Anyone used People per hour?

[Funny Business Cartoons]

Yes and not only that but the prospective "Employers" are posting the same Projects on all the various sites with astronomical differences in the bid amounts just to see what they can get away with.

 

[Chris83]

I do freelance designing, programming, writing...and other stuff and heard about this site. It sounds interesting... does anyone who has been using it have any info on withdrawal methods? How do they send you your earnings and what are the costs involved?

 

[Funny Business Cartoons]

You have a choice between using Paypal or having it paid directly into your Bank account and they take a 10% Service Fee.

 

[Chris83]

You have a choice between using Paypal or having it paid directly into your Bank account and they take a 10% Service Fee.

Thanks. So it's just a 10% fee and then they send it PayPal or bank transfer...and there's no other fee depending on which method I use?

I also use sites like Freelancer, oDesk, Elance and the payment methods have different costs. Do they support something like Payoneer or local bank transfers?

 

[Funny Business Cartoons]

Anything you want to know can be found on their Helpdesk.
http://support.peopleperhour.com/home

 

[GBoffices]

My 5 year old has just outbid you and will do the logo for a lollipop

 

[Funny Business Cartoons]

Sounds about right.

 

[Chris83]

Anything you want to know can be found on their Helpdesk.

Thanks again. I did look around the site for a while, but it doesn't really mention fees. Will try their forum perhaps.

 

[Funny Business Cartoons]

No, as I said before I was waiting to see how it panned out and gave him the benefit of the doubt before I started making waves and tarnishing someones reputation but it just started to get a bit silly so I made contact with PPH.

That said, the thread is really about the virtues of PPH and in this particular case it appears to be the Clients misdemeanour. In fact my case really serves as a testiment to their efficiency if anything.

Clients the naughty one. Anyway let's just see what transpires from here....

Well I finally got paid for that Job and all I can say is that I'm treating the whole thing as a learning curve and putting it down to experience. End of. I am putting up attachment for the benefit of Chris83.

 

[Paul Murray]

I've just started freelancing on a somewhat-regular basis for a small company based in my town thanks to being on PPH. They were looking for someone local and found me.

Still not a fan of the site as a whole though

 

[alwayslearning]

Just an update on this site...bid for three jobs/projects...the three got in touch seperately to say the job spec had changed from the original posted (i.e payment). the over-riding theme was we want you to do the work for nothing...lol at the chancers

 

[iArtist]

Just an update on this site...bid for three jobs/projects...the three got in touch seperately to say the job spec had changed from the original posted (i.e payment). the over-riding theme was we want you to do the work for nothing...lol at the chancers

I've given up (after a very half hearted effort) with all these freelancer sites.

I find it more worthwhile to devote my time to self marketing and recruiting my own clients. It's too much of a scrum on the freelancer sites.

 

[Funny Business Cartoons]

I've given up (after a very half hearted effort) with all these freelancer sites.

I find it more worthwhile to devote my time to self marketing and recruiting my own clients. It's too much of a scrum on the freelancer sites.

Well yes but I still maintain worth pursuing in the long run. I'm referring to making bids as a Designer/Provider now, for anyone else in any Field some of which may be appropriate. I may pin my hopes a bit too high on them and suffered a lot of disappointed but that's the same as anything really?

Rome wasn't built in a Day and all that twaddle and it takes time to build up a reputation on these sites. Anytime you are awarded a Project and complete it, you are reveiwed by the Client and these you carry like luggage for the rest of your Life so this more or less separates the wheat from the chaff when Employers are looking for what they require. So the more Jobs you complete to a Clients satisfaction, the more Jobs you will acquire.

There are people on there with literally thousands of reviews and that's all they do and make a very tidy living. You can go on and on about India or Students for that matter bidding $20 on Projects that would outbid you in seconds and wonder about what quality they actually provide but at the end of the Day, I think merit will get where credit is due.

There is a compromise to this Beginner's Status for Designers (Graphic Design/ Illustration etc) in a site such as http://www.designcrowd.com/ which is competition based which is obviously a better deal for prospective Employers as they put up the Prize money and get to choose from a load of Designs submitted. As a Provider, this is your chance to prove yourself instead of resting on your Portfolio/ website laurels.

http://www.freelancer.com/ have just recently incorporated this function into their scheme of things as well and there is some serious wedge to be made if you are prepared to go out on a limb and produce stuff on speculation as it were.

 

[thelegalstop]

It is a long thread, but I would like to share my experience as well. I have not used it so far , but I have lots of friends who did. Most of the people using services from PPH are happy. Those, who tried to offer their services there said it was a nightmare to manage to get a job. However if you are patient, you can get some great deals. Also I heard they have a very good customer support, which I find very important.

 

[iArtist]

There is a compromise to this Beginner's Status for Designers (Graphic Design/ Illustration etc) in a site such as http://www.designcrowd.com/ which is competition based which is obviously a better deal for prospective Employers as they put up the Prize money and get to choose from a load of Designs submitted. As a Provider, this is your chance to prove yourself instead of resting on your Portfolio/ website laurels.

I joined this site recently and was invited to desgn for a couple of projects right away. One prospect told me my design was the best out of all others submitted but then went on the alter the brief numerous times...and after spending too much time on this I withdrew from the project. The prospect was unwilling to commit himself properly and yet wanted a ton of free design services....it took the P*** massively and I've since closed the account.

I don't need to spend hrs designing for people who don't value the time and effort and skills designers employ to meet their goals. Sadlt the old addage that people don't appreciate properly thigns hey don't have to pay for remains true. Though this doesn't apply to charitable organisations who of course do.

 

[Funny Business Cartoons]

I joined this site recently and was invited to desgn for a couple of projects right away. One prospect told me my design was the best out of all others submitted but then went on the alter the brief numerous times...and after spending too much time on this I withdrew from the project. The prospect was unwilling to commit himself properly and yet wanted a ton of free design services....it took the P*** massively and I've since closed the account.

I don't need to spend hrs designing for people who don't value the time and effort and skills designers employ to meet their goals. Sadlt the old addage that people don't appreciate properly thigns hey don't have to pay for remains true. Though this doesn't apply to charitable organisations who of course do.

Hmmmm....I've also got sour grapes with that site now after I wasted 4 Days of my Life. This was the Brief....

This was my response........

So I waited for days and days for the winner to be selected well after the deadline had expired and kept going to the Project page when eventually this transpired..

Charming! So it was Not Guaranteed. Granted, I should have read the small print but still you would have thought there would at least be some kind of compensation for the best design. Never again.

(PS: Admin, not trying to promote myself in any way here, just retracting from my previous post about the virtues of this concept)

 

[iArtist]

@FBC


Yep...it's a real P... take for sure, though with this particular brief, good thing client changed his mind, as appearing to advocate woman beating isn't the best marketing method I've come across lol

Great designs btw. Maybe attach a gag line and use them for something else?

Perhaps ask members to suggest a gag line?

 

[Funny Business Cartoons]

How about F**K Design Crowd? When you submit designs they go into your Portfolio so not all is lost I suppose. Just $290. Btw, it is not exclusively Contest based. They also have bidding Projects.

 

[Moneyman]

I have used the site a couple of times to get small jobs done. just a 3d render here or a photoshop morph. It works well and i have had some good stuff. However on websites etc the whole thing is too vague to trust the details to a small box.

generally i wouldnt use them for large jobs and it is not always the clients fault. "i will build a fully customisable CRM website like x.com for £yyy" Then when you ask to be able to change the font or text size you get "i didnt quote for that" some of us guys who post jobs dont know the questions that we should be asking. I think it would help no end if designers etc had a sheet they could send you with loads of questions and examples of what they mean.

that said some people are just time wasters. But if you want a job that you dont mind a guy from india doing for peanuts. It works for me.

 

[iArtist]

I have used the site a couple of times to get small jobs done. just a 3d render here or a photoshop morph. It works well and i have had some good stuff. However on websites etc the whole thing is too vague to trust the details to a small box.

generally i wouldnt use them for large jobs and it is not always the clients fault. "i will build a fully customisable CRM website like x.com for £yyy" Then when you ask to be able to change the font or text size you get "i didnt quote for that" some of us guys who post jobs dont know the questions that we should be asking. I think it would help no end if designers etc had a sheet they could send you with loads of questions and examples of what they mean.

that said some people are just time wasters. But if you want a job that you dont mind a guy from india doing for peanuts. It works for me.

This is exactly the problem, if you're working 1-1 the dialogue and whole process is much smoother and....the deisgner will have clearly laid out terms on their website for the client to follow. There is also mutual respect.

 

[del1234]

just used this site for getting a 3d design done for my invention. well just the case. had 6 bids so far so will choose 3 and then send them more details. then decide who to use.

hope all goes well and thanks for pointing the site out, will update in a week or so.

 

[3 MORE YEARS]

My biggest issue with PPH is that the reviews they have is not honest. I wrote a fairly polite review (I should have crucified the guys because he was terrible). He complained to PPH, who in turn asked me if I would be happy to change the review. I said I would not. So they changed it on their own accord, and I have all this on email. So that tells me that the reviews are not accurate. I still use them, but I am very cautious as some people are really bad. A have come across a number of dodgy characters.

 

[Moneyman]

just put two projects up and had them done well this week.
again only good because of limited precise brief

 

[fabulousme]

Hi, I am on PPH as a freelancer. I earn a six figure salary and have dipped my toe in the freelancer water in order to find out what the market is like.

Like everything, there are pros and cons to this. PPH is good for:
- finding small projects to over-pay your mortgage
- put a little extra in your pension pot each month
- filling time earning money instead of watching tv
- earning cash without leaving your house
- doing a bit of 'over-time' to pay for your holiday.

I have found two clients who now pay me a retainer because they understand that they are buying my usually very expensive day rate at a reduced cost as I'm not incurring any expenses to deliver the work (ie. travel costs and time, coffees, lunches etc).

As with all freelance sites, you get very experienced, talented professionals like me who want to see what all the fuss is about and then stay at home mums, retirees, Indians, Pakistanis, and not so experienced professionals who are grateful for an extra £20 or £50 here or there. These are the groups who are under-valuing their talent and accepting £5 an hour.

Creating a freelance marketplace is a great idea. The main problem I have noticed is the lack of professionalism and understanding among SMEs about how much a project costs. In terms of professionalism, the SMEs are always trying to sneak in bits of work for you to do free of charge. They even send you work without accepting your bid hoping that you will mistakenly do it without them paying. This is overcome by not starting work until your bid has been accepted and then asking them to sign Terms of Engagement which specify how you are happy to work with them. This requires confidence on the part of the freelancer.

I price my work based on:
- How easy it is for me to deliver
- How interested I am in the project
- Whether the client is professional in their communication
- Whether I think the client knows what they want and if they are clear on the deliverable.

The purpose of freelancing is that you get to choose your clients - you should not work for gits! We have to tolerate those in employed roles.

I am pleased to say that two clients who rejected my bid as too expensive then came back cap in hand weeks later to ask me to do the work because they paid peanuts and received poor quality work.

So, my advice for freelancers would be:
- don't fall for promises of additional work. Price fairly for the single job offered.
- set an hourly rate that you are happy with
- or, agree a fixed fee for the project if you agree the deliverables in writing in a one page set of Terms.
- always get 50% up front (this should be specified in the Terms)
- only use the freelance system to send in your work so you have a paper trail
- only send in pdfs until full payment is received.

My advice for employers would be:
- set a clear project spec. One line project descriptions aren't suitable.
- don't insult the freelancers by offering below minimum wage.
- be realistic, if someone is quoting $3 to deliver a 500 word SEO article for your site, it is going to be a combination of pakistani English and automated spinner English. ie. NOT ENGLISH!
- if you want to benefit from our talent, then don't ***** about paying 50% up front. I personally don't start work until that 50% is banked as I know the client is serious about the project.
- if you schedule a Skype call with a freelancer, don't casually miss it. It is a business call, so behave professionally.
- give feedback promptly and release payment the same day the project is approved.

 

[Lynne Lambert]

Yes I've used it ...i did my first job last week..seems ok so far

 

[Jet Virtual]

It's like anything else. You need to trial and error. There will always be positive and negative experiences. Find a few good contacts on there and it will be worth the investment.

 

[Colin Smith CBP]

It can be a bit hit and miss, like employing or working with anybody can be. However, you usually can find somebody good if you choose somebody that has an established reputation on the site, with diverse clients (not just 100 5 star recomendations from the same customer who is probably a friend or relative of the freelancer).

A great portfolio of relevant work, both on and off the site is another sign that you are onto a good thing. However, the quality of someone's portfolio doesn't tell you anything about their professionalism or work ethic. I've worked with some real divas! On one occasion, after the requested work was produced, I had reason to believe that the portfolio of one freelancer showed work produced by someone else. Again, keep your eyes open.

All in all, People Per Hour is well worth checking out.

 

[ukgch78]

We used them a while ago and thought the service was fab. Great pool or resource!

 

[WHARTY]

I posted a job this week to design my new vending machine. I got a few idiots that didn't read the description and offered services that were not relevant.

I did get 3 out of 8 though that I liked and I am going to be meeting one very soon.

Very impressed so far and the people I will be dealing with certainly seem professional. Have looked at there website and they are just what i am looking for. I only wish I could have found this site 3 years ago as I could have saved a lot of money!

Lee

 

[LeggsBeautiful]

I started using People per Hour a few months ago. My business is small and I needed to get some things done inexpensively. On my most recent job I decided to go with someone I had never used before. His profile said that he had 5 years experience in photo shop. I asked him a couple of questions and it all seemed good so I went ahead with it. When I got the work back, I was actually really shocked...then his message was if they need to be fixed let me know. My main concern at this point was I have no experience in photo shop and I could have done them better, so someone with 5 years experience should have presented me with near perfect images. I sent him a message in which he admitted this was his FIRST job. He completely mis-represented himself in his profile. I contacted people per hour they told me to request a refund, which I did. However it was refused because I didn't give him the chance to redo the photos. As per their policy you have to allow them two revisions before you can claim a refund. My argument was why should I give him a chance to revise when his skills don't match what he profiles says he can do. In the end I opened a case with Paypal to get my money back as by this point I had gone back to someone who I was confident could do them properly. PPH sent a message saying that I had breached their policy by opening a case with Paypal and that I should close it and request a refund. ??? I had already done that. Anyway...in the end they deactivated my account and blocked my IP address. What's really annoyed me about this is that my husband has an account and that guy is still there with his profile still reading 5 years Photo shop experience and they have banned me and won't respond to my emails...all over £6.50. Is that good customer service or what. Even though I have spent over £200 on this site without incident, this one incident causes great concern and even though I can us my husbands account, I won't use it and wouldn't recommend it either.

 

[ethical PR]

What a disappointing experience. I think however small a job it's always worth thinking about it in terms of getting a value for money service rather than getting something done inexpensively.

As you have found out to your cost a cheap price often means a cheap service and can end up costing your dear.

My advice would be to go with a supplier that offers value for money and where you can check out their references.

Were there any on PPH that gave a recommendation for him for photoshop?

 

[beasty]

Paragraphs are not just for school. Person 2 posts above! (I skipped your post)

My most recent experience of PPH was a guy with fantastic feedback, took the job, it was only a couple of hours work, delivered it 3 days late, but before giving me it kept INSISTING that i leave him great feedback.

I left him 4 out of 5 which generous, he got in touch giving me all sorts of cra%

It was maybe 3 months ago, but i recall the way it was set up I basically HAD to leave him good feedback to get him off my case and get the work I had paid for.

It was not actually that good, he spent ages telling me how poor the previous version of the PDF was too..

 

[LeggsBeautiful]

What a disappointing experience. I think however small a job it's always worth thinking about it in terms of getting a value for money service rather than getting something done inexpensively.

As you have found out to your cost a cheap price often means a cheap service and can end up costing your dear.

My advice would be to go with a supplier that offers value for money and where you can check out their references.

I agree completely.....he did have recommendations. But who knows they could have been his friends, and the samples of his work looked great. PPH needs to check these people out properly so that "their" customers are protected. We will have to look into other websites that offer similar services. But we will be doing much more research prior to hiring anyone.

 

[ethical PR]

That's interesting/outrageous Beasty and reinforces my view that I wouldn't use suppliers from these type of sites. Did you report him to PPH for this practice?

I work with suppliers where I can check our their references directly with recent or current clients to help minimise the risk of working with new suppliers who may not be all they appear.

 

[LeggsBeautiful]

That's interesting/outrageous Beasty and reinforces my view that I wouldn't use suppliers from these type of sites. Did you report him to PPH for this practice?

I work with suppliers where I can check our their references directly with recent or current clients to help minimise the risk of working with new suppliers who may not be all they appear.

I did report him, but PPH were more concerned with the fact that I was refusing to pay.

 

[Solomon14]

mmm PPH would appear, very strongly, to suffer from a lack of integrity. Never a good thing.

 

[ethical PR]

I did report him, but PPH were more concerned with the fact that I was refusing to pay.

Sorry I was asking Beasty?

 

[frogmore]

I use PPH all the time. The only thing is, one needs to thoroughly check the freelancer's work history.
Some of them are dodgy. One girl sent me a template that she had taken from a website (PR and Marketing strategy)!! I was shocked, however I have worked with some wonderful people from PPH.

 

[senses]

Rather find freelancers through other means, better relationship i think...

 

[nelioneil]

Can't speak from a business point of view, but I got a nice logo designed for a hobby website. then again I did used the highest rated logo designer in the uk on PPH, who had a great portfolio and feedback.