I will NEVER - EVER use guru.com to find workers again.

I'm sorry to hear of your experiences. I assure you, there are a lot of freelancers, professional freelancers here on Guru. I hope you reconsider and give Guru another try. Some advice that may help you, whether here or someplace else. - Be a "good" employer. Don't sneak in more work then what was agreed upon. - and finally, give as much detail as you can concerning your project. Saying something like, I want a story with pop, and excitement about a family isn't going to help a freelancer, professional or not, to convey what you actually want.

Make sure your budget is in line with the type and amount of work you need done. - Don't choose the lowest proposal. - Look at the freelancer's profile, (skills, experience, qualifications and feedback/reviews. - Take a look at a freelancers portfolio to see examples of their work. - Look at how many jobs the've done. Don't always choose a freelancer because they have SO many jobs, they may be outsourcing the work. - Choose a freelancer that's in the same country as you so that you get the same grammatical and sentence structure - Call them up and talk to them. You can get a very good feel if they are the right person to work on your job. Ask them questions, listen to how they respond.

There are freelancers, who are totally professional, who ask for "upfront" money. They need that for supplies, research and other items that they need in order to work. (such as ghostwriting a book, it's customary to receive an advance, photo or video work it's customery to get an advance (to rent equipment, book a studio etc). I kind of don't like it, but it is done.

Finally set milestones, remain in contact, keep open communication.

I think there's a lot to be learned from this situation. First, don't give deposits to people you don't know. Use escrow!!! Second, establish communication early on, like before awarding a project, so you can see if you've found a good fit. and Third, there's nothing wrong with searching for freelancers and inviting them to your project. If you don't have any proposals that you like, go out and find the best person for you. Also, if price is your only consideration, you are not going to fare well, especially with writing.

I do not work in the writing category nor have I hired writers. What I tend to do with a new client who refuses to give a deposit, and many do, and I accept that, is to take baby steps at first. I tell them I will complete such-and-such, and then want a small payment of X dollars. I go ahead and set up the script and configure it, which might take a few hours for me, and then I want payment for those hours (or whatever % of the project I have completed). That way, the person learns to trust me and I see whether he's going to pay, or fuss, or disappear. If I go away afterward and don't continue work, he at least has a new store that he can find someone else to customize, upload products, whatever and he's paid for that but nothing more. If he disappears then I'm only out a few hours and he's got the karma zombies zoning in on his butt. I can live with the risk or I wouldn't do it.

When both of us see that things are going well, then a reasonable deposit can be made and and I can keep working toward completion. I know he'll pay me, and he knows I can and will do the work, so it becomes a lot easier to interact with each other. Also, phone calls help. I commonly make phone calls when starting a project to get someone's ideas, find out more details and get a good feel for what kind of person the employer is. Plus, a lot of people just can't handle email and skype so they want calls. Another good idea that Betsy mentioned is to exchange full contact information right off the bat. Then you're not just a name or ID on a website, you are a real person that someone can get in touch with. If you just implement a few small policies, you will find that your experience here at Guru .com can be quite rewarding.

I'm sorry to hear about your experience with the writers however I can assure you there are tons of professional freelancers on Guru who are capable of completing projects.

I don't agree with the payment up front part at all, that should have been a warning. Safepay is sufficient and payment should be set up in milestones so you can see the progression of the work being done.

Lastly... when choosing a freelancer it is up to the employer to do their due diligence and make sure you're hiring an able bodied individual. You can ask for samples and most importantly you need to look at their profile and read reviews from previous clients. Also, if you selected the cheapest bids you received, that could be another reason why you ended up with the results you received which is a common complaint by employer's. Sure the price is great however as the saying goes... you get what you pay for.