Phil M.

Every single thing you are all complaining about is not "hidden" it is not "underhanded" it is plainly spelled out. By "plainly" I mean HUGE bullet points before you ever have to delve into the ToS. They take a %, from any and every project. It is clearly listed the amount and when they will take it.
It is also clearly stated that "people are bastards". There are scammers that will take your work and refuse to pay. There are contests, where they won't award a winner and take your idea anyway.
It is simple: Work with high rated employers or freelancers, bid on guaranteed contests/projects(the money is deposited already, it's not disappearing), set milestones(as an employer OR a freelancer) and don't budge until those milestones are completed,
It may be a hard concept to grasp, so after all that: Don't be stupid.
This is essentially "ebay" for freelance work. Same thing on ebay, you can buy something, get crap, be pissed and fight about it. I've had more issues with ebay and their resolution system, and shady dealers than I've had on freelancer. Is it perfect? No. The mobile site is worthless, and the app is just okay.