Freelancer.com Review- Is Suspending Accounts With Money a Good Policy?

I have had my battles with the freelancer.com customer service as well. They may have 120 people working there 24/7 365 days a year but nothing good is coming out of there. I probably received the same answer like 10 times, always stating the obvious and not helping me at all. On top of that freelancer.com has turned into the biggest screw job ever, screwing people as good as they can.

Freelancer.com used to offer a good service but now it looks more and more like a pure money making business that's doesn't care about the freelancer. There is no user-friendliness anymore and no transparency.

I contacted freelancer.com because I had an issue with the exam payment. I got free exam coupons and thus I decided to take a few exams. Logic would say that once I get those rewards, that I can use them right away, that's at least how ANY other website does it.

But logic doesn't seem to apply at freelancer.com, instead the company aims at screwing freelancers as good as they can. Because one has the first activate one free exam coupon after the other before taking the exam. This should be explained much better but again, freelancer.com is not user-friendly and not transparent. On top of that the actual section where those coupons need to be activated is well hidden.

What should be is that either the coupons are immediately activated after they have been ordered. If that's too difficult, then at least give freelancers the choice when doing the exam, if they either want to pay or use a coupon.

But currently it only looks like freelancer.com is looking for any possible way to screw its users, plain and simple. I wouldn't care if it was 1 exam, but I took 3 and never has freelancer.com reminded me about using one of my coupons. When do they think I wanted to use them? 50 exams later?

I hear this a lot:
they're bad because they have fake accounts...

Now I hear:
they're bad because they verify the validity of account users...

Very much useful column, thank you

I've been working on Freelancer for months and in the last week, they arbitrarily put on hold my funds. I asked for a 300 USD withdrawal and with no explanation they changed it for 100 USD. Then I made a new one for 450 and got it cut in half to 225. What's going on with Freelancer?. Are they still a safe way to get paid?

Time goes, freelncer.com do same things. Now they silently cancels my withdrawl requests. At first time support tell me, what one of my employer have issues. Now they tell what issues have two employers.
After this I going to another sites, because such things very similar to fraud. Can anyone recommend good freelancer sites with sysadmin jobs and without such tryes to steal money?

Freelancer.com has the worse staff and "customer support", if it can be called a "customer support", the staff is VERY rude, totally unprofessional, you can open a ticked and wait untill you die for an answer or you can receive a copy-paste stupid answer. They have the WORSE customer support I EVER seen!!! Also they have A LOT of cases where they "block" users accounts which have quite a lot of money and steal all the money. Don't use freelancer.com!!!

Yes, Freelancer.com is not good for freelancers, I have worked competed my task I have received $25 and after that I have post bid on $250 project and completed that also but buyer was not paid for this and freelancer.com has charged fee from me.

So it is not good, not good, not good

I'd like to share my own issue on this front.

I completed a project on freelancer.com and am currently working on two more. I requested a withdrawal of $161 in June. After waiting the 15 days I found that my withdrawal time had been extended without notification. On using the online support chat (which I found is philosophically a really good feature) I was basically told - there were extra security check that needed to be done and "No, I can't tell you anything about it. Launch a ticket"

Cool so I launch a ticket. This is the trail of people I spoke to: Linel, Linel, Mike, Linel, Alex and Francis.

1) I requested the withdrawal and apparently it was extended because I allowed the amount to fall below the requested amount. Two things to consider: The reduction came as a result of me accepting a project bid. Remember now that obviously the initial milestone payment would immediately fall into my account so I had no reason to believe this was an issue. Sure enough the funds were replenished well before the withdrawal processing date. Apparently this wasn't the point.

2) I asked to speak to a supervisor about this. My first request for this was on the 16th. I actually asked directly for Shane Stewart's email address but received nothing but an assurance that this was escalated to their immediate supervisor's. I kept chasing the communication on that. Finally, on the 19th Francis advised that they were still awaiting feedback and that I'd be contacted when they did. I've left it until now figuring that my new date was the 31st so may as well wait.

3) Log on to freelancer.com today and see that all my funds are still available and my withdrawal request has disappeared. Chat to an agent on the Live Support and they say that my request was cancelled because my employer has failed to be phone verified. He advised me that they have contacted him and that I should contact him as well to expedite the process.

He also advised that if my employer is verified that I will have to wait a FURTHER 15 days. He also didn't answer my question on what happens if my employer is never verified. So my intellectual property i already being used and yet I haven't been paid for it. Why is it not required that such verification happens before freelancers spend time and man hours doing said piece of work.

My requests for Shane Stewart's email address have gone completely ignored.

I've now emailed support again. I need to email Shane about this. I'm hoping he can see reason in this deeply flawed process. I completely understand the need to comply with international laws but then make sure that all verifications are done before users engage with each other. The result of doing it any differently is the illegal use of intellectual property facilitated by a company with seriously misaligned ideas of the business world.

It would be a different story were I advised of all these potential issues before engaging with an employer but unfortunately none of this is done. Every business (regardless of the bottom line) has an obligation to comply with a set moral and ethical code.

The other thing I'd love some help with is the following: the company is an Australian company. What legal governing body can I forward this complaint to. I'm sure someone will realize this is unnacceptable. I can't forward to orgs like the FTC or IC3 or BBB. They have US jurisdiction. I need to direct my complaint to a body in AU.

Freelancer username: kyleobrien91

hi there.. I have a similar issue.. My withdrawal was cancelled because according to freelancer, they have some issues with my client that need to be resolved.. I'm really shocked because, as a new freelancer, I thought I can withdraw the amount deposited in my account whenever I want.. I think it's inhuman to deprive me with the fruits of my labor.. I deliver my work to my client properly and diligently and I'm not in anyway involved with to the issues between my client and freelancer.. I think such issues should be settled first before allowing any employer to post project in freelancer because the freelancer, who are in good faith, are the one suffering..

Freelancer does not give me any time frame when I can withdraw my money in my account.. It's really unfortunate.. Anyone with similar issue, please tell me what the best thing I can do.. Can I still withdraw my money in my account? When (I hope it would not take too long)? and How?

To answer the question of the blog - no it not a good practice and it is actually ILLEGAL in the US. Just because you put something in your terms and conditions does not make it legal and Freelancer's policies are not legal.

Freelancer.com cannot freeze or suspend an account for verification as they are not a bank or clearinghouse. They are not licensed to do so. You need a license such as Paypal has to operate the way that they do. Freelancer.com is just a merchant. As a merchant you are required to do verification BEFORE payment is made, and if further verification is required you RETURN the funds during the verification process.

You can not simply by US law hold on to those funds. I suggest Freelancer's CEO gets the company's policies straight because if US users start getting aware of they can summon authorities to have them investigated then they can lose their right to do business in this country.

Freelancer.com suspending accounts with money in it is THEFT in the US. The company is not a bank or withholding facility or clearinghouse, is not licensed by the Dept of Banking and Finance and does not have the right to hold funds for "verification". Anyone that pays money into this service and has their funds withheld should notify the the authorities to have them shut down from operating in the United States. Plain as that.

It happens alot on outsourcing site, maybe not just freelancer. Its saddening to know if the reason for suspension is at a shallow level.

It's not right to suspend users if there are things under verification especially if there are funds involved. Of course, those users also have their planned use and timing of use for those funds. Suspending those would create problems for the user.

Hi, This is a place at least where I can communicate to freelancer.com, I saw One "Emir" reading and responding on behalf of Freelancer.com. I have some specific suggestions and they call for reply from them:
1. I am a freelancer providing service. One fine day when I was in middle of some projects my account was suspended. I was not given any reason. I was shocked. A few days prior to that I had requested transfer of part of money from my account which has close to US$1000 hard earned money. The money was committed to be processed on certain dates. On the day it was to be processed, my account was suspended. So there was double shock; I lost communication with my clients for whom I was doing projects and did not get my money that was to be paid to my employees. The question is why do we do this? This shock is completely avoidable.
2. I sent them the ID and whatever they wanted without any delay. Now I am just not knowing as to what is the status of the my account and what will happen. I am a serious working person and have never tried to communicate outside the channel to cheat freelancer.com. Keeping serious working people in lurch just because there was a request to withdraw funds is grossly unfair business practice.
3. Just because Freelancer is suspending accounts and taking there own time to resolve cases without any time limits, it is pinching genuine working people also. Freelancer should quickly review the cases and if it is found that the suspended account has not caused any financial loss to freelancer, the account suspension should be revoked. This is because freelancer has allowed the individual to work and take up projects and freelancer has taken commission also on the projects.
4. Freelancer should undertake verification on opening of account and not on withdraw request. It indicates that freelancer wants people to register and earn money by doing work and keep there money with freelancers. They will raise objections only after some money has been earned into accounts so as to hold on to it. Or it could be because they know that new service providers will commit some error and they will have the opportunity to hold on to funds.
5. I am afraid to revealing my identity because of fear of backlash from freelancer.com. Apprehensions are growing as the time is elapsing and there has been no communication from them for long. If freelancer expects people to submit documents quickly to avoid delay, then they too should not take time to respond. Is this because service providers are at their mercy?? This is truly Bad.
Hope things will improve with immediate effect.
Thanks