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This be my first story here. I do a lot of freelancing - mostly article writing, and I've found that people expect exceptional, error-free work that will pass Copyscape (a.k.a. is totally original) for next to nothing. And I do work through a freelance site called "F-Desk" (not the real name) where you need to write cover letters, send resumes and samples, get interviewed and enter into contracts for the work. Good source for work, but the clients are some of the cheapest bastards I've ever seen.
Case in point...I'm desperate for work, so I did work for some guy at $2.00 per article because his budget was only $20.00. He referred me to his colleague, who I'll refer to as "Prick" from here on out. Prick said he wanted me to write for him and sent me an interview invitation. The job seemed awesome - forty-seven articles and a $500.00 budget. That would be the highest-paying writing job I've ever had, so I accepted the interview, sent samples, and placed a bid that was less than Prick's budget, but still three figures since that's a lot of writing he wanted done.
Prick messaged me to say that he was expecting me to do work for $2.00 an article like I did for his colleague. And then I started to rage - why post such a large budget when you aren't willing to pay it? Methinks it was just to attract people and then talk them down in rate. Prick said he'd be willing to reduce the article list from 47 to 15 and pay me more than Colleague...two whole bucks more. He acted as if he was doing me a favor by giving me four dollars per article. Yes, I know it was my fault for marketing myself as "the person who will write loads of articles super cheap," but if you want people to do cheap work, reflect that in your budget. Grr.
I think this guy was a scammer...he told me what the up-front payment would be (since it was fixed-rate work and I always ask partial payment) rather than adhering to the percentage I said I wanted. He also had no verified payment method, didn't pay the up-front payment, and didn't initiate a contract. I'm glad about the latter, because now I don't have to do the bloody work.
Unfortunately, cheapskates like Prick are the rule on F-Desk rather than the exception. Some clients come right out and say, "If you want more than a buck an hour/50 cents per article, don't bother applying." Let me put it this way...I've been working via F-Desk for over a year and written over 180 articles for various clients. I've made less than $200. That's how cheap these people are.
Case in point...I'm desperate for work, so I did work for some guy at $2.00 per article because his budget was only $20.00. He referred me to his colleague, who I'll refer to as "Prick" from here on out. Prick said he wanted me to write for him and sent me an interview invitation. The job seemed awesome - forty-seven articles and a $500.00 budget. That would be the highest-paying writing job I've ever had, so I accepted the interview, sent samples, and placed a bid that was less than Prick's budget, but still three figures since that's a lot of writing he wanted done.
Prick messaged me to say that he was expecting me to do work for $2.00 an article like I did for his colleague. And then I started to rage - why post such a large budget when you aren't willing to pay it? Methinks it was just to attract people and then talk them down in rate. Prick said he'd be willing to reduce the article list from 47 to 15 and pay me more than Colleague...two whole bucks more. He acted as if he was doing me a favor by giving me four dollars per article. Yes, I know it was my fault for marketing myself as "the person who will write loads of articles super cheap," but if you want people to do cheap work, reflect that in your budget. Grr.
I think this guy was a scammer...he told me what the up-front payment would be (since it was fixed-rate work and I always ask partial payment) rather than adhering to the percentage I said I wanted. He also had no verified payment method, didn't pay the up-front payment, and didn't initiate a contract. I'm glad about the latter, because now I don't have to do the bloody work.
Unfortunately, cheapskates like Prick are the rule on F-Desk rather than the exception. Some clients come right out and say, "If you want more than a buck an hour/50 cents per article, don't bother applying." Let me put it this way...I've been working via F-Desk for over a year and written over 180 articles for various clients. I've made less than $200. That's how cheap these people are.
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