Is it common place for Freelancers to NEVER meet your deadline? (need advice)

The problem with freelancers on odesk, they are usually working on multiple projects, and this is why you never meet deadlines.

I had tasks where suppose to be completed on a day takes over a week.

So, I would say yes, many of them don't meet deadlines.

I don't know what site I could recommend that would be better than Odesk. I've run a few projects there recently involving dozens of hires, and things have worked out pretty well. I have had a couple of people flake out or miss deadlines, but certainly nothing like what you're experiencing. There is something about your project that's causing this to happen - I don't know enough about your project to give you more advice than that.

I used to have this problem on Odesk all the time until I changed a few things.

Now, in my listings, I specify the deadline when the project must be completed AND I clearly state that they should only bid if they can guarantee they will complete it by my required date. In addition, I also put (in my listing) that I will not pay if the project is not completed on time.

Ever since we started doing that, we have had zero issues with late projects.

Deadline is called DEAD line for a reason - after this line, the project is dead. They don't respect the deadline, you don't pay them. Simple as that. Make it clear in your ad and in communication with them. Ask them for daily progress reports and explanations why they run into delays.

I know a lot of people who have found great freelancers who take deadlines seriously, but you are right, there are a lot of them who take up way too many projects and then struggle to meet deadlines on a consistent basis.

I would recommend you make more of an effort when you hire these freelancers. If you have stringent enough a process, you can filter out people who seem unlikely to meet deadlines in the future from the start only, so as to avoid dealing with them at all.

Hold strict interviews and make it clear that you do not compromise on deadline, and you might see better results. Remember to treat your freelancers well as well, because once you develop a personal relationship with them, they're more likely to do your job on time!

I have an analogy I like to use to explain the kinds of problems you typically encounter on freelancing sites.

Basically, freelancing sites are like online dating sites for the business world.

Everyone knows that, when you go on an online dating site, you are going to find people who upload fake pictures, claim fake income, and give fake descriptions. Basically, if you see someone on an online dating site who, according to their profile, is beautiful, rich and emotionally stable, you should come fully prepared to have them be not at all like that when you encounter them in real life.

Why does this happen?

Simple: people have no real incentive not to do it. They know everyone else is doing it, so why not do it themselves, to keep up?

Basically the same type of dynamic exists on freelancing sites like odesk.

If you're a contractor on a site like odesk, you know that half of the employers don't have the money to pay you and are looking to get work for free. If you're an employer, you know that half the contractors have samples in their portfolio that they either didn't create, or that are way better than anything they turn out on a regular basis.

Both sides know that a good percentage of their competitors AND their employers are dishonest as ****, so slowly, everyone starts falling into the dishonest tactics themselves, because:

a) they think they need to do it to keep up with their dishonest competitors.

and b) after being ripped off a few times, they quickly lose any guilt over deceiving their employer/contractor.

So, is there any hope?

I would say the answer is to pay a bit more money for a freelancer who's not primarily based on a freelancing site.

Just like half the people on online dating sites are too lazy or cheap to meet people in the real world, most of the people on freelancing sites are too lazy or cheap to network and build a stable business.

Ultimately, you'll do better by working outside these simple, cost-cutting systems.

Just a thought.

(note to people who work on freelancing sites: I'm not knocking you at all, I make the vast majority of my money on odesk myself)

Your experience with odesk should not reflect on your impression of freelancers in general. It really depends on how you find that person, and who they are.

Just to note, I think a big problem with odesk, is they show you someone's feedback, but don't show you WHO left the feedback.

Scriptlance shows you who left the feedback, and how many stars they have.


So if someone has 20 feedbacks from 15 different people who all have 5 stars themselves, you can pretty much guarantee they are a serious worker.


Did I just answer my own problem? Maybe I'll use scriptlance for technical projects, and use a new tight and strict process on odesk for everything else.

I'm going to write odesk a long letter, so they can tighten up the site. I mean seriously, all the traffic and money they make, you would think they would have a team of 5 people at least, working 24/7 on aways to improve the contractor / employer relationships and hiring people.

I've been using the site for 2 years, and NOTHING has changed once. Warrior Forum, on the other hands, has new improvements and additions all the time. Big props to Allen for not resting on his laurels.

And thanks everyone for your advice, I will implement your tactics and only work with the most reputable people going forward.

Not paying if the project is not complete on time epitomizes the ignorance some buyers have when working with freelancers. You should be doing your due diligence as well. Why are you hiring people you can't be sure can complete your project on time?

If deadlines are a huge issue then why are you hiring freelancers for pennies (who have multiple projects because you hire them for pennies), instead of hiring your own in-house staff? Paying crumbs and working with freelancers will cause these issues. Lot of them are overworked.

Not paying if deadlines are over shouldn't even be an option as reputable freelancers should be asking for part payments either up front or after predefined milestones. You do know people get scammed both ways, right?

To the OP: I would stay clear of Odesk completely. Last time I checked it was full of people under-bidding, over-promising and under-delivering. See the pattern? Get on Elance.

It's for this reason that I rarely hire freelancers anymore. And when I do, the only tasks I give them are not time critical.

I went through probably twice that number of freelancers last year, and only one of them delivered in time (and he's the only one I've continued to send work to).

However there is a difference between a freelancer and a VA. A VA works for you pretty much like an employee. I've had moderate success hiring VA's and requiring them to use monitoring software while they are on the clock so I can keep tabs on them.

Unfortunately, unless you give them extremely detailed instructions and pretty much hold their hand through the process they don't really do a good job either.

It is common for me because I am into quality over quantity. I hope it will pay off someday.

I have the same problem too. I guess I get too easy and kind towards them.

Before they get hired for the project, they promise that everything is possible, and its just a matter of changing "1 or 2 lines of codes"

..but once project is rewarded, those darn '1 or 2 lines of codes" can take days to update.. :-p

I am also currently waiting for a project to be delivered to me. It was supposed to be on Wednesday, now fingers crossed that I will get it by this weekend

It's mostly oDesk. I personally only hire oDesk employees to work for me full time -- its only effective use in my opinion. I use Freelancer for projects and I've never had deadlines not met. As long as you're hiring the right people, who are trained and professional, then you'll always get what you requested.

My best practice when hiring freelancers is I discussed with them how important MY deadline is I make an arrangement with them like for example the deadline is Sunday and the pay is $50... If you finish it on Monday I'll give you $45, if Tuesday $40, etc... so they are aware that they have to finish it on time to get the amount we agreed upon... And so far it works better for me and for them too.

In outsourcing, the common rule is to expect delays with any deadline (either set by you or by your provider). Each project is susceptible to any number of issues that could shorten or lengthen an ideal timeline. These issues may include:

• Participation or interference from 3rd parties
• The need for additional training or education
• The need for special tools (plus purchasing, delivery, distribution, etc.)
• Requirements of higher management
• The current workload of a prospective coder
• Consequences for not reaching meeting a deadline
• Equipment failure
• An illness or personal emergency
• An outright inability to complete the project
• An unexpected arbitration

This is what makes risk management an absolute must.

I generally give a freelancer a test, but I have had a number of VA's who are bad with deadlines on odesk. Dropped a lot of then because of deadlines.

Most of the freelancers don't meet deadlines, because they are creating their own reasons. No matter if its a valid or a fake reason, freelancers can't really commit in reality to meet the deadline (although they committed it with just words).

Generally this does not depend on the nature of the freelance website. It mostly depends on the good choice of the freelancer who can finish your work on it. Freelancer.com has a great measurement system for "Finish on Time" rate so I love to use this website when hiring someone.

Its unfortunate that people end up with freelancers like these. Thing is, and I tell the truth, they don't have too much respect for your deadline. It doesn't mean as much to them as it means to you. Most of the freelancers work very hard to get a job, but go AWOL after that. I don't have qualms about firing them!

But personally, I have never missed a deadline (if I have, I have informed in advance), and I use oDesk. So, don't generalize!

I have only missed about three deadlines, sadly one of them was with a Warrior as well ... though in my defense, all three occasions were the result of losing computer equipment due to some really funky electrical setups in the more provincial regions of the Philippines. Look for percentiles perhaps ... meaning for example, someone who is in the top tier or top percentage among their peers. Ratings can often be misleading as many clients do not leave it unless specifically asked (begged?) to do so. Many service buyers are also much more likely to respond if there is a complaint even if they do not comment when the service is good. Take all of the factors into consideration before you hire someone and you may be much better off in the long run ... and no, I do not have a lot of negative comments and yes, I am in the top two percent (well, one and one half) among my peers LOL

I use freelancer and I am satisfied. There is milestone payment system. So you will pay if you're satisfied and the job completed as your request.

My condition for bidder is simple, I'll pay when the job done.

You should state in your ad that you won't pay unless the deadline is meet. I will assume that your deadline is realistic enough though, certainly odesk freelancers who are used to fixed priced jobs are better off with deadline than those who usually work per hour.

oDesk for me, so far has been the best avenue for freelancers I can't recommend any better ones.

Ryuchi

You have to be strict with freelancers. If they don't get the work done, they're not getting paid. It can be hard to be bossy sometimes, but you ultimately have to push a worker or theyll never get anything done. Remember, they need you to earn a living, so if they dont appreciate that than someone else will.

As for any statements regarding payment being contingent on meeting the deadlines, I fully agree. However, if any of my new clients decided they have to be "bossy" or "demanding" they will soon find themselves in need of another service provider.

Thankfully, all of my clients have the ability to be reasonable, explain to me exactly what they want, explain to me exactly when they need it and quite simply let me go to work. The first drafts are generally done well before the project due date so that they have plenty of time to review the work and make sure it is what they expect and what they want. Perhaps though, that is the reason I charge a little bit more and they are willing to pay a little bit more?

Sorry guys, but when I read this, I expect that perhaps there is enough blame to go around to more than one party in many of these cases. If you buy the cheap gas, don't be surprised when the engine starts to knock a little bit.

I am not arguing for or against hiring people on the freelance sites or pricing at all. I do agree that if they say they will do a job, it should be done. If you look at my personal history on any of the freelance sites however, you will find it is very sporadic as I generally just use them to supplement income or to gain new clients from time to time. That however, is my personal situation and not necessarily relevant to others.

Again you bring up an interesting point and what I was originally amazed at. I do not "have my clients at my mercy" but rather work together with them so that we are both satisfied with the deal. The general concept I am getting at is if you cannot find people who will work with you and communicate with you, perhaps it is time to move on to a different service provider ... in any field.

If someone is consistently getting poor service, maybe they are looking in the wrong place. If anybody has to get demanding, pushy or otherwise belligerent, it should definitely be seen as a red flag and time to move on. No matter what the price range is, this would hold true as well to the expected quality of work and other issues such as deadlines. Having been an expatriate for around eight years now, and having made most of my money almost exclusively online, I do charge a bit more. I also work with some people here who will do work for prices I would never consider getting out of bed for, much less working for. However, their sense of obligation and work ethics are the same as mine. As a general rule, there should not be any cause for anyone to have to be demanding or anything else other than reasonable and communicative. That was my basic point anyhow.

I guess that a freelancer and any other person will be able to meet the deadline if you specify what exactly you want to have done. I mean, if your task description is too obscure, you'll never have a situation when a deadline is met. So, the bottom line is: make sure that your project description is extremely clear.

My experience with Elance has been pretty satisfactory...

Most of the time, my clients finish the work early .. But I usually give them plenty of time to begin with.

No bad experiences with elance yet...

When reviewing freelancers on different sites such as odesk elance. It allows you to view what other projects they are working on. If the developer has 10 open projects and they are big projects you may want to include that info info the decision process

My experience with oDesk is that these freelancers are always looking for work and they take on 5 full time projects at a time and get in way over their head.

In my experience, I begin with small milestones that need to be met within days. If the freelancer can't handle this, I cut them immediately and suck up the loss. In the end an overworked freelancer can cost you a LOT of money.