During the summer of 2007 I completed several projects won on Writerlance.com to the tune of around $675. Upon completion of the final project I knew I'd be doing for a while, I requested my payment check from Writerlance. (Clients deposit money into the freelancer's Writerlance account upon completion of the job, from which Writerlance takes its commission, and the freelancer can then request their money at any time.)
Several weeks passed, and I did not receive my check. I contacted Writerlance via the only means available, their "Contact Us" link on the site, and asked for the status. They said it would be another couple of weeks. When I still did not receive a check, I contacted them again and was told it had been sent and to give it a few days.
I could tell immediately that they were not being truthful, because when I checked the balance on my Writerlance account, it was still full -- it was not brought down to zero as it would have if they had actually sent me my money.
Several more requests for my payment went unanswered. My emails were totally ignored. When I threatened to contact the BBB if my issue was not resolved, my entire user account with Writerlance mysteriously disappeared.
I can no longer log in with my user name or password; when I attempt to do so I am told I do not exist. A message asking for an explanation of this was not returned.
Writerlance earned a commission on the jobs I completed through their site, and still have my $675 that I earned on those projects. I originally requested payment in August -- it is now near the end of November and I have nothing to show for it.
Writerlance ripped me off -- I want my money and a refund on the commissions I paid!
Caroline
Tolleson, Arizona
U.S.A.