Freelancer.com payment debacle

<p>What looked like a great option for getting in freelance work has turned into a nightmare, so I just want to let folk know what my first-hand experience has been so that they don't have to go through the same if they choose to use this company.</p> <p>You bid for projects and as soon as you accept an award, freelancer.com takes its cut straight away - and I mean instantly! But when it comes to getting paid for work you've completed, they have a number of hoops that you have to jump through...which they also keep moving. This effectively delays you getting access to your hard-earned funds. Or, in my case, I haven't yet been able to get my hands on a single cent for the work I've done.</p> <p>I did some work and payment was released by the employer (to freelancer.com). I then made a withdrawal (to the PayPal account that they took their cut from before I'd even started the job). Oh no, not to be ... now I have to wait 15 business days so that they can 'verify' the payment and be assured of where the funds are coming from and going to (something they weren't interested in, by the way, when they took their up front cut!).</p> <p>So, then I put in a bid for and was awarded another project. Now they take their cut out of the amount I've indicated for withdrawal, which cancels the withdrawal (because now there aren't enough funds to match the requested withdrawal amount). So that puts me right back at square one. Anyhow, I sucked it up, put it down to being new to the system, and gave it a second chance.</p> <p>I finish a second job, payment is released by the employer and, this time, I decide to only withdraw PART of the funds - leaving enough in my freelancer.com account to cover any possible future instant cut-taking and monthly subscription fee. Well, I did the long wait and today should have been 'pay day' - but no. They took my monthly subscription out of the amount marked for withdrawal yesterday (yup - one day before my anticipated 'pay day'), so ONCE AGAIN, payment has been cancelled. Why they didn't take the amount out of the funds that were still left in my account escapes me?!</p> <p>So heads up freelancers! It appears that this company will do whatever they can to NOT pay over your hard-earned money. And beware all the currency conversion costs that also get debited to you whichever way the transaction goes. Freelancer.com must be doing well off the interest on freelancers' money, because they're certainly holding on to it for as long as they can!</p> <p> </p>