Freelancer

The absolute worst and most poorly organized freelancing platform-company in the world. 90% of registered freelancers are fraudsters, pretending to be who they are not, seriously missing deadlines and causing big problems. Support service unprofessional, doing everything to not return your deposit for which you have not received the promised service. I do not recommend!

I recently faced challenges on Freelancer.com and want to share my experience. Initially, my time on the platform was positive as I connected with clients and offered my freelance services. However, my account was unexpectedly restricted, and the platform's response lacked clarity, leaving me uncertain about alleged violations. Additionally, I encountered delays in withdrawing earnings. I believe Freelancer.com should focus on:

Clear communication about alleged violations and account restrictions.
Timely access to earned funds.
Efficient customer support.

I hope my feedback contributes to platform improvements for a more supportive and transparent experience.

All I wanted to do was make payment to the contractor and more than an hour later, I was still filling out forms, having information rejected, and having a difficult time finding where to go to get help. Why not have a simple submit payment option and be done. I won't use Freelancer again. There are too many other services out there that make it far simpler.

I spend 3 month looking for a reliable freelancer with experience, altho it looks like there is alot of freelancer on it, most of them uses bot to bid, without even reading the project, and when you talk with one of them, they claim they know what to do, and either ask to chat outside freelancer, or ask for money in advance, and those who don't instead of working on your project they keep searching for other projects, and end up banned from the website

It was great before, now i wouldn't recommend it at all

Freelancer.com demonstrates a lack of professionalism, legality, and ethics in their approach to creating and enforcing terms and conditions. This is not the first time I have encountered issues with them, as I previously faced a significant problem that was eventually resolved here on SiteJabber. I have been a member of the site for over three years.

Yesterday I received an email notifying me that my account has been suspended due to offsite activity related to a project that expired two years ago. By "offsiting," they are referring to communication or payment outside of the Freelancer.com platform. The client had indeed made several payments through the Freelancer.com website and they even returned after a few months to make another payment within the platform, if there was any offsiting the client would not have returned. Which shows how illogical the website is. It's actually encouraging ethical freelancers to stop being ethical.

Regarding communication, I always obtained permission from Freelancer.com moderators in projects that required video communication. At that time, video and audio options were not available on the website, and it was customary to inform the responsible moderator and obtain written approval in the chats. Since this project expired two years ago, it is practically impossible for me to search through thousands of messages to locate the approval granted by the website for contacting the client. Even if the suspension is AI generated, this should have happened two years ago directly after the project not two years after.

Additionally, Freelancer.com lacks the technological capability to mark or tag project communications as approved, further complicating matters.

It's worth noting that I had projects where clients failed to make payments and I submitted tickets to Freelancer.com for assistance, but they did not provide any help, despite having evidence of payment verification from the client. Also in my first big problem with them every time I opened a ticket they would close it without responding, until I posted on SiteJabber, then only did they keep the ticket open and actually solved it.

Moreover they bombard me with messages and chats when they try to oversell their products and get me to renew the Annual Preferred Freelancer subscription but when it comes to solving problems they just don't care and their sales team says "it's not our job to solve problems of the website go open a ticket, will you renew the subscription?" Senseless selling.

I have a five-star rating from most clients on the website.

Dear Freelancer.com user, I would like to tell you about reality of freelancer.com. I had a freelancer.com account with username syberdev. Freelancer.com has closed my account without any reason and they had reversed all funds to client after many days. When I have talked with them they have told me our decision is final and we can not reverse. I want to tell you everyone your funds are not safe on freelancer.com. You work free for client on freelancer.com. Freelancer.com is good for client because they get completion of project for free of cost.

Freelancer.com is dying.
This is the only reason to explain why this website disregards all norms and commits blatant theft.
On the developer's initiative, our contract was terminated, and I requested a refund from Freelancer.com.After that, I received a message from them informing me that my account had been limited and that I needed to verify my identity "to combat financial crime, including anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws, sanctions laws, and proceeds of crime laws."
They are so intent on stealing other people's money that they cannot comprehend that "to combat financial crime, anti-money laundering, and counter-terrorism financing" should be carried out when they RECEIVE money, not when they are required to return the same amount to the same bank account.
You can easily deposit your money on that site without any restrictions.
Doubts about the purity of your money arise only when you ask to transfer your funds back to the same card,same account.
It is very hard, if not impossible, to get a refund from that marketplace,they will do everything to steal your money.It is NOT possible to verify your own account because when you try to fulfill the questionnaire that freelancer.com is offering,you will always see a red message saying that this information is not enough. After my messages to my site developer where I tell him that cannot get my money back, I received a message from Freelancer's employee,@Avery V., with an offer to pay an additional $99 "to enjoy the benefits of a verified freelancer"...
My advice:never deposit on that site more than $10; they like to pick pockets.

I signed up years ago for the free account but never used any of their services. Today I get an email saying my account was suspended and I needed to add funds ($. 99) to reactivate it. If it's a free account why are they billing me for anything? So I try to cancel my free membership and there is no option to cancel only to upgrade. SCAMMERS

It took about 15 emails back and forth, they kept emailing me the same thing from different freelancer staff, so it was frustrating that one could not stay with the issue until it was done. I did not like the constant hand off. In the end, it was resolved, not without alot of persistence on my end. Freelancer should provide a customer service phone number where we could talk to an individual. This lack of a number and what I saw this time around makes me not want to use this service again.

I worked hard and really tried and tried to keep the freelance rules. I tried to withdraw for the first time, and the withdrawal was delayed for 15 days, and the day before the last day of withdrawal, a sudden request was made to reconfirm my identity. I submitted documents, but suddenly it was rejected and my account was closed. Without any reason. I flew the ticket, but there was no answer. This site is really a lawless site. This site is a complete thief. I lost my money 830, and lost time. SCAMMER SITE.

On January 5,2021, I created a contest on freelancer.com. The contest was to design a logo for my real estate investment company. The 1st day I was so excited because I had so many entries that had came in. But after searching other websites I noticed that most of the designs were just duplicated logos with the name of my company placed with it. I notified freelancer.com about the issue and was told since it was a GUARANTEED contest that they were unable to do anything about it except to give me a "7 day extension" and a "top contest upgrade." I asked for the "Top contest upgrade" but at the end of the contest it was clear that it did nothing to help the situation. Every one of my top choices were unoriginal. The worst part is I had other contestants showing me proof and giving me links to find where the unoriginal so called designers were finding designs to use. But the people that were telling on others were doing the exact same thing. I know $317.74 doesn't sound like a lot but I would rather keep my money instead of throwing it away. I asked for a full refund but was only offered a "7 day extension" and giving a "TOP CONTEST UPGRADE." I declined and responded that I will make it my duty to warn others about this site.

After my account was blocked for a "suspected" policy violation, I submitted a ticket to which I never got a response. On my second ticket I was asked to re-submit my documents and so I did. After a short time I find my account blocked and THE MONEY HAS BEEN LOST! No response to subsequent tickets.

I STRONGLY DO NOT RECOMMEND THE SITE, ONCE YOU PAID THE MONEY YOU WILL HAVE NO GUARANTEE OF REVIEWING IT.

Based on my experience, Freelancer.com has an identity theft problem. I attempted to hire a freelancer on Freelancer.com believing him to be a certain Brian T. Of New York, USA. (Last name withheld for privacy.) Brian's Freelancer.com account showed his identity as verified. I wanted him to design and prototype an electronic (RF) device. He seemed knowledgable and competent. After what I believed was collaboration with Brian, and payment for services that he told me he performed and provided some evidence (like a design document and PCB diagrams), I learned that in fact this wasn't the real Brian T. Of New York, USA. This person had stollen Brian T.'s Freelancer.com account (unbeknownst to the real Brian T. Until Freelancer.com reached out to him).
Unfortunately, I had made a couple of critical mistakes, i. E., paying the freelancer without receiving hard evidence of progress and communicating with the freelancer using a 3rd party mode (e-mail). After appealing to Freelancer.com for assistance and sometimes waiting weeks for decisions, Freelancer.com refunded me the fees that they collected during my project with the identity thief (roughly 15% of what I paid in total) and told me that I should reach out to (the fake) Brian T. Since I had used e-mail previously (as if an identity thief would willingly hand back stolen funds). Freelancer.com never directly acknowledged the identity theft to me. Plus, since they're based in Australia, taking legal action against them from the U.S. is more or less impossible.

Go to hell you stupid piece of $#*!hole. I wish you die in a pathetic way that you could never imagine. Even asking money again just for taking a simple test.

Very unfair towards the freelancer (provider of service). Actually, no support, because of Corona. Although competitors still have support.
After completion of my project, my client all of a sudden asks for "Transfer of Intellectual Property", before releasing the payment. Looking into the fineprints of freelancer.com, this is even valid. Which imposes a significant risk onto the provider of service. Request for Transfer of Intellectual Property in fair practice should be required to be announced_before_ assigning the project. Such a transfer usually has financial implications, as the provider might all of a sudden be requested to hand over "business secrets". There are other pitfalls for serious providers, in case of client unwilling to pay. Not recommended.

I have completed my project with abiding freelancers guidelines and made client 100% satisfied and he is still communicating and satisfied, due to his external issue with his bank they reverted my money and my account is in negative balance and I am just spending here not getting work too much and which I have done it's reverted.

Should have some good policies for freelancers as well. If they are right why their money reverted to the bank in any sort of issue.

I asked about refund my money, and then one of the support team reply to me it's fine tell me your price, and then I reply to that. Another person reply to that I can't because the verification. Why you reply with the acceptance in the first time! I figured out that I don't want to verify and I want to get my money and close my account. What's wrong?

I happened to have two accounts and forgot all about it. As Custumor service this company has NO phone, 10 email back and forward I get the final results.
Charge extra on second acount and now after all the hustle they ask for review. Sorry guys you were unprofessional. Hassle me for weeks until finally you got it.
Please now, that you refund the money close the acount
*******@aol.com.
Thank you. You should have a phone available to clarify meters. Petronely Grindea
President of LifeBotanica

Dont EVER use freelancer. I tried three people in a row and two of them cost me 6k combined for complete fake work, and no work at all. No way to get a refund or make them pay. This site is just an outpost for scammers.

This freelancer platform is not a good website page but the customer service they are!

Thanks Nash O for your assistance. Just hoping that my request get approve :)

I have not opportunity to add my portfolio( shoots). I can not press the button course it disappears after pressing. I tried to do this in Safari and Google Chrome. Please, fix this situation faster!

Well, I don't really know what to say, but wow, I'm pretty shocked by Freelancer and how poor this website is. I signed up in order to find support with Amazon, FBA set up and ongoing marketing as we are about to launch our products onto Amazon (after three years successfully selling through our own website, and selling wholesale through retailers). We wanted to outsource this Amazon set up due to our time being limited, and wanting the job completing properly by an expert in the field.
I got myself signed up for an account, then posted the job that I needed help with. It was a simple, and straightforward request, I gave a little background about our business, and what I would require the freelancer to help with. I then got an email saying my request was rejected because I violated their sites T's & Cs? I've been in business long enough to know that nothing here was violated! I reached out to Freelancer and their customer services in order to try to find out the issue so I could rectify and repost, and this is their response …

Hello Helen,

Thank you for reaching out to us.

We regret to inform you that we have closed your account for violating the site's Terms and Conditions.

As such, we're afraid we're unable to reopen it. We're also not privy to discuss the details of the violation due to security reasons.

The decision to close your account is final and irreversible. Any account that you will open in the future will be closed as well.

We offer no recourse or rebuttal for this penalty. Succeeding messages pertaining to the same concern will also be considered closed.

Should you have other concerns though, please let us know.

Regards,
Victor C.
Freelancer.com Support

So yeah, a total waste of time! We've found a great guy who's going to offer support through Fiverr. So I recommend anyone reading this to not waste their time with Freelancer and go straight to Fiverr, a much better service and some great freelancers on there.

Thanks for taking time to read my experience

I tried to hire this company to put my employer's 35 year old thesis in Latex. I paid $154
USD using his credit card (his name on the thesis and his credit card matched).
The job was awarded and then freelancer stopped the work saying that I was committing fraud as my name was not on the credit card used for purchase. They blocked my account and refuse to answer emails. The charge was never refunded onto my Employer's card even though they are refusing the work. We've have since hired someone else to do the work, but they want me to go through hoops of uploading my drivers license to prove who I am to get a refund. I do not want to give this traudulent company more of my personal information.
They have held this money for over a year. See screenshot showing "balance" along with a request for me to upload my personal into for e refund. How can they refuse the work claiming fraud, and then fraudulently refuse to refund the money?