Nickname: fairtrademama

Review: they also have ads to pay writers one dollar for a 400 word article when the going rate is 25-50 per article on craigslist, I would suggest retracting this

Date reviewed: Sep 4, 2009 10:29 PM

Nickname: Howard

Review: B-Stock Solutions (http://www.bstocksolutions.com) was founded late last year and the first thing we did was hire a team of developers and designers through oDesk. Having come from eBay, my co-founder and I have worked with many very talented people in Silicon Valley. Our oDesk team has proven every bit as capable. The keys to what oDesk has built in my view are 1) the critical mass of service providers who will apply for your job and 2) the platform tools for managing your teams. The efficiency of outsourcing work, whether in the US or abroad, creates possibilities for new startups to be created that simply didn't exist several years ago. Although our initial development group was overseas and hourly, we are now hiring additional people in other full-time functions who must be co-located with us here in the US to support our growing business. Looked at this way, oDesk may also have a major long term impact creating traditional jobs beyond its platform.

Date reviewed: Aug 3, 2009 3:47 PM

Nickname: Susanne Bullo

Review: Over 2 years later and I'm still working through oDesk and still highly recommend them to all freelance workers out there. Susanne Bullo

Date reviewed: Jun 18, 2009 7:20 PM

Nickname: Nina

Review: I've read through all the comments and there's a little bit of truth in every one of them. I guess it depends on who you are and where you come from. I am a provider at odesk and it has worked very well for me.I may not get hourly rates at par with those who work in the states but it does pay me much better without "overhead costs of working in an office using the same skills. I also hire coders because i act as a "buyer" for my employer. I was hired as project manager, so i see both sides of the picture. I believe that there are as many skilled "coders/providers" offshore as there are in the US. I think one has to take the precaution of hiring through processes like interviews/tests to come up with a skilled and honest provider. But like every other venture, i guess there will always be "cheaters". Odesk is a good venue for people who have the advantage (or only choice) to work from home.If it works for a lot of people, why rock the boat?

Date reviewed: Feb 3, 2008 2:34 PM

Nickname: benjamin

Review: The monitoring is used as a marketing tool to lure customers into thinking that their provider will be forced to be honest, but it only determines that they were at their computer pounding on a keyboard for the time they claim. It does not prevent the provider from running up the hours inappropriately or guarantee that the programmer does the task specified. Nor does it provide any recourse for a provider delivering buggy programming. I also got cheated on Odesk.com. I'm happy to see others posting their bad experiences too. I've been in outsourcing for years, so it's not because I'm a nube. If you are a nube, beware of Odesk.com. Their dispute resolution is a dog and they take your money anyway. No matter how legit your dispute. I think such a system that does not provide recourse for customer who get cheated is unjust and will only attract more dishonest providers. They deserve the bad press they receive.

Date reviewed: Feb 1, 2008 7:15 PM

Nickname: lucasdeskywalker

Review: We were cheated by 7 out of 9 providers we used via ODesk. We proved it to them. They held payments to the providers and never returned any money back to us to try to make good. They actually made more money with this fraudulent activity than in their normal system. Not real promising. I know if you do your homework, you will find that the system they have constructed gives buyers a false sense of security and allows providers to cheat. Since most of the buyers are American companies and most of the providers are foreigners, there is no real way for recourse. I have IM conversations where the cheaters admitted what they have done, screen shots of mass cheating and even a program that they wrote to help them cheat. The evidence is overwhelming. BW, I would be VERY careful if I were you who you call promising, before you fully investigate their systems/process.

Date reviewed: Sep 3, 2007 1:24 PM

Nickname: fmpleasant@yahoo.com

Review: I have worked as a CSR in the call center business for 6 years. It's honest work, lets one stand on their own two feet and not be dependent on the state or others. I plan on looking into the contract CSR field. I have been having trouble getting worklately, I think due to subjectivity. This approach appeals to me because it appears to be objective. You are the best you get hired. Your quality is good you get most of the work. Beautiful. The only problem is if we are concerned with quality and results why the web cam? I believe the reason is simple. It's the power. I can go work as a clerk at a dry cleaners for less money, but I'll get benefits, and be monitored by the manger anyway. Why should I forgo those benefits, and still be under thumb. Gentleman the appeal for this type of work for the best is not money it's freedom. There is no turning back freedom is here to stay.

Date reviewed: May 11, 2007 10:22 PM

Nickname: Me Tarzan

Review: Don't understand what the big deal is. I think ODesk has done a good job providing a service that is already happening anyway and will continue to happen whether we local developers approve or not -- Globalization! Offshoring is an inevitable product of a global village. Dudes, I suggest you stay up on your game and work hard to improve your skills (especially in business and analysis) so you do not loose your job to someone in India!

Date reviewed: Mar 8, 2007 11:58 PM

Nickname: PB

Review: I'm a Brit living in Poland working on oDesk. There are plenty of others like me living in countries with low cost, earning a good wage from home. The money I earn gives me a more than comfortable living and on top of that, I use my skills to generate more income from my own Web sites. Life is great! I've worked on oDesk on my own and as part of a team put together from freelancers and have yet to come across any problems. As for the Web cam why should that bother me? It's no different from sitting in an office with a manager. If I need to make a call or break for coffee I suspend the logging software & the client does not get charged. I'm educated to degree level and have years of high-level IT experience, like many other workers on oDesk. The rates that workers charge are low but in the countries we live in we can afford a good life. U.S. companies are at the forefront of globalization yet U.S. citizens are the first to complain about jobs going abroad. oDesk is just the beginning.

Date reviewed: Jan 8, 2007 11:46 PM

Nickname: Leo of BORG

Review: Sorry, but this is just another offshoring op. The rates are far too low, and spy camming? Please, give me a break. As my colleagues would say, you get what you pay for. And the best value is still with salaried employees--in country. The last thing I want to do is spy on subordinates or contractors. Sheesh.

Date reviewed: Aug 31, 2006 10:15 PM