K M.

The website blocks the funds of the service provider / freelancer only if a single client / employer files a reversal of a 'released' milestone. The client does not get anything but the freelancer is deprived of what he had earned from project. In addition, the website had already charged 10% which do not get refunded. This is exactly how it happened:

1. The project was under dispute, but I had won it and received the funds corresponding to the project value.
2. We closed the project, and the funds were added to the freelancer.com account.
3. A few days later, the funds corresponding to that project (around 130) were deducted from my account. I filed half a dozen complaint. Every time, I get the same response - 'The employer has filed a reversal, and she is the only one who can reverse it. We are not involved in your mutual business.'

That practically means that the buyer thinks he has the right to get the work done, and then file a reversal to get 100% refund of what he had earlier paid - even ages after project was done. However, even he does not get the funds. This eventually results in buyer and seller thinking that the other has funds, while it is the website which gets away with the funds.

I joined the website in 2011. By 2012 end, I was so much fed up with the website that I started using elance instead. I had lost around $600 (this is direct loss, indirect was that of cancellation of $2,500 project because I had stopped working on freelancer.com).

Later, I started getting mails and remainders that they miss me, there are new security features and improvements etc., and finally I again joined in 2014. It turned out to be the old wine in new bottle.

I do not understand the following:

1. What is the purpose of this 'reversal' feature? Is it to help freelancer.com increase its profits through reversed funds (which are neither with contractor nor client)?

2. From my point-of-view, I delivered a service to a client, who has completed the payment. What he had paid is now my money. Is it reasonable for freelancer.com to expect its members to chase their past clients to be able to recover the funds?

3. The only reason why I use freelancer.com is that it is supposed provide a milestone service which ensures that the website will ensure clients' funds are paid to service provider if he delivers the project properly. However, if there is no reliability of milestones or account balance, what is the benefit of using the website?

4. Is it legal for a website to deduct the balances of its members on the basis of some 'reversal' feature? (To this, I got the answer that the website reserves the right to reverse any transaction between buyers and sellers. It is similar to amazon.com justifying the buyer's act of buying something from amazon.com, using it and then claiming a refund from seller. Having such terms and conditions is not a legal practice)

5. The client does not have the funds because she has already released them. I do not have the funds. So, where is the money?

I never got the answer to these questions (except for q4, but again it was not justified).