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Ripped Off by ODESK Too

4 points by 724 ↗ HN
Folks,

Just wait until you read the dialogue i've had with oDesk regarding a dispute. The readers digest version of this is:

1 - Contracted a firm to do web work. 2 - Firm agreed not to bill further hours due to issues. 3 - oDesks notification system advised four separate transactions would be billed over a 1 month period. These were legitimate transactions for a different provider.

4 - oDesk charged my Credit Card three times the amount they said they were going to!

5 - oDesk claims that I did not dispute the charges; hence I was liable.

6 - See point 3 - I had no dispute with the legitimate transactions

7 - THIS is the best part - Told oDesk I was going to close my account and deal with the legitimate developer personally

8 - oDesk informs me that if I proceed as described in point 7, I was liable for: 15% X 12 months billing for that developer ($5,500) !!!

9 - Customer support -- NON existent. It appears that oDesks sole Modus Operandi is to collect their 10% at any and all cost. End of story.

BE WARE -- These guys are crooks.

4 comments

[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 21.3 ms ] thread
lukevdp
Have you tried disputing the charge with your credit card provider. I'm almost certain they will side with you if it is as you say it
724
Yes, charges now in dispute with VISA.

What really chafes my ass isn't necessarily the unauthorized billing, it's the attitude of oDesk.

I can say, I have had bad customer service in the past, but this ranks as one of the worst.

The guy i was dealing with was arrogant, argumentative, and quite full of himself. Qualities that no customer support person should portray.

It turns out I'm also not the only person to have such disputes with oDesk. There is a litany of complaints ranging from billing issues to delivery failures. Many of those very complaints are posted here on this system.

There are many alternatives to oDesk and I would welcome feedback by anyone who uses a competing service.

lukevdp
I can understand your frustration. I've had nothing but great experiences with Odesk though. Quite scary hearing your story though.

Hopefully you'll get your money back

[dead] RACNicole
Regarding #8 -- that is unfortunately a standard practice at some of these sites (except vWorker, of course). PeoplePerHour has a similar "rule." That's why I press people so hard to read the terms and conditions of these sites before signing up with them!! Some folks have no idea of what they're walking into until something goes bad and a service decides to randomly enforce its rules.

As far as alternatives go, vWorker clearly stands out from the rest. Just read its TOS to see for yourself.