how to ensure we get delivery

Pizza delivery? Just kidding...

Can you elaborate more on your question? Add a little description so we can answer.

Thanks for the reply...Elaborating....

Say we contract with a 'guru' we find here, and the 'guru' starts delaying the project, and our 10 hour project turns into a 100 hour project. Or, a project gets delivered but has errors or ommissions.

My understanding is, we must pay http://guru.com for any invoices, and the acceptablity of the work is decided by Guru and not us. So bascially, in the context of a 3rd world programmer, they have every interest in stringing a project out as long as possible and we have no way of ensuring we get what we asked for, when we asked for it. http://Guru.com just takes our cash, and we're are out of luck.

Is this correct? How do we avoid this?

When you award the project, the freelancer has to create a project agreement which you are required to approve or decline. Make sure you read it and if there is anything in there that you want to change, make sure you ask the freelancer to revise it and then approve it.

Side note: Read the section on refund policy if they include it and if not make sure to check their Guru profile page for payment terms. And make sure that the time frame for delivery and total hours/flat-rate is in the terms.

Once that is done, I highly recommend that you do the payment through "Safepay. By doing so the money is held by Guru and you can set fund release milestones based on the progress of the project.

One thing I would recommend you do at the point of the milestone payment is to ask the freelancer to provide you with copies of all the files s/he has created to that point so you have them in your possession. If everything is going smoothly, you can progress to the next stage. If at this point you have concerns, now is the time to address them and you will need to make a decision whether to continue or cut ties.

Now, let's say you get to stage two and the freelancer takes a nose dive and goes missing. You make attempts to reach them and you get no response. At this point give them at least 3-5 days to respond. If nothing, send a follow up message notifying them you are cancelling the project and want the money remaining in Safepay to be refunded back to you and again give them a certain time frame to do so.

If you do not get a refund in the time you requested you can file a dispute because you used Safepay (not invoice because this form of payment is not arbitrated by Guru) and Guru will intervene. They will assist you and make a determination on the outcome which in a situation like this is issuing you the money back.

Hi Frank,

I've never dealt with a dispute situation, so my message here is based not on how Guru deals with disputes, but what I know of how they work in general.

If you find that your freelancer is delaying delivery, you can cancel your association with them. You have that right.

If your freelancer turns over substandard work, you can (and if time permits, should) give them a chance to make it right. If they are incapable or refuse, you can again end the association. You don't have to pay for work that is unusable. If they file a dispute, respond as needed and with the proof you have. Guru isn't going to treat you unfairly.

As for "invoices," I wouldn't recommend them. You would do well to use the Safepay system, where your funds are on deposit and are released to the freelancer when YOU initiate that, and according to the milestones you establish together at the outset of the project. If you are asked to pay a milestone or portion outside of the agreement, it becomes a personal choice. But I would recommend that you not pay anyone up front, before any work has been done.

Also, protect yourself and never pay before you have checked over the work. I am not saying to drag things out, because everyone wants to be paid in a timely way, but make sure that you are receiving the value and quality you expected, and what you were promised.

Only you can decide if the work you receive from your freelancer is up to snuff or not. Guru isn't going to impose their view on you in that respect. But they will do all the investigation necessary to determine if you have worked with the freelancer to rectify the situation prior to a dispute being created. To this end they encourage the use of the PM system and open communication because that gives them a basis for investigation. Communication via email is useless in a dispute, because they have no access to it. Always use the PM system for your project messaging. It's your record. It's your proof.

:)

Hello, Frank.

If you are paying the Freelancer a fixed price, they won’t be incentivized to string the project along. If the Freelancer is getting a fixed price for the project, it is in his best interest to finish as quickly as possible to maximize his compensation per unit of time spent. If you pay him hourly, his incentive is to string the project along. He maximizes his compensation by taking as much time as possible.

That said, you can use Time Tracker to stay on top of your hourly projects and you can cut ties with the Freelancer at the first sign of trouble.

Either way, let the Freelancer know that you’re only using SafePay. The Freelancer will then be required to create and submit a Project Agreement. You will approve or decline the Project Agreement based on the content. Once the Project Agreement is approved, the Freelancer will create and you will pay the SafePay request.

When paying a SafePay request, you are paying http://Guru.com. We pay the Freelancer only after you approve the work. If the work is not completed as is outlined in the Project Agreement, you can ask the Freelancer to release the funds back to you. If the Freelancer disputes your request, we will provide dispute resolution services.

I can make no guarantees regarding an arbitration ruling, if it were to go that far. The arbitrators take a number of factors into consideration. Including whether the each party responded to questions in a timely manner, whether the scope of the project changed, whether any portion of the project was delivered, etc.

I hope this helps. Let us know if you have more questions.