Guru.com

This company act as intermediary between free lancer and client. On this occurence I have a commitment tied to them, I askfor their help following their paiement plattform showijg my paiment on several ocurrence as non successfull, but still taking the money from my bank account, their overall poor handling of the situation , their lack of customer service or basic understanding of how to solve a problem and the consequences their decision has on the business chain is lamentable. A great thanks especially to Jake who as the manager in charge shows an absolute lack of elementary customer awareness to handle situation or propose effective solution, let alone basic compensation proposal to maintain customer happyness in what is a lamentable overall failure of this company. Thinks twice before making business through them.

Review: I contracted to have a program developed through Guru.com. A contract was agreed upon with 4 specified delivery dates. I was asked to place the fee for each component of the project in an escrow. The money would be awarded to the contractor upon delivery of the product. The contractor has missed the 2nd (August 14th)of the 4 delivery dates. I contacted the contract twice. He did not respond the first time. When I contacted him the second time with a threat to cancel the project, he responded, but did not submit the agreed upon product. It is now 6 days past the agreed upon deadline. In a 3rd email I requested that the contractor forward the work that has been done to date the contractor has failed to do so. I requested that Guru.com return my money placed in escrow. They have refused even though the contractor has failed to deliver the product and is in breach of contract. When I called Guru.com I was told by Jake, the Support Lead, that " if I do not like the platform I am welcome not to do business with Guru.com. He does not have a problem with that." Additionally I was told that "If I did not trust the Safepay I shouldn't have placed my money there" Beside being rude, Jake was very cavalier about the fact that I have $1000 in "escrow" that they refuse to return to me despite the fact that nothing has been delivered. I want my $1000 returned.

As you can see the contractor is in complete breach of the contract below. Not only was I not provided weekly updates, but he missed the deadline and was unresponsive and did not submit the agreed upon product.

Contact Fixed price job (billed by completed milestones) MILESTONE DUE DATE AMOUNT PAYMENT STATUS Wireframe & UI Designs of the Screens Jul 13, 2015 $800.00 Paid iOS development Aug 14, 2015 $1,000.00 Not paid Android Development Aug 28, 2015 $800.00 Not paid Go live Sep 4, 2015 $400.00 Not paid Minimum SafePay balance required to cover the next milestone Once a milestone is completed, I will make sure there are enough funds in SafePay to cover the next milestone. Status updates will be provided weekly Invoices will be paid within 7 days Scope of work: 1: Wire Framing of each screen for the Mobile and Tablet view. (It will be send for your approval) 2: Designing of the screen for MOBILE. (It will be send for your approval) 3: Designing of the screen for the Tablet. (It will be send for your approval) 4: Creation of the Web Service and Admin Dashboard. 5: USER INTERFACE coding and integration for iphone. 6: USER INTERFACE coding and integration for Android mobile. 7: USER INTERFACE coding and integration for ipad. 8: USER INTERFACE coding and integration for Android Tablet. 9: Testing will happen after point Process 5, 6 ,7 ,8 and app will be sent for your approval at each step. 10: They will be made live.Desired Settlement: I want a refund. Jake was very rude. I no longer trust the contractor nor do I trust Guru.com

For the reasons stated above I gave them a negative review on the Revdex.com website and filed complaints with Georgia Department of Consumer Affairs, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and Federal Internet Crime Complaint Center.

I saw from their stats that they have 77.97% of their complaints from products and services. This should be a red flag for anyone considering using Guru.com

Business

Response:

While it’s unfortunate when communication breaks downbetween an employer and a freelancer, the entire point of SafePay is to securethe funds put in SafePay for BOTH the employer and the freelancer. The mostbasic tenant of this security would be to NOT allow the employer to simplyremove the funds instantly if they’ve deemed that the work submitted thus far hasbeen dissatisfactory. I completely understand the urge to want to do this, butit would undermine the spirit of SafePay.In either case, Ms. [redacted] requested that we compensateher $1,000.00 because the funds she added to SafePay were in dispute. When wedeclined to do this, she informed us that she would no longer use our platform.We informed her that that was her choice to make and continued to try andexplain why she would need to follow the dispute process to get her $1,000.00returned.Since sending this complaint, it seems that Ms. [redacted]’sfreelancer honored and issued a full refund to her. It seems, for all intentsand purposes, that Ms. [redacted]’s desired settlement has been satisfied. Let meknow if you require any more information.Thank you, Stacy N[redacted]Support Operations Manager, Guru.com

Consumer

Response:

This is response to Guru.com.

Review: I have already gone back and forth with [redacted] at [redacted] Software ([redacted]software.com) aka [redacted] Softwares which is what they go by. I have also spoken with [redacted] from Guru.com I have gotten no where at this point and now I'm infuriated. Guru.com is a place where they allow contractors to list themselves. They get very involved in the process especially when it comes to the money part of collecting it and distributing it to the company or person you hire.1 HUGE bad thing they allow Blocking Power so companies can pay/use points earned to block bad reviews. You will never know and will think they are a great company to work with.The contractor setup Milestones and after I paid for the 1st and then the 2nd Milestone they refused to give over the website. First they wanted their pay to go from $250 to $800.Next after I agreed to pay them a extra $250 ($100) for installing 2 extra plugins that I was going to pay them for anyway and ($150) so they would be happier now they refused to hand over the website if I didn't give them a perfect 5 star review. They also stopped all work and it been a week. They also did the website on a brand new store front and not my own which came up when I asked him where are my products and pages.Mind you I didn't mention the Disrespectful and unprofessional emails I received. Also the project was due Nov. 20, 2014 and today is Dec. 26, 2014. But he wants me to leave a Review that is a Lie so that other companies will hire a company that does not stay true to a contract and that scams you out of your money.Since GURU is overly involved and the payment went through them they need to issue me the refund so I can hire another company to fix my site so I can finally get up and running again.I paid $200 to their so called "SAFE PAY".The credit card company said that Guru.com will have to give the refund. It was paid to them and they were handling the funds.Desired Settlement: I have sent the refund request to the contractor them selves. They previously said they were going to finish the job. When I emailed them twice asking when they were going to finish/fix their work and put everything into my store both emails ended with a "I"ll think about it".Theres nothing to think about. I paid for the contractor to fix my website. No site and no money returned. Thats not how it works.The contractor broke their agreement with a due date of November 20th.

Business

Response:

Good afternoon. The information below is being provided in response to Ms. [redacted]’s complaint.While I understand Ms. [redacted]’s frustration, what she’s requesting that we do is assist her with the management of her job as well as to attempt to collect money that has already been paid to a freelancer. This money is in the freelancer’s bank account and is untouchable by us.As our platform clearly indicates, payment is made at the employer’s sole discretion and we only suggest approving payment of a freelancer at the end of the job to ensure that everyone’s communicating regularly and that the work provided is satisfactory. All employers must agree to these terms prior to approval (“approval” is final, irrecoverable payment to a freelancer): I am unsure of what Ms. [redacted] means when she says we get very involved with the process of collecting payment. We do not actively pursue either party for payment. We are a platform that provides payment tools to employer and freelancers, which they use on their own schedule and with their own discretion.Blocking power is a feature available to both employers and freelancers and is a calculation representative of 10% of your earnings as a freelancer or 10% of your payments as an employer. It’s incredibly hard to accrue and by its very nature, would be quickly exhausted after blocking continuous bad feedback. Blocking power is not disingenuous but is rather a way to stabilize your feedback in the event of the odd bad comment. You can learn more about it here.After reviewing Ms. [redacted]’s complaint, it’s clear that she paid a freelancer completely upfront and then communication fell through due to a disagreement concerning the scope of the job. It would be unethical for us to advocate on behalf of her and attempt to recover an unequivocally intentional payment or even help enforce terms for one party or the other when we act in a purely neutral fashion.When Ms. [redacted] mentions that we must issue her a refund, she must not have fully understood the implications of the message she agreed to that I’ve provided in this response. She has already paid her freelancer completely and agreed to clear terms that intentionally explained the intent of approving a payment. We no longer control that money and cannot issue a refund, as the payment was irreversible and was meant for services rendered to date. SafePay, when used in the correct manner, safeguards both parties completely and allows us to offer dispute resolution services that equally represent both users. We even offer arbitration services. However, none of these services can be offered for money already paid.Please let me know if you have any questions or need any clarification.

Review: In regards to: Dispute Case Number: Self Mediation[redacted]. I hired a freelancer 08/01/2014 using your website to finish building a website that another freelancer previously worked on that did not complete. I deposited $1500 into escrow account then handled all communication using your message board so you may oversee as you recommended. After 5months the freelancer has not shown progress or completed my website requirements. Therefor a dispute case was opened so I may be refunded my money. On 12/04/2014 the dispute case was opened against me when I demanded a refund from the freelancer ([redacted] is the company name) on 12/09/2014 when I logged on to the site to respond and gather evidence I noticed the message board for this specific company was removed. I contacted your support team immediately and these are there exact words from Mary: (I did check and it doesn't look like there are any messages that were deleted or archived from this message thread). That being said the development team looked into and they could not retrieve my messages with this specific company. I have messages from every other company dating to 2012 but not this specific company that I have a dispute with. I provided evidence that the freelancer didn't do anything to the existing code with screenshots and a direct url. You ruling stated that I did not specify what the freelancer is wrongfully taking credit for. I said he didn't do anything I cannot be anymore clearer than that. If I take the car you built and claim it was mine how can you specify what I'm taking credit for....isn't it me claiming that I built the car. I provided evidence that code he used was an existing code already, the same code that I gave him. If the messages did not disappear you would have seen that. Guru.com released my funds to the freelancer forcing me to pay for work that was already done by another company.Desired Settlement: I would like the full amount of money that I deposited. I followed your rules I used an escrow, I used your message board, I provided factual evidence. You failed by my messages being removed off your website in the midst of a dispute in regards to this company without explanation resulting to me having lack of evidence, then rule in there favor despite me showing that I have the same features on a website copyrighted since 2012.

Consumer

Response:

I have attached a document with screenshots showing the ordeal I had to go through with this company. They get paid to answer e-mails I do not. I have to fight to get back my money due to there error. If they want to simulate a court hearing then this would be considered a mis-trial due to tamper of evidence. My messages/evidence 4 months worth (they claim it was lost) the point is its not there where I left it so in my eyes they were removed because I can not use or view them. Freelancer as you can clearly see only wants to use guru private message system nothing external. The Support operations manager Ms. Norman stated what I didn't do in her reply, well there's my evidence stating that I did. If you would like to talk about ethics please tell me what am I to do if freelancer refuses to communicate externally due to having documentation using guru messaging system but guru "lost" 4 months worth of my messages that will clearly show that this freelancer did nothing. I uploaded an exact replica of the screen shots he submitted but that was not enough to sway your arbitrators decision. I would like my $1500 back this is ridiculous I can only imagine how many victims are out there.

Business

Response:

Good afternoon. The information below is being provided in response to Mr. [redacted]’s complaint.In the case of any arbitration ruling, there will always be dissatisfaction from the losing side, especially in the event that a panel of arbitrators rules against them 100%. In this case, our arbitrators reviewed the evidence provided by both parties and made a decision based on the evidence.The process for arbitration involves three separate arbitrators who all independently review each dispute and then corroborate their rulings at the end. Any disagreements are discussed until the majority of the panel agrees on a ruling. In this case, all three arbitrators agreed that the freelancer provided enough evidence to justify receiving 100% of the funds in dispute.Furthermore, all users must agree to our Terms of Service. In this instance, Section B 2 (c) of our Terms of Service: (c) You agree that the decision of Guru.com, acting as an arbitrator, shall be final, binding, and not subject to appeal. Accordingly, within a reasonable time after we have rendered a decision, we will transfer funds in accordance with the arbitrator’s decision.With that said, it would be unethical of us to even attempt to satisfy Mr. [redacted]’s desired settlement. Regarding Mr. [redacted]’s statement that some of his private correspondence with his freelancer was lost; no mention of lost messages was mentioned by Mr. [redacted] during the dispute resolution process. Furthermore, we explicitly ask users to provide evidence via an attachment tool within the dispute page or to make clear reference to already-existing evidence that can be viewed elsewhere. Mr. [redacted] at no point referenced messages or indicated that he couldn’t find some.Please let me know if you have questions or need any clarification.

Review: Guru.com offers escrow services through SafePay, whilst the freelacer may submit work, a client can always submit a dispute over Payment.

Although, this applies to everyone, Guru.com today has decided to hold funds from delivered and completed work. All this files were delivered on the platform and some directly with the customer. However, the customer has found the job satisfying and completed. We exchanged feedback, for one milestone because fpr every payment on the escrow, all parties leave feedback, sounds exhusting and not needed.

After being paid for the work, I decided to withdraw and found myself with over two email with Guru representatives stating all fund will be placed on hold for 60 days.Desired Settlement: I will like Guru to adjust my billing to weekly or as specified on their website; freelacers could be paid Mondays, Wednesday or Fridays, I put my end of the bargain and the funds should be release according to the agreement.

If this is not done I will hire a representative in Pennsylvania, file a complaint with office of the attorney general in PA, https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/, file a complaint with the FTC, http://www.econsumer.gov/ and other body's of the bereaus, and courts within 2 days. I have a representative who will take this case, and will go through legal way if this is not resolved.

Business

Response:

Good afternoon. The information below is being provided in response to Mr. [redacted].While it’s unfortunate that Mr. [redacted] is having his most recent payment held for 60 days, it’s been explained to Mr. [redacted] by a member of our fraud prevention team that we need to hold the payment due to an inquiry from PayPal.It seems that PayPal has contacted us and asked us to review the transaction. For whatever reason, they seem to find the transaction suspect. Due to this suspicion, we need to hold the payment for 60 days to ensure PayPal does not end up revoking the transaction. If PayPal revokes the transaction, Mr. [redacted] would be receiving unauthorized funds.These were the options given to Mr. [redacted] by my coworker, Lisa, who handles these types of cases:Unfortunately, we are not provided with the exact details that are used to determine a second review request. If you wish, you may continue working with [redacted] directly, outside of our system. Regarding the existing payments that are being held, you can either wait for the 60-day time period to lapse - if no chargebacks or reversals occur we will automatically release the funds to you. Or, you can issue a refund of these payments and we will return the funds to [redacted]'s PayPal account. From there, he can pay you directly. Please let me know how you'd like to proceed.Mr. [redacted]’s response was to tell us he would be contacting the FTC. In either case, we are willing to work with him if he chooses an option.Let me know if you have questions.Thank you, Jake Z[redacted]Support Operations Manager, Guru.com

Review: I had completed a job on this website and the client paid me and I was to get the money within 3 days. On the third day I got a message from guru.com stating they are holding my money. They will not give me a clear explanation about why they are holding it. I emailed them yesterday asking for an update and I never received an email. The total amount of my money is $22.76. I am really needing my money and it is not right that they are holding it.Desired Settlement: Get me my money.

Business

Response:

Good afternoon. The

information below is being provided in response to Ms. [redacted]’s complaint.

What Ms. [redacted] is

describing is a routine payment investigation that is a necessity in order to

proactively prevent fraudulent activity on our site. While the 2-4 business

days of downtime are inconvenient in the short term, in the long term the

process is a great benefit to every user of our site.

It looks like one of

our employees by the name of [redacted] has responded to all of Ms. [redacted]’s emails

in a timely manner. You can view their time stamped email conversation:

I am confident that Ms. [redacted]’s desired settlement has

already been satisfied. Please let me know if you require any further

clarification.

Review: The Guru.com website claims their services are free for employers, they're lying, from the website: How much does it cost to use Guru.com?It's free for Employers to hire Freelancers through Guru.com. You can search for Freelancers, post your projects, and contact Freelancers at no cost. However, if you used SafePay, there are still funds due to the Freelancer, and dispute resolution assistance is needed, Guru.com will charge a 5% (minimum $25) dispute resolution fee. Freelancers pay Guru.com a transaction fee (between 4.95% and 8.95%) that is deducted from their earnings. Freelancers can also purchase subscription-based memberships to get privileged access to projects and Employers.http://www.guru.com/emp/contact.cfmGuru.com now charges me a fee every time I pay a freelance person, it's been part of their policy for at least a couple of months, from an email I received from Guru.com:Date:14-Mar-2014Amount:$204.75 Loyalty Dollars Redeemed:0 Subtotal:$204.75 Processing Fee (2.45%):$5.02 Total Paid by You:$209.77 I have to pay the processing fee, the processing fee shows Guru.com is lying when they say their services are free for employers.Desired Settlement: Change the text at their website to let employers know they have to pay a processing fee.

Business

Response:

Good afternoon. The

information below is being provided in response to Mr. [redacted]’s complaint.

Mr. [redacted]’s desired

settlement is actually something that we already have in place. You can view

the relevant portion of our Help Center via

this link. The relevant information is also included here for you:

It’s FREE!

Really!

You

can find freelancers and manage your projects at no cost to you. If you pay

freelancers with a credit card or PayPal, you’ll only pay a small 2.45% payment

processing fee. Freelancers pay us transaction fees ranging from

8.95%-4.95% (depending on their membership level), deducted from their

earnings.

Not only do we clearly

state that paying Freelancers with a credit card or with PayPal accrues a small

processing fee; we offer alternatives that do not have any processing fee

whatsoever. Here’s what our payment page looks like. I think it’s clear which

payment methods do not accrue a processing fee and which do. With that said,

we’re open to suggestions.

Furthermore, in his own

complaint Mr. [redacted] cites our marketing correctly “It's free for Employers

to hire Freelancers through Guru.com. You can search for Freelancers, post your

projects, and contact Freelancers at no cost.” This is absolutely a true

statement. Mr. [redacted] may be failing to distinguish between hiring Freelancers

and paying a Freelancer via a credit card. Certain, very specific actions on

our web site cost money, but those actions are not required. Mr. [redacted]

certainly can use our site for free by choosing to pay via check or e-check.

If you need anything clarified or want any

more information, please let me know.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9991106, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]

This misleading information is still at their website:

How much does it cost to use Guru.com?

Published a few seconds ago

Abysmal

Job postings are marginally better than Outsource in frequency and provide some transparency as to the hiring party to legitimize the project. That said, Guru's platform attracts employers looking for free mockups - or completed work for next to nothing.

Their customer service is the worst I have experienced of any freelance site, IF you can even manage to get a hold of them!

Their policies regarding payment issues for freelancers verge on fraudulent and they ONLY have their own interests in mind.

Guru was far from perfect several years ago, when I was a loyal Guru freelancer. I abandoned the site for better prospects and rejoined recently out of curiosity, hoping perhaps they had strengthened their platform. Nope. Guru is an empty shell of its 'former glory', such as it was. Everything I am seeing (from their non-existent support staff to their ghost town of a Facebook page with nothing but complaints from users, to the fact that their website is DOWN 75% of the time - it isn't functioning as I write this!), points to the site's imminent and inevitable demise.

Good thing their are better options!

Review: I hired a freelancer to complete a project. I used safepay and deposited $900. The freelancer is not capable of deliver the service he agreed on so I requested a refund. Once I requested the refund, the freelancer denied it and submit a dispute. I search "what to do next" and am told I need to try and communicate with the freelancer to resolve the issue. I search for a full day trying to figure out how to do that, as it appears I have been blocked from contacting the freelancer. I then submit a support ticket and am told "Hi [redacted] I apologize for the trouble. You should definitely be able to exchange comments with your freelancer via the dispute page but it looks like were having some problems with the request refund tool. Im letting our development team know now and Ill follow up with you in 1-2 business days with a resolution. Thanks for your patience!" I then try to get someone by phone and after several attempts I leave a message. Rather than getting a call back I got this email "I just received your voicemail. I've been out of the office today and just got back in. Our development team is aware of the bug and is currently fixing it. They've told me that the fix will roll out Wednesday morning with a bunch of other updates to our site. I understand the frustration completely. If youd like, attach all evidence and final comments to your next email, that way, if there are any unforeseen problems Wednesday morning Ill fast track the entire dispute to arbitration. I know that you are concerned with getting your $900.00 quickly but you must understand that SafePay is meant to protect BOTH the employer and freelancer. If the freelancer disputes your refund (as he has) then the dispute needs to be sent to our arbitration department where our arbitrators upload a ruling. Arbitration is a process that takes about 7 business days this is a common process shared across all online freelancer platforms."Desired Settlement: I am asking for a full refund of my $900, as the freelancer does not seem to understand what I am needing. As per the SafePay Guarantee "SafePay Guarantee When you pay via SafePay, you pay Guru.com and we pay the Freelancer only after you approve the completed work. Not happy with the work? Our Dispute Resolution Department will step in to resolve the issue." I believe I am well within my rights to request a refund, and do not feel that I should have to pay a moderator to resolve the issue.

Business

Response:

Good afternoon. The information

below is being provided in response to Mr. [redacted]’s complaint.

I agree with everything Mr. [redacted]

has mentioned including how the events transpired. There is currently a bug

with Mr. [redacted]’s dispute with his freelancer which will be fixed tomorrow

(14-May) which is why we offered to let him simply email us any evidence and

final comments so that no time would be lost because of this bug.

Mr. [redacted]’s desired settlement is

valid. It is frustrating any time a freelancer does not see eye to eye with an

employer and if I was in his shoes, and unhappy with the way my project was

going, I would also want a refund of my money. Fortunately, Mr. [redacted] is in

the process of requesting a refund.

While Mr. [redacted] is within his

rights to request a refund (which he has), he still needs to follow the due

process of dispute resolution, which is explained via this area of our Help

Center.

Here’s the most relevant portion

from our Help Center content on dispute resolution. This is relevant because

Mr. [redacted]’s freelancer has disputed his refund request:

If your freelancer disputes your refund request, they

will be prompted to address each one of your points with comments and

supporting documentation of their own. This starts the negotiation process. The

two of you can take as much time as you need to work together on a solution.

When you come to an agreement, the freelancer can formally propose your

solution using the “Resolve Dispute” button. You can agree and move forward or

disagree and continue to negotiate.

In the unlikely and unfortunate event that the two of

you are unable to decide your own fate together, you can escalate the case to

arbitration for a legally-binding ruling from a panel of arbitrators. The cost

of arbitration services is 5% (min. $25.00) and will be deducted from the

SafePay balance.

As we explained in our most recent

email to Mr. [redacted], SafePay is a system that we’ve set up to fulfill payment

security for both freelancers and

employers. We would not satisfy a freelancer’s complaint by releasing SafePay

funds without following our dispute process just as we would not satisfy an

employer’s complaint by taking funds out of SafePay mid-project. All disputes

over funds must follow our dispute resolution process. This is the only way for us

to be neutral, fair and to have the concerns of BOTH parties in mind at all

times.

Mr. [redacted]’s final complaint, that

there is a cost to send a dispute to arbitration, is one that we hear from time

to time. If arbitration was a free service it would be cost prohibitive of us

to hire actual arbitrators to handle disputes. Without professional

arbitrators, the service would not be up to our standards.

Please let me know if you have any

other questions.

Thank you,

Stacy Norman

Support Operations Manager, Guru.com

Consumer

Response:

I will not take this into what they call an "arbitration" because by doing so I am entering into what they refer to as a "legally binding decision". If they do not side with me, I am out $900. Judging by the 100's of complaints I see online, they don't make it a habit to side with the customer. Even if they do side with me, I am still out $45 and that is unacceptable. They need to be held accountable for making sure they do not allow scammers to sign up as freelancers on their site. I am pretty convinced that the work I was shown, claimed to have been done by the freelancer, was not his own work. I am in fact in the process contacting several of these companies to find out exactly who did the work for them. I have also sent a formal complaint against this company to the Attorney General in the State in which this company operates and I will be seeking the advice of my attorney at his earliest convenience.

Regards,

Review: I used Guru.com services to hire a graphic designer for my business. First of all I have to say that Guru.com does not qualify graphics designers properly and there plenty of scammers who claim to offer real service, but in reality just newbies who trying to look good and therefore cheating business owners out of time and money. That's another subject matter.

My problem is that I tried to hire writer that I ended up firing and first of all when project was cancelled, my funds got refunded back. From that point I tried to get money back to my PayPal account since I did not use it, but I received email from Guru.com that my funds will be held for 7 business days prior to refund and on top of that, there will be 3% service fee for that. So basically I did not use these funds and on top of that Guru.com is charging me 3%, for what? This is theft and nothing else. Chamber of commerce needs to look into their practice and fine them for stealing money from consumers like me.

When I filed dispute, this is what I got in return:

I expect refund immediately, not you charging me 3%... You don't have graphics knowledgeable graphics designers!!! I received a refund from one of your "designers" and I expect the money to show up on my account immediately. Not 14 days later with 3% charge. This is ridiculous. You are rubbing me for 3% of my money. Is this a joke??? If you fail to respond and refund my money by COB today, I will write rip off report and contact Revdex.com about your "sketchy" business practice... I will call chamber of commerce to let them know about this issue as well. You have by COB today to issue full refund back to my PayPal account or I will get the ball rolling.

- [redacted], March 2, 2016 at 6:24 AM

Seller

[redacted], when you registered on Guru.com, you agreed to the fact that any withdrawal of funds will be subject to a 3.5% fee; this whether you complete a job or not. You received multiple responses to your job and you made the choice. Did you ask the guru chosen if you could see past work to determine whether or not if [redacted] was capable of completing your job? We cannot be responsible for your actions. We cannot refund the full amount that was deposited. We found your behavior questionable, if you request a withdrawal, yet you also file a dispute for the same funds.

- Guru.com, March 2, 2016 at 7:28 AM

You

So is this how you steal money?

- [redacted], March 2, 2016 at 7:34 AM

You

If I don't get refund immediately, I cam calling chamber of commerce of PA and I will get to the bottom of this. This is theft, plane and simple.

- [redacted], March 2, 2016 at 7:37 AM

You

Message to seller (optional)Desired Settlement: I need full refund and apology!!! I also need you to stop stealing money from people like me!

Business

Response:

I’m sorry to hear that Mr. [redacted] has a bad experience with a freelancer. Fortunately, we offer feedback ratings of anyone that uses the site to assist in the vetting process on both ends. Moreover, we encourage employers to get to know prospective hires via private message to ensure the freelancer they’re thinking of hiring fits their job. We also encourage the employer to use SafePay to ensure they aren’t making hasty payments to freelancers that they may regret.However, there is a certain stake that an employer makes when they choose to use an online platform to hire a freelancer, just as there is a stake in an in-person hire. If the relationship breaks down to the point of no return, yet has proceeded previously to the point where money has been invested, it would be unreasonable to expect to receive a complete and total refund.What Mr. [redacted] is referring to is a handling fee, which covers the cost of reversing his transaction back to his bank account. We actually offer 3.5% cash back if you use a bank account, which means if you end up withdrawing cash that you’ve put into the site already, you come out even.In either case, it’s regrettable that Mr. [redacted]’s relationship with his freelancer broke down and he chose to cancel the job. However, to withdraw his money (essentially, asking us to reverse the transaction) we need to recoup the cost. This is all clearly outlined and is no secret.Please let me know if you have any questions.Thank you, Stacy N[redacted]Support Operations Manager, Guru.com

Review: I used Guru.com to commission work for a new website. I placed an ad and selected one of the bids. The request was made to place the balance for the price of the job in safe pay Guru's escrow payout. The first experience with the talent I hired was difficult to say the least. Not only does he not understand most of the things I would try to communicate to him regarding project outline but his attempts routinely resulted in work that was just wrong. The graphic artist was only interested in a quick payment and placed any thing on the website completely disregarding my directions. After the first day he asked for a payment despite me making it clear in the outline of the ob description that I would only pay after the entire job was completed. The amount of proofing I had to do for a simple 5 page site was ridiculous. I emailed and called GURU with not one response they clearly do not care about the customers. I sent email after email asking for help in resolving the issues with this job. I received nothing from them no support what so ever. I firmly believe this artist drags out the process all along continuing to ask for money to get you to cave and give in. I hat to admit I did I payed (APPROVED FROM ESCROW) them half of the mutant in a hope this speed up the process. Unfortunately it did not I continued to receive shoddy work most of the time wrong with tons of misspells. I would send text one way and they would misspell the words. Details outlined in the project scope of work never was even attempted. I finally had enough, I got the project close enough where I could have someone else go on the uploaded website file and fix the multiple misspells and grammar issues. Even though I would have to pay them it would be worth it not to have to deal with this company Silicon Software technology 1 anymore. Guru's policy is to get your final file in your possession before final payment so I requested from the company to upload/send my file. The company refused saying I must first payDesired Settlement: The company must follow Guru's policy it is listed on the site the employer must get final file before making payment. It is obvious they are trying to extort more money by holding file after payment. I believe as well they will send a copy that will force me to use them forever for any changes. I want a file uploaded that allows us full access to the admin and to make any and all changes.Even though we have received horrible service and product we will still approve the final payment.

Business

Response:

Good afternoon. The information below is being provided

in response to Mr. [redacted]’s complaint.

I’m sorry to hear that Mr. [redacted] is having trouble

with a freelancer. We can certainly help him with that by showing him how to

use the “request refund” and dispute resolution tools provided on our site.

Regarding his complaints regarding our response times;

Our office hours are 9 am until 6 pm ET, Monday thru Friday. I see that he sent

emails on Saturday and am assuming he also attempted to call over the weekend.

We respond to messages left over the weekend on Mondays. That said, we had no

voice mails from Mr. [redacted].

One of the emails we received on

Saturday (@ 2:54 am GMT) received a response from Mary at 5:18 am GMT the same

day. The other email received on Saturday (@ 2:49 am GMT) received a response

as of 1:18 pm GMT today. Mr. [redacted] has since responded to our emails.

The resolution Mr. [redacted] has proposed seems to be

directed at the freelancer he hired and not at Guru.com. He is correct that the

freelancer is to deliver work first. The employer then reviews and approves or

declines the work.

Members of Guru.com’s support team have been in touch with Mr. [redacted] to help

him navigate our dispute resolution process and work toward his proposed

resolution.

Let me know if you need any further

clarification.

Consumer

Response:

Hi I read your response, unfortunately it is very inaccurate. I tried several times before the dates you listed to reach someone regarding the matter. I emailed once on September the 5th, 9th, 16th, I can forward each and every email sent. I also called the ###-###-####, option 1 during normal business hours over 8 times leaving messages four times, twice on the 09/16/2014 once on the 9/15/2014 at 12:37pm, once on the 9/08/2014. I can forward a screenshot of the phone log also to prove it. With each call I left my buyer ID, the company I was dealing with and my contact information. I never received one call back or email stemming from any of those calls. They never answered the phone once it just goes to voicemail. I don't accept the response because I used the Guru website in good faith they did not offer assistance until the end after my complaint Revdex.com. The sad part is the assistance offered here does not solve the problem if I would have received a response I could have avoided paying the crooked freelancer half of the money but they never responded so I felt trapped. Guru seems t be a safe haven for crooked freelancer's and since the company driving the site and quite often is not there to offer help they go unchecked.

I would like either the correct file delivered to me as I stated (complete with no admin controls to adjust or change the file as we see fit with no hindrance or assistance from the freelancer) per Guru's policy before I approve the final amount disbursed from safe pay. I will still approve the final payment since I am a man of my word. If not I would like a total refund of my amount paid of $200.00

Review: PROBLEMS

Guru publishes incorrect feedback which diminishes brand equity and profits. Furthermore, guru refuses the make corrections and refuses to confirm employer feedback on its letterhead. In other words, guru refuses to acknowledge any and all business relationships once the freelancer leaves guru.

Publication occurs because each freelancer’s profile and feedback are submitted to [redacted] and is displayed prominently in google searches. when freelancers leave guru, employer references and feedback is no longer published, because the freelancer’s profile and feedback are erased from guru’s website and from [redacted].

I sent guru’s customer service ([redacted]) confirmation of three (3) [redacted] [2 from [redacted]]. The 5-star commendation from [redacted] was erased BUT guru refused to publish it again, in full knowledge of the negative impact to my company’s brand.

Also, guru refused to remove the negative feedback from a lying employer – even when I submitted evidence proving the that the employer was a liar – and even when I won guru’s dispute settlement, which forced the employer to pay for the work. I won the dispute settlement, but guru still refused to remove the negative feedback of the lying employer. Again, guru’s actions negatively impact brand equity and reduced profitability.

Finally, I requested that guru confirm both the good and the bad feedback on its company logo, because I had great job offer. Of course, guru refused again. Therefore, guru purposefully reduces and destroys profitability and diminishes brand equity -- by publishing inaccurate feedback prominently displayed in google search -- and by refusing to correct negative feedback to reflect the truth. Publication occurs because each freelancer’s profile and feedback are submitted to [redacted] and is displayed prominently in google searches.Desired Settlement: AN EXPEDITED LETTER FROM GURU ON GURU'S LEADER HEAD

(1) CONFIRMING EMPLOYER FEEDBACK DURING MY REGISTRATION AS A FREELANCER

1997-PRESENT

Business

Response:

Good afternoon. The information below is being provided in response to Ms. [redacted]’s complaint.We have talked to Ms. [redacted] at length regarding her problems with feedback and have explained why we can’t satisfy her requests in the manner in which she wants us to satisfy them.While it looks like Ms. [redacted] has some feedback from 2010 and 2012 within her account, we did not leave that feedback nor do we have a role in confirming the veracity of that feedback. The feedback is easily printable by Ms. [redacted], which she could do prior to her deleting her own account. We can’t print feedback on our letterhead, as it would misrepresent our contribution toward that feedback.Furthermore, none of Ms. [redacted]’s feedback was erased. When an employer is prompted to leave feedback it is mandatory that they leave a star rating for the freelancer. However, it is voluntary for the employer to leave actual comments. If only a star rating is left, that rating appears on the freelancer’s profile for 12 months. We use a window of 12 months to ensure that freelancers’ feedback entries are recent and indicative of their abilities and performance current-day.If actual comments are left, those will stay on the freelancer’s profile indefinitely. When Ms. [redacted] is referring to missing feedback, she is actually referring to star ratings that no longer appear on her public profile due to the expiration of that 12-month window.There are a total of three feedback entries with comments, which I am including here for Ms. [redacted]’s reference: <check attached Word Document for image>Regarding Ms. [redacted]’s dispute with an employer. She was awarded funds in dispute because the employer did not respond to the dispute. In any case, we do not edit or remove feedback because a freelancer wins a dispute. In fact, feedback can be left by both parties any time a payment is made, even if the payment was made due to a dispute ruling.Ms. [redacted]’s claim of defamation is baseless. None of her feedback is visible on the search engines because she deleted her account. If you try to view Ms. [redacted]’s profile today you will see a 404 – Not Found error. This is the URL to Ms. [redacted]’s deleted profile: [redacted]l If Ms. [redacted] can provide evidence that we in some way had a hand in diminishing her brand’s quality, we’ll certainly take steps to change that. Currently, there’s no indication that Ms. [redacted] even has an account with us.Please let me know if you have any questions or need any more information.Thank you, [redacted]Support Operations Manager, Guru.com