Hi.
Over the last year I have been invited to submit proposals multiple times for what appears on the surface t be a pretty attractive and legit contract. The client offers $5,000 for an online meditation course. The topics vary every time but the price and the vague brief are the same. The client claims not to want to stifle the creative flow of experienced freelancers so asks for the prpopsal to outline the idea/ concept for the course, the structure, an outline of the content. They then suggest that the freelancer propose a fee for this work. The $5,000 it seems was just to attract people.
This client has had many cleints through upwork with good feedback and a successful business in this area, but what I didn't realise when I first submitted a proposal was that they had only ever paid a few hundred dollars and none of the work they've paid out for was to come up woth original content or a project of the size they were proposing. It was all "editing" "proof reading" "writing a user guide" "marketing" for usually around $150. and then some more generous payments for "legal" work.
It's clear that they use these postings to get ideas and content and then if the freelancer doesn't come back and say they will do all that work for a hundred dollars, they steal the concepts and pay someone a small amount to do the leg work. Maybe steal is a bit harsh. But I'm pretty sure their content for all their apps has been "inspired" by ideas from freelancers and any that they have paid (nothing in their upwork history) have been paid a pittance for original copyright free content.
I was very cautious in not giving away too much in terms of original content to this client both times because when I first started out on Upwork I did have a bit of trouble with figuring out how to write a proposal that exaplined enough about how I would approach a job, without giving everything away. I still have learning to do around this and I just want to share that before someone sees an old post of mine and says that I've just misunderstood that I don't have to do the work until I am hired. But when someone is asking for ideas for a pitch, and a big art of what you'd be getting paid for is those ideas, it's tricky. I've had a few jobs since then that have been sitaisfied with examples of similar work and a project outline. But they didn't want to hire until I shared my concept (original ideas for courses) and srtucture (best way to build and engage) and outline unless I did it for considerably less than the ad.
I saw the ad again and messaged the clent respecfully but asked if they were now in a position to hire and if the $5000 was again a holding bid and they blocked me. What worried me now is that I won't see all their future ads or if they ever do genuinely hire to know if I am being unfair or if I was right and they can just keep doing it to other people. Given how consistently this client hires through upwork I can't see upwork questionning them so they will just get to keep doing it.
