All you have to do is type in Google the words “oDesk Scam” and you’ll have a parade of articles – blog posts and forum discussions on this very issue.
I’ve read many of the so called “oDesk Scam” posts and what seems to jump out at me is that all these oDesk scams have one thing in common…
It’s not the oDesk website itself that is a scam, but the employers
and contractors taking advantage of each other is where the scam lies
and has seemed to originate from.
Like any other Internet service today, for every honest, professional person trying to make a decent living, there are many thugs just waiting in the wings to take people’s money unethically. Unfortunately, that’s our society we live in.
oDesk has grown exponentially in the past couple of years, with thousands of employers – contractors and job postings. Every company growing at such a speed will encounter growing pains, while problems will arise that need tended too.
oDesk is bound to bring in idiots on both sides, as well as sites like Elance, Freelancers and other online marketplaces. (Type them in Google to see for yourself) Believe me, they all have this same problem from time to time.
However, when I was sifting through the oDesk scam forum posts, I did see some that some generated a direct response from oDesk, taking into consideration the specific issue that a contractor or employer was complaining about. The response either explained it or the person was reassured that steps would be taken to look into it. That’s a great step in the right direction; listening to both party’s concerns and making adjustments to try and resolve them.
Another thing to keep in mind is that just like in other companies…anywhere, you’ll have disgruntled employees – bosses – managers etc.. oDesk is no different. What’s happening is that the employers and contractors both feel like they’ve been duped for whatever reason. Now I’m not saying all the time, however some of the posts were just people complaining about the actual work from one side or the other.
So it’s not the oDesk website that’s a scam…it’s the people using it.
With our world evolving at a lightning speed, I think both employers and contractors do not take the time, serious time, to read and learn all the rules and procedures that oDesk puts out there. This is a must if you really want to safeguard yourself. I know for myself- it’s hard to go through all the information and completely understand it all. But that’s why it’s there.
But guess who does take serious time to read through it all?
oDesk scammers. You betcha they read through every rule – regulation – procedure and find all the teeny-tiny holes they can blow wide open to make themselves a pile of money…your money. They bank on you not knowing what you’re doing. And it works…
In closing;
I hope to continue to see that oDesk is taking an active approach to secure their employers and contractor’s positive online experience. I for one have had great success on oDesk But I have to say, I’ve encountered a couple of “shady” employers myself. And I’m as equally sure that oDesk scammers will continue to scour the oDesk website – finding new ways to beat it…beat you.
My motto? Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice…shame on me!
So if you still think oDesk is a scam, you have the option to report that abuse. But make sure you are not convicting the actual website if you’ve had a specific – unethical incident either as an employer or a contractor. I think it’s time to get the word out about the real oDesk scammers and expose them for who they really are and give the oDesk website a break to work it all out.
What say you? Leave a comment…
Like any other Internet service today, for every honest, professional person trying to make a decent living, there are many thugs just waiting in the wings to take people’s money unethically. Unfortunately, that’s our society we live in.
Is oDesk a Scam?
From my experience, oDesk itself is NOT a scam. Here’s why I think that…oDesk has grown exponentially in the past couple of years, with thousands of employers – contractors and job postings. Every company growing at such a speed will encounter growing pains, while problems will arise that need tended too.
oDesk is bound to bring in idiots on both sides, as well as sites like Elance, Freelancers and other online marketplaces. (Type them in Google to see for yourself) Believe me, they all have this same problem from time to time.
However, when I was sifting through the oDesk scam forum posts, I did see some that some generated a direct response from oDesk, taking into consideration the specific issue that a contractor or employer was complaining about. The response either explained it or the person was reassured that steps would be taken to look into it. That’s a great step in the right direction; listening to both party’s concerns and making adjustments to try and resolve them.
Another thing to keep in mind is that just like in other companies…anywhere, you’ll have disgruntled employees – bosses – managers etc.. oDesk is no different. What’s happening is that the employers and contractors both feel like they’ve been duped for whatever reason. Now I’m not saying all the time, however some of the posts were just people complaining about the actual work from one side or the other.
So it’s not the oDesk website that’s a scam…it’s the people using it.
With our world evolving at a lightning speed, I think both employers and contractors do not take the time, serious time, to read and learn all the rules and procedures that oDesk puts out there. This is a must if you really want to safeguard yourself. I know for myself- it’s hard to go through all the information and completely understand it all. But that’s why it’s there.
But guess who does take serious time to read through it all?
oDesk scammers. You betcha they read through every rule – regulation – procedure and find all the teeny-tiny holes they can blow wide open to make themselves a pile of money…your money. They bank on you not knowing what you’re doing. And it works…
In closing;
I hope to continue to see that oDesk is taking an active approach to secure their employers and contractor’s positive online experience. I for one have had great success on oDesk But I have to say, I’ve encountered a couple of “shady” employers myself. And I’m as equally sure that oDesk scammers will continue to scour the oDesk website – finding new ways to beat it…beat you.
My motto? Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice…shame on me!
So if you still think oDesk is a scam, you have the option to report that abuse. But make sure you are not convicting the actual website if you’ve had a specific – unethical incident either as an employer or a contractor. I think it’s time to get the word out about the real oDesk scammers and expose them for who they really are and give the oDesk website a break to work it all out.
What say you? Leave a comment…
True, oDesk don't have anything to do with scammers. Whatever we do, anywhere we go, people who wants to earn money that fast by manipulating and taking advantage of innocent people are always going to be there.
ReplyDeleteI have been an oDesk contractor for awhile and I can truly say oDesk is not a scam. Scammers however, can be found there that's why we need to be very careful on applying to companies or hiring freelancers. There are a lot of signs that you should probably look for.
I know an alternative to oDesk that protects jobseekers. You might want to check out Staff.com.