to warn others!
22:29Simon Ward: scam scam scam!
22:29Simon Ward: now back to my money, where the hell is it?
22:30Thomas S.: Please be informed that the option to leave a feedback is only available when a project is fully paid.
22:31Simon Ward: well thats crap, what about the jobs he doesnt complete, when the milestone payment and the $12 commission for freelancer goes missing???
22:32Simon Ward: so basically, all feedback is always going to be good feedback and the scams hidden! i see, exactly what i thought! disgusting
22:34Simon Ward: any answer or are you thinking about a BS excuse?
22:36Thomas S.: That is not true. There are also projects that get paid in full where one party or another gives a not so favorable review.
22:37Simon Ward: What makes me laugh is Rafim, the freelancer who didnt even start my job, went AWOL, scammed me and lost me over $217 to your scamming company has a 100% job completion written on his profile, thats bull shit isnt it!
22:38Simon Ward: so where do I stand? will I get my money back and if I do, when?
22:39Simon Ward: No BS about it being the wrong department either, you have answered questions and seem to be in the knowledge to access most admin parts of Freelancer.com, you know enough info to refund my payments
22:39Thomas S.: You may get your money back once the funds have been returned to your Freelancer.com account and we have processed a deposit refund back to your PayPal account.
22:39Simon Ward: you have the funds
22:40Simon Ward: they have been sent back to you by paypal and I want them back to me right now as it is really my money, i dont often go around giving money away to con artists and scammers
22:45Simon Ward: nothing
22:45Simon Ward: 5 more minutes of nothing
22:47Simon Ward: im giving you 15 more minutes to get me my money back or I am posting this conversation on a webmaster forum plus the profile screenshot of Rafim, the scammer who is not suspended
Thomas S. has left the conversation.

What do you think?!

 

In the future:

10% up front. 25% when there's something to show, like a mock-up or a site that kind of looks like what yours will be when it's done. 50% when you can log into the site. The balance when you see that the code isn't obfuscated in any way, and you've received any documentation that you're supposed to get.

That's a rough estimate, different programmers will change the numbers a little. But 50% before there's anything to see is exorbitant, even for a $400 project. And for one that will be complete in a week, there's not as much pressure on the programmer to get a lot of money up front. Any freelancer who can't survive for a week without an income is someone I wouldn't feel comfortable with. If you're talking about a 6 month contract and $40/hour, I want to be paid weekly (and show progress weekly), but for a week for $400 (which is a bit low)? All I want to be sure of is that you'll pay me at the end. If I can't live without your $200 up front, how am I living in the weeks between jobs?

 

If I engage any online freelancers, I use the same rules as I would if I were to enter into a contract with a builder or electrician etc. Stage payments, and payment only when results are achieved. Could be soem good business to be had from an insurance company here - pay a minimal fee as protection against not receiving your finished product - anyone doing that?

 

I've had bad experiences with freelancer.com, this site is full of scammers. People claim to be proficient in which they dont even have basics. Avoid this website, if you can PERIOD.

 

I've heard good things about peopleperhourdotcom, not affiliated with them in any way, but feedback from other users of this site would be good.

 

Today Freelancer refunded my money in full

 

Are we witnessing a true miracle, or did someone at freelancer make a mistake?

 

We are witnessing the power of Digital Point and fairness I am glad I got my refund but I only got my refund through damn hard work and arguments. It aint right the way Freelancer works at all, they, in my mind, are scamming the crap out of many people. Stand up to these companies, make posts when you are scammed and even if it is $10 or $1000, get your money back! Scammers work on the attitude,"I will take $1 off 1000 people", the scammer wins $1000 and because we don´t fight it! I got my money back, have a beautiful post warning others about Freelancer.com and will delete my account with them anyway. I hope you all get my point, $1 is equal to $1000 when it comes to scamming, a scam is a scam, it is great when you win. Paypal backed the scamming company against me, but I still got my money back because of places like DP. Bad feedback is terrible for anyone, get scammed, use this!!

 

You can ask me about programming related question, I'll try my best to solve. The people who want to do business they care about reputation. Who didn't care about reputation he can't run far.

 

I think thats the right way of treating big companies consisting of scammers, i intended earlier to hire someone at freelancer.com but i've changed my mind after reading this. ELance will be much better

 

It's a relief especially these days in which cash flow management is imperative to business survival.

 

Dear Canaryspace,

Looks like you had no patience and made this a complicated issue out of nothing.

A dispute process needs time, and if you open a dispute from paypal without waiting for a result from freelancer.com, your account will be suspended. At this point for paypal, you will be a scammer and won't be taken seriously. In your case, freelancer probably responded to paypal by saying that your dispute case was still open and paypal concluded that you were not entitled to a reversal before freelancer.com completed their investigation. Now if you experience a panic attack again and go to your credit card company (as your last option before things get resolved with freelancer and paypal) and let's say open a chargeback dispute against paypal then paypal would suspend your account for the same reason freelancer.com did, because you didn't wait for them to complete their dispute process. Finally, if your credit card company decides in paypal's favor, then you will receive nothing because you didn't follow any dispute process properly. (This is less likely to happen because cc company will usually issue a refund if there is no signed contract.) After all, you had to wait for freelancer.com to complete the investigation plus the additional time for paypal dispute and reversal that went back to freelancer.com so they can refund you. Also let's do not forget the freelancer employee that you did the chat is not a scammer, he's probably someone trying to make a living and feed his baby like you and i think he still responded to your a..hole treatment in a nice and professional way.

A little patience would solve everything and where's my money attitude usually won't help.

This is my 2cents for you

 

I have used FreeLancer a couple of times, sometimes got good coders and sometimes bad coders (not scammers, just bad who make excuses and delay things weeks or months). It is a trustworthy site based on my experience. I had worst experiences with other sites like rentacoder and elance. You just need to be picky when selecting a coder based on the reviews they have. You have to be patient when it comes to disputes, you should've filed the dispute on their site and not on Paypal, I find FreeLance very fair when it comes to disputes, it would take a while (2 weeks max) but it eventually ends.

The "recommended coder" part I am sure is automatic and based on how the projects for that coder went in the past, if he was recommended, then it means he had an overall positive ratings. Additionally, like Mrtass recommended, never make a full payment (that is just crazy to make full payment at first). I usually split the projects into several payments:

30% on start of work, released only after showing something to me on their site
50% once they work is ready for review and submitted to my host, then I release it.
20% if I find no issues and I am ok with end result/integration, then I release it.

It is good news that you got your money back.

 

thats good u have got ur money back....

i am also one of thier victims
but thankx i got option in start...
they were deducting monthly fee from my account, 2day i got mail from my paypal account that ur transaction has been done.. i was surprosed which transaction? and when i searched n find that this is freelancer, who is taking money from my account, even i havent earned anything from thier site...

so i started searching over net how to get rid of this stupid website, i cant dell my account from that stupid site
so i thought to unauthorized it from my pay pal account..
so have done this.. May be this will help anyother person.. so sharing this link here.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/customerprofileweb?cmd=_manage-paylist

 

Freelancer can't deduct money from your account, unless you've verified a transfer - for instance, if you sign up for their "one month upgrade for free" you will be charged when that subscription renews. That is normal, and something you need to be aware of.

 

me too I was robbed there.

I was defrauded by 4 indians designers, lats one is shruti khanna here technospike , and freelancer.com has helped her out, i am filing with local cops today , the fbi paypal, and some indians cops, i wnat say to everybody, do not hire people from pakistan or india cause they will robb you racket you abuse you . do not do it do not leave money down, do not let passwords.

I filed 6 reports on the rippoff reprot website and on consumers affaris and I will continue today the best i can and for months to come, you will see .

I did not released payment, nothing, nothing was paid, she said to file a dispute, dispute did not even read what I said and she ended up paid 100$, completed job, I even left a bad feedaback which does not figure, like if i could not use any rights there, i paid got screw no job, and no feedbacks but all was done.
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