Screwed BY Odesk Freelancer - Karma?

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Esioh

New member
May 27, 2011
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So I just got screwed by an Odesk freelancer for over $2000.

Long story short - He didn't deliver my project (web development) before getting suspended by Odesk and is refusing to hand over source files.

I'd love to dish out some Karma on his ass but don't want to be foolish and have it bite me back.

I know his website, his phone number, and email (he's in India).

What better place to come for advice than Wickedfire...

Ideas/suggestions/help all welcome - Thanks..
 


lol why did you pay it all up front?

You got got

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Damn right I got got.

I was paying by the hour.
Site was being built on his testing server.

After his account got suspended he wasn't so keen to keep working or hand over the files.
 
What can I say - My bad.

He had good ratings, good feedback, and over 1000 hours logged on Odesk.

You live 'n' learn.

So maybe in some screwed up way I deserved it - Doesn't mean I'm not pissed.
 
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screw him - or threaten him first if that wont work kill his profile, but how do you know you its his real info?
 
you went for a web development project payable by the hour? with someone from India?
Click to expand...
I see no problem if progress is visible and deadlines are met.
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You should always provide with your own server or at least ask for access so you would be able to backup any time.

I would contact Odesk support and ask for refund. There is a chance that the profile is still linked with his PayPal.
 
This happen to me as well in 3 years ago. By that time i was first time using odesk and was doing a magneto project. This >> work by hour << is totally crap. I worked for someone else company and lose $3k, and this magento goes bad, this people keep wasting time and earn your cash (they just pretend they are programming since odesk can capture their screen). At last the company I work for spend additional $2k to complete a job at one 1 time payment.

1) Never do hour by hour（ This Indian just record the screen and keep replaying) so you though they are working.

2) 7 out of 10 of this programmer is lazy, laying , crappy programmer

3) You need to write some guidelines or rules for this freelancer, so if you they did not complete amount of % they don't receive a single penny.
 
Esioh said:
What can I say - My bad.

He had good ratings, good feedback, and over 1000 hours logged on Odesk.

You live 'n' learn.

So maybe in some screwed up way I deserved it - Doesn't mean I'm not pissed.
Click to expand...

The school of hard knocks is a very expensive education but it's an education you can get for free because there's a lot of advice available on how best to manage ODesk workers.

You probably realise by now that fixed price is the way to go? Small payment up-front. Regular deliverables. Go through their work by telling them to open the spec and you do the same and together going through each item in the spec, point by point and asking them to show you each specific feature. Annotate the spec as you go with all their lies and excuses etc and email it to them after you do the walk-though. Then everyone knows where they stand.

Before you hired him did you check-out any of his references (assuming he had some)? I insist on a Skype with past customers if the project is non-trivial.

I also insist that potential candidates take a test (which I design before I place the job ad). To my surprise even I offer to pay something e.g. $5 to take the test, around 90% of them don't, even for admin jobs. That tells its own story.

Two grand is quite a lot for an ODesk project. Do you have IP tied-up in that? If so it may be worth chasing.
 
Thanks for your comments all - Both the serious ones and the stupid pictures - I needed a laugh.

It's a long story I didn't want to bore you with, but I did actually do most of what has been suggested on here (except for test), and I did (eventually) get files on my server.

Problem was that meant he had access, so when I fired him during an argument he got to hit "delete" before I could Change password - My biggest mistake.

This Then meant that only copy was on his server.

The kicker is that I first hired somebody "fixed price" with a small deposit, They dissapeared with deposit and Odesk advised me to go hourly as I would have more protection, screenshots blah blah.

But all-in-all, blaming Odesk won't help me. I know I should have handled it better.

His Odesk profile is already dead (account suspended). But he has a website - it was an agency contractor.

I was thinking of maybe starting with 100k txt messages to his mobile (I have the correct number).
 
and I did get $900 back from Odesk - It was originally over $3000.


But - Glass half full - My accountant just told me I'm due a tax rebate for last year :)
 
Jesus

Don't waste your energy on shit like that.

What's the best outcome you're gonna achieve?

He won't contact you again, he won't give a shit about you anyway.

People who scam other people never do give a fuck.


Channel all that negativity into something productive, rebuild.
 
I got nearly got screwed the first time I used freelancer.com

Inexperience at fault. Indian web dev as with yourself.
Poor quality end product
I had to finish the job myself.
 
you're fucked but learned a really good lesson about having web dev done on servers you control that you can lock him out of instead of vice versa.

that's about it, sorry to hear.
 
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