Is vWorker a Scam?

With my latest posts such as vWorker or oDesk, and vWorker Reviews, I am starting to get some people visiting my site because they are wondering is vWorker is a Scam. So I am going to tackle this thought in the same ways as my oDesk Scam post.

vWorker Scam

What Is vWorker?

Before we could even think about labeling something as a scam, we have to have a good understanding of what something actually is. So let’s take a closer look at vWorker.

vWorker.com is a dynamic online marketplace where 143,339 employers hire and manage 296,863 virtual workers to assist them in business and personal projects. Virtual workers span every country across the globe and every imaginable expertise, including computer programming, writing, graphic design, marketing and many more. vWorker.com offers the safety features and money-back/payment guarantees that allow thousands of these transactions to be done successfully every month.

When you search for vWorker reviews, you might have a bit of trouble finding out what people are saying about the company, because they have only just changed their name from RentACoder to vWorker.

Exherda Solutions (the company behind vWorker), explain the name change as:

We outgrew our name (Rent a Coder) a few years ago. Back in 2001 we were just coders, but now the site includes professionals of all types including: design, writing, personal assistants, paralegals, etc.. To reflect that, we’ve changed our name to vWorker (Via CodeItWell)

So Is vWorker A Scam?

When you look at the size of the online marketplace (143,339 employers  and 296,863 virtual workers), I find it hard that anyone could call vWorker a scam.

Sure there may be unscrupulous employers and virtual workers – that is the same with every freelance community. But that doesn’t mean vWorker is a scam. You would be surprised by the amount of work they have put in to help protect both employers and virtual workers from scammers – and I think they deserve some credit for this.

The key to avoiding scammers on any freelance community is to take advantage of the tools that are given to you.

  1. Check Feedback

  2. Ask For Examples Of Previous Work

  3. Hire On A Trial Basis

It really is that simple, but the problem is that a lot of people hire workers that have no history, or bad feedback (yet expect a good job).

vWorker is definitely not a scam, and if you are looking to outsource jobs overseas or find some freelance work, you should check them out!

=> Learn More About vWorker

Proof That You Can Hire Staff For Under $2/hour Using oDesk! (Plus The How-To)

I have been receiving quite a few emails from people who have read my ebook ‘GEO Arbitrage‘ and the majority of them are saying,

‘I have had a look at jobs on oDesk and I can’t seem to find anyone paying $2/hour or less!’

A few of them have been written in a accusing tone, making me out as a liar and Odesk as a scam, but mostly it is from people who genuinely want to know if it is possible.

YES…You Can Hire Staff For Under $2/hr On oDesk

I wanted to attach an screenshot of my oDesk account, where it shows the amount I paid my employees this last week. This is quite a big thing for me, because in it, it has the names of my staff (which means you can check them up, and try and hire them!)

(Click Image To View Full Screen)

As you can see, my 3 staff range from $1.67, all the way down to just $0.83 per hour!

So that means it definitely is possible, but why are most people settling for paying workers extra?

The number one reason that people pay too much for staff on oDesk is that they let the workers set the price!

Tell me a company that when hiring, says to it’s candidates, ‘This is the job I want you to do, but I don’t have a set salary in mind, you tell me how much I have to pay you!’

Now I am sure there are some big companies who do this when head hunting, but for most jobs that you are hiring for on oDesk, it is like McDonalds asking its young staff to set their own wages – not smart!

The Only Reason That Pay Under $2/hour Is Because I Set A Limit!

In each of the jobs that I post on oDesk I set a maximum price that I am willing to accept and include this into my job description.

If I am looking for a link builder for one of my websites, I may include something like this into the job description:

Please keep bids under $2/hour, all job applications that have a bid over over this price will be automatically declined without reading!

This lets potential applicants know that you are serious, meaning they will put their best offer in.

It really is that simple:

If you don’t ask, you wont get!

So I encourage you, if you haven’t already, set up a free oDesk account, and see what kind of jobs you can outsource for $2/hour or less?

If you are up for the challenge, come back and post your results here, so that others can see!

The oDesk Scam: Really?!?!

I am surprised by the amount of people calling this scams without thinking. As I promote oDesk quite heavily through this blog I occasionally get an email titled: ‘oDesk Scam‘ where the writer goes on a massive rant about how they got ripped off on oDesk and how they will never use them again.

So I thought I would put my ’2 cents’ forward.

Is oDesk A Scam?

I am just going to jump straight into it and say an emphatic ‘NO’.

The people who regularly reference oDesk as a scam usually refer to being ripped off buy a buyer who didn’t pay, or a service provider who didn’t do the work they were hired for.I don’t know about you, but to me that is people who are ripping other people off – not oDesk.

Interesting Comparison

A local current affair tv show here in Australia recently ran a story on a Nigerian scam that would duplicate car listings in classified sections on regional newspapers and online classifieds, and people were purchasing these ‘cars’ sight unseen and only realized that they had been scammed after they had paid the money. The show rightly titled the ad posters as the scammers as the classifieds are just a marketplace to connect buyers and sellers – and it is the same with oDesk.

With the thousands of jobs being posted on a daily basis it would be impossible for oDesk to personally check over each one, and I don’t believe it is their job too.

It is the employer and service providers responsibility to make sure that they are working with reputable people and this isn’t really that hard: [Read more...]