Weird Odesk Situation

by 17 replies
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Hello, I have a weird situation on Odesk with the iPhone app I'm building.

The contractor I hired said he needs to work another 10 hours to finish my app. So fine, I can understand he needs to be paid for the changes and stuff I asked him to make.

I've already been charged by Odesk twice on my credit card, once for the week two weeks ago and once again for last week. So there have already been two charges to my card.

This contractor told me a story about how he needs the money for some kind of family problems or something that sounded like total BS.

He claims his account is under review by ODesk and he can't receive money from it for another couple of weeks until the review is over.

He needs the money now apparently and has asked that I hire him on Elance and pay him the full amount as soon as he finishes the app which is almost done.

He claims he can refund the two charges I've already received back onto my Visa so I can just pay him the full amount on Elance.

So in theory I'll get all the money I paid Odesk back and I'll just put that back to Elance and pay him there.

He's also offered to do the remaining 10 hours of work for free if I pay him through Elance which is kind of enticing because that's $333 which would be nice to save.

Is this guy full of crap or can he legitimately reverse the charges I've received from Odesk and will it be safe to pay through Elance.

Thanks in advance for any help, I've never had an issue like this with a contractor on Odesk before.
#main internet marketing discussion forum #odesk #situation #weird
  • If his oDesk account is under approval and if you can wait till his account is verified. You should not pay him through anything. I do not know how much reputation that contractor have got but $333 is a big amount. I cannot say that this guy is crap but you can use the escrow service of elance to make him sure.
  • Sounds like you're getting scammed. I've had contractors ask me for money in the past. I've never fell for it. You have to remember, he's not you're good buddy, he's an employee.
  • You will never see that money again...
    If i were you i would let ODesk know about this...
  • Hi Kalyn,

    I wouldn't do it. This guy's trying to scam you.

    I'm also 99.9% certain that this would be against Odesk's TOS and could get you banned. If this guy can't get paid because his account is under review that would raise a big red flag for me. What could he have done to have them withhold his pay?

    I'd check his profile, check his work history, his reviews, any current disputes he has going on now or has been through in the past, etc. People don't just get their money withheld for no reason.

    I can't imagine Odesk approving of ending a project at their site, refunding the fees they've earned by arranging the employer/contractor meetup, and forgoing any future earnings in order for you to take the project to Elance.com. Sounds scummy to me.

    You could risk potentially being banned from Odesk. However, if you do decide to do it I'd definitely use Escrow at Elance for any payment arrangements with this guy. I think that's the only option nowadays anyway, but no matter what I'd protect my assets and not release them until the project was 100% completed.

    Personally, I'd stick with Odesk. You made an agreement in good faith. Actually, as an employer, I do believe that you would have to have signed a legal agreement that stated you couldn't hire any Odesk contractor outside of there without paying a $500.00 penalty. I know that I had to sign one and I'm pretty sure that's standard for all employers.

    HTH,

    Joe
    • [2] replies
    • Thanks for the replies. Everything about this screams scam to me but since he's willing to pass on $333 to get paid right away I'm a little curious.

      His profile and work history is pretty good. He's got mostly 5 star reviews and everything looks good. There aren't any red flags or anything.

      But if there's any sort of possibility of being banned from Odesk then I definitely don't want to go that route.

      What happens if I report this guy? The app I'm making is like 90% to 95% done. What happens to the app if I report him, can I get the work he's done so far and have someone else finish it? Do I get the money I've already spent refunded?

      I've already spent like $2,500 so far to make this app and since it's almost complete I'm pretty nervous about doing anything that might mess it up.

      Thanks.
      • [1] reply
    • SCAM!

      I hired a guy on ODesk and paid him outside of ODesk some money in advance 'cos he needed it for family reasons(duh, alarm bells?).

      He started the job then said he needed more money to keep going. He then couldn't do what I wanted him to do. I called the whole thing off.
  • I use odesk and thats a familiar story. people asking to send them money through western union and the like. Now, they may have a genuine problem need but not my problems, we all have issues and its very unprofessional of them.

    To avoid such characters, use contractors with good feedback and more than 100 hours of work on their profile. Also, contact odesk, they may have been paid already.
  • I have no experience with Odesk, but maybe you get your money back when you report him as a fraud?
    I'd give up on the work done so far though, if it's all in his possession. I don't think he'll hand it over after getting reported.
  • No serious contractor would tell his customer to do such thing. I advise you to report this case to Odesk support as soon as possible but of course pay for his/her finished job. Good luck.
  • This is why I only hire on a flat fee basis on odesk.
    • [1] reply
    • Me too. I hate paying hourly and having to monitor people.
      • [1] reply
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    Weird Odesk Situation

    Hello, I have a weird situation on Odesk with the iPhone app I'm building. The contractor I hired said he needs to work another 10 hours to finish my app. So fine, I can understand he needs to be paid for the changes and stuff I asked him to make.