UpworkReviews 2,128

I friend of mine recommended me Elance.com and I tried to use it. I was trying to authenticate my credit card, I was charged to authenticate my credit card and now I can't even log in at Elance.com. I always receive the same message saying: "Your Elance account is expired". I made 3 requests at Elance Customer Support and didn't receive any contact from them. I tried to call them and they said that they don't know what happened and they will return my contact in 48 hours. That's really a problem because I am about to loose a job opportunity because my boos was willing to pay me by Elance and now my account is expired!? That's seems to be scam, All my requests are ignored and you CHARGED my credit card. That's a shame.

Elance make obscure decisions. They argue that it's a safe marketplace, but that's not true. Suddenly, they can block your account stating that they do so just for safety. Even if you can recover it by going through an unnecessary "verification" process, you're not safe from those reviews.
I have received twice warning emails telling that my account is under review, supposedly because one (or maybe more, not clear enough) customers were not happy. In a freelance site, the proves for customer satisfaction is the rating: I have a great rating, 4.6 (the. 4 left, were just because 1 customer wasn't 100% satisfied with the cost). But, in the warning email Elance states that they "take in consideration many other factors", but they don't tell you what are those factors, not even the exact reason of the supposed "unhappiness". At the end of the email, they "threat" you and put in focus they have the power to shutdown your account. But you will never know why, even to improve your attention level in case they're right.

Elance is not safe for freelancers. You can invest many years in this site, but they can shutdown your account without telling the reasons.

We got ripped off by our freelancer. Elance released the funds they held from us to the webdesigner even though he had never finished the job. We called the customer service: unfriendly, unprofessional, giving us the feeling that they did not care

And above all

They did not do anything to get back our money or to make sure our website would be finished. In the end we even got charged for copyright violation by GettyImages because the webdesigner had used stolen material from the web.

I do understand all the good reviews from freelancers: they can basically do whatever they want!

The following site is the definitive expose of the iWriter scam and the information there applies to many other freelance writing sites as well.

YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BELIEVE THE INFORMATION YOU FIND THERE.

http://the-giant-iwriter-scam.blogspot.ca/

One of the biggest online scams right now is in the "freelance writing" area.

The biggest company in this area is called iWriter and it is maybe the biggest online scam period.

Ignore all the fake positive reviews and fake websites recommending iWriter while pretending to be independent, they are all a part of the scam.

Iwriter is not just a huge scam, it is maybe the biggest of all the online scams.

There is an awesome website that uncovers the whole iWriter scam in great detail. The site is hilarious and extremely well-written.

It's also very thorough and comprehensive, maybe the best resource available yet on the iWriter scam.

That website shows clearly how fraud is not just peripheral to iWriter, but on the contrary, EVERYTHING at iWriter is fraud and scamming.

IWriter needs to be exposed to everyone until the iWriter scam is finally shut down.

Elance has 161 complaints with BBB in last 3 years! FACT!

Do not use their services.

They provide no protection for you and allow their freelancers to do what ever they want! I paid over $5000 for a website that never worked, they won't do anything and will continue to allow this freelancer to take money from unprotected customers.

Plus this freelancer held my passwords ransom unless I gave them a good review.

BE WARNED!
ELANCE can't protect you!

*I would have left no stars checked if I could have!

I work as a research assistant at my university and earn money on the side by freelancing on this website. They have a nice UI/UX. Love it

I just had my account shut down on elance as someone who was testing the waters to hire freelancers to complete programming tasks for my startup. I have to say the one freelancer I hired who accepted a proposal did an amazing job. I had one other one who flaked out, and no bites on the 5 other jobs I posted.

I think the reason my account was shut down is ludicrous. Because my jobs haven't led to activity? I posted 10 private jobs of which only 2 people applied for after I invited over 100? I don't understand why my account was suspended? If my jobs are private, it's not like others are out there trying to apply for them. Of the two people I hired, one completely flaked out on me mid-job, and the other completed the job and was paid upon completion. As far as I'm concerned they system failed me, which Is why I don't understand why my account was closed? What's the point of private listings, if you have to have them fulfilled? That's what I had understood one of the comforts of posting a private listing, as that I didn't have people applying for a job without me not issuing it. I had a strict criteria of candidates, of which none applied. I wasn't low-balling either, I agreed to pay their market rate. Was I supposed to withdraw my jobs after nobody qualified for them? Or should I have loosened up my requirements and given the work to someone who was unqualified? Or should I just not post requirements which might not find a qualified candidate and hire a proper firm? You've left me in the dark here with no reasonable explanation. The fact that I am expected to commission unqualified candidates is sheer lunacy. Perhaps I set the bar too high in hoping to use elance. Perhaps it's more for hobbyist programmers? I will be happy to take my business to any of the competing freelance companies.

A employer hired me to do a job and then bailed on the project. I was doing decent business until I get hired for a project by what I think was a scammer. I tried to contact this individual for months to no effect. Instead of helping me, Elance suspended my account and then after "their review" say that their decision is final. There are several other freelancer sites that have a much better rating and customer service... use Elance and in the end, they will screw you over too.

Elance is a great site for you: lot of job, lower fees, fast payment processing...
Until they lock your account for kind of "suspicious" action.
First I have waited for two weeks and get an instruction: identify myself, update them and then wait for more instructions. I have identified myself, closed all working jobs, got feedback from clients... And here is another four weeks I'm waiting for instructions...
They charged monthly fee, but has refunded it by my separate request. But I still unable to withdraw my funds.
I really wonder, why they do it. While I'm under block, they might to get 150-200$ fees if I was able to work. And I'm not alone - how many money they loose?

This mail is for let you know about my id - sanjasethi

My id is suspended more than 1 Month before I am not able to work on elance and not able to use bid. You have close my Id. I have also verified myself on your elance site. After that also my Id is not opened it is still closed. Main problem is I am not able to withdraw my amount on elance. That my hard work income
Now please open my Id. I have verified myself than also you are not solving my problem. You are a reputed company. How can you do it. Whenever I chat online with your people they do not give correct answers. I have asked them so many time that when my Id will open. They also say's wait for the email.And after 1 month also I m waiting for your email still I have not get revert form your side. What should i do? I am waiting for a long time give me solution?

I have been calling and trying to work with Elance for the past five weeks. They have locked my account due to inactivity in my account (I hadnt filled out a status report from one of my clients)
As soon as I was made aware of this I immediately took all the actions that they requested. What followed was radio silence.
You cannot speak to Risk Management (who start at 12:00 EST) and they are the only people that can clear my account. I was told by one of the CS Reps that people have been waiting over a month for their account and there is nothing they can do.
Now I am waiting on payment of over $1000. 00 and cannot accept another job from a happy client which is another $1000. 00 job.
The customer service reps are not empowered to do ANYTHING and the poor things just have to listen to complaints. When I finally got a manager on the phone he was rude and told me there was nothing he could do either and that they were waiting fro more information from my client. That was the first time I had heard that in FIVE weeks. I should not be held accountable for the lack of action on their side.
I have lost five weeks of work, am unable to pay my bills because they are holding my money and are no help.

I am writing this mail to you for getting your attention on my Id- designerutsav.

It has almost been more than 15 days you have close my Id. I have closed all the extra Id's as per your instructions. I have also verified myself on your elance site. After that also my Id is not opened it is still closed. I am not able to work on new projects. I am not able to make bid. My all work is stopped.
Now please open my Id. It has been a long time my Id is closed. I have verified myself than also you are not solving my problem. You are a big company than also whenever i chat online with your people they do not give proper answers. I have asked them so many time that when my Id will open. They also say's wait for the email. And after 15 days also i m waiting for your email still i have not get revert form your side. What should i do?