Bogus Clients And How to Avoid Them

[Mueed U]

I will keep this short and simple (kindly ignore any errors, this is urgent). There are certain bogus clients on oDesk. You know you can identify them by the payment method not verified, no reviews, bad reviews but there are some that will have positive reviews and with a verified payment method. Firstly, oDesk does not allow you to post the names of any client or agency, so my mouth has to remain shut. Therefore, I shall set out comprehensive guidelines that if you stick to, you will not get scammed. Like I said, even if the payment method is verified and reviews are good, take 5 minutes to carry out these tests to see if your client is the real deal or not as some clients may have actually "invested" by paying people for small jobs, getting feedback and then exploiting contractors to recover their investment and profit: 1. When you receive an offer, check the overall value of the job. Be it long term work or not, this has to be more than dollar. This is an indicator of how much you can expect to be paid. If the value is above one dollar then it will somewhat act as a deterrent. That way you can leave feedback and the client cannot simply cut you out of the picture. 2. Check out the other applications that the client has posted. They usually have more, but if the title and description have had minor alterations to them (as the oe you are checking) then you can see that they are essentially farming for clients on oDesk. 2 job applications are fairly common, but should make you cautious. If these applications are more than 2, then you can be sure that this client is looking to exploit contractors unfamiliar with oDesk. You should be on red alert if they are inviting Newbies. (hence inexperienced and easiest to farm) 3. Make sure that the payment day is fixed. If it is monthly, then always demand an upfront payment. For weekly payments, see how far you are away from the payment day and decide. If it is 6 or 7 days, demand compensation for the first few batches of work, to assure yourself that the client is real. If the payment day is Saturday or Sunday, demand an exact day. You will end up doing Saturday's work too thinking you will get paid on Sunday. Do not work if the payment date is prolonged. 4. Do a search for them on Google. Yes, often names are commons but this works in 2 cases. One the client has a unique name (worked for me). Two (refer to number 6) 5. Do return to the Google Search in the end. If you have think that the client has been posting articles on your behalf without agreeing this with you (they are delaying payment day, being dodgy about the website if the articles will be posted there), then they will certainly plagiarise. The text remains the same. Since they are farming, search for their names along with text from the article (titles work best) on Google. If the client turns out to be an author on another blog and is posting your articles on your behalf then you, my friend, are being cheated. They basically get paid from the blog, pay you a mere fraction of that and make money by doing pretty much nothing. Nothing can be done about fixed price contracts to get the money. Try to focus on hourly contracts. However, by following these steps you can identify the bogus clients and then end the contract before you do too much work for them. I personally did 15 articles, more than 5500 words only to find that the client wasn't going to pay me. It was one of my first jobs. The payment day was Saturday or Sunday. I should have guessed but I didn't and ended up paying the price. Now my client is on oDesk farming again and I have taken to the forums to raise my voice against this. injustice.

[Petra R]

[quote=Mueed Ur Rehman]I will keep this short and simple (kindly ignore any errors, this is urgent). There are certain bogus clients on oDesk. You know you can identify them by the payment method not verified, no reviews, bad reviews but there are some that will have positive reviews and with a verified payment method. [/quote] All new clients will have "no history" and many will initially have no verified payment method. That is no reason to avoid them. In fact new clients can be absolutely wonderful, they just need a bit of hand-holding! Contractors simply have to make sure they 1) do not start work until the client's payment method is verified, 2) a contract is in place, and 3) an up-front payment has been made (over $ 1.00) [Quote]1. When you receive an offer, check the overall value of the job. Be it long term work or not, this has to be more than dollar Even if it is exactly 1 dollar ask your client to make it 1 dollar and 1 cent. That way you can leave feedback and the client cannot simply cut you out of the picture. [/quote] No. It doesn't matter what the value of the contract is. It matters how much the contractor has been paid. No payment or a payment of less than a Dollar and no feedback can be left. [Quote] 3. Make sure that the payment day is fixed. If it is monthly, then always demand an upfront payment. [/quote] You don't demand anything. you negotiate like a professional, and arrange for an up-front payment (ALWAYS and REGARDLESS of contract duration) as professionals do, along with clearly defined milestone payments where appropriate. [Quote]5. Always see whether the client demands rights to your written material or not. Ask them if they are going to use their name or yours. This matters. If the articles are to be posted on a website, ask for the link of the website and check it out. If it is long term work, then if your articles show up on the website (provided it actually exists) then check the author. If it is according to your agreement, then move on. [/quote] As soon as something is paid the client owns the work. They don't have to "demand rights"!" If nothing has been paid the contractor does. Once the client owns the work they can do what they like with it. It is none of the contractor's business to demand to know what it is used for. The contractor can ask, but the client is under no obligation to disclose the information. Essentially this boils down to being responsible for running your own business and acting accordingly.

[Mueed U]

Firstly, the value of the job is indicative of the value you can expect to get after the contract is complete. It is unlikely under normal circumstances? For the client to pay more than agreed? Secondly, an upfront payment is demanded. Look up the literal meaning, maybe you will learn a thing or two. Negotiation comes later. You need to tell the client that you want this much, and if he disagrees then you negotiate over how much can you receive. Thirdly, the whole rights thing was to ensure that when you work for clients; you should be able to refer to the work you have done for them. If they use the work before compensation is made and later fake to pay, then do they own your articles. No. Lastly, one of those days? Dumb people? Who do you think you are?so you got experience on oDesk? Big deal. You're just plain stuck up. Forums are for mutual discussion not hey look I know more than you and that makes you dumb. Get a life.

[Cherry M]

[quote]Secondly, an upfront payment is demanded. Look up the literal meaning, maybe you will learn a thing or two. Negotiation comes later. You need to tell the client that you want this much, and if he disagrees then you negotiate over how much can you receive. [/quote] Look up the implied meaning, maybe you will learn a thing or two.

[Joseph C]

I was going to comment on each of your points. But decided since you are so far off base to start with and you are not listening to what Petra is stating, this is no use pointing it out. you have had two jobs here and trying to tell others how to do it. you are full of it. ------------- I will always apply for job postings without verified payment and no feedback. That is where the jobs i have here came from. Any of the others are agencies and i will not work for an agency.

[Melanie A]

[quote=Mueed Ur Rehman]I will keep this short and simple [/quote] No, you did not. [quote=Mueed Ur Rehman] Lastly, one of those days? Dumb people? Who do you think you are?so you got experience on oDesk? Big deal. You're just plain stuck up. Forums are for mutual discussion not hey look I know more than you and that makes you dumb. Get a life.[/quote] That's her signature. If you bothered to look around and scan the different threads, then you would have noticed that; provided that you are observant enough. If you come to these forums, be ready for anything.

[Marcia M]

Just to clarify, having your name on your work does not mean you own the work. The client can still own your work, because the client paid for it, and your name can still appear as the author. The client may have a reason for wanting your name on an article.

[Joseph C]

and the client can take it off, they so desire.

[Turlea O]

nice thread man... I share your opinion.