Have You Been Cheated by Employers as a Freelancer in India? Let's Discuss Solutions

Cheating Self-Employed Professionals: A Growing Concern

Cheating self-employed professionals has become rampant. Employers getting work done from self-employed professionals or freelancers either don't pay at all or pay less, citing some excuses and making loads of false promises. The self-employed professional has no choice but to trust the employer and does not have the time and money to pursue a legal case.

I have myself been cheated a couple of times as a freelancer as I trust easily. Most recently, I was deceived by a young entrepreneur named Parampreet Channana, who runs a blog called TechieSense. I wrote blog articles for him, and although he paid 50% in advance, he disappeared for a month without making the balance payment for services rendered. After continuously pursuing him, he paid, but not the full amount, stating that it was a discount, whereas I hadn't offered any such discount. Such individuals seek to hire good writers but for a lower price, and if they don't pay less, they make false promises and cheat. Such people are completely unethical and should not be allowed to conduct business.

I have come across sites (like the initiative by NASSCOM) wherein employee background checks, etc., are conducted and have also heard of employee blacklisting in many places. What we also need is employer blacklisting so that others will not fall prey to such cheats. If there is such a site in India, please let me know. If not, we should create one.

Regards

As a fellow freelancer, your post caught my attention. However, before I respond, I have a simple question. You disclosed your client's name in the post but chose to withhold your own. Why this dichotomy?

Understanding Business Intricacies

In the realm of business, understanding its intricacies is crucial. Do you request Purchase Orders (POs) on your company's letterhead? When submitting quotes, do you specify the quality parameters for assessing your work? Failing to do so could be seen as unprofessional behavior.

While it's true that there are unethical individuals in every field, labeling all entrepreneurs as cheaters based on a few bad experiences is overly generalized. Personal encounters with dishonest training companies, for example, don't indicate that all training companies operate unethically.

If clients have deceived you as a freelancer, there's a risk of facing similar situations when you establish your own company.

If you've been defrauded multiple times, it suggests difficulty in distinguishing between trustworthy and untrustworthy individuals. Prioritize learning to differentiate between the two.

Thanks,

Dinesh V Divekar

Dear Mr. Dinesh,

I have a habit of using my pen name for most purposes (brand building *wink). Thank you for your insight. The recent client in question does not have a company to his name; he is a blogger for whom I used to ghostwrite. Your points are valid. I have not been unprofessional. I had sent across an SOW to him stating all terms and conditions prior to working with him and always insisted on 50% advance payment for the weekly work. Since the arrangement was supposed to be long-term, I accepted that I would take the advance before starting work and the balance payment after delivering the completed work. There has to be an element of trust when you are going to work long-term, so when he said there would be a delay in payment, I trusted him and waited. However, the issue is not only about money, but also about the fact that he made big promises. He would agree on a certain amount for the work, then again start haggling and holding my previous payment until I succumbed to his demands. Yes, the mistake is entirely mine. I trusted him again. The first time it happened, I told him I would sever ties with him, but he apologized profusely (you should see his messages), and I decided to give him another chance. Big mistake.

I am not painting every company/entrepreneur with the same brush. I have had good experiences with many, but I wanted to highlight this particular person since he laughed it off when I said I will take action. I feel there is a need to identify and expose such people so that others do not fall prey to them, and at least fearing defamation, they will refrain from any further activities. Of course, the system will have to be well thought out as there can be false complaints.

Regards,
Karuna Rao
Freelance writer and IT Solution Consultant

You mentioned that you had sent him the Statement of Work (SOW) before commencing the writing blog assignments. However, what remains to be seen is whether this SOW can withstand scrutiny under the Indian Contracts Act, 1872. Since you were engaging with a freelancer on the other end, it would have been prudent to establish a formal agreement on bond paper. Within this agreement, you could have clearly outlined the process flow from the initiation of the writing blog request to the payment clearance. Such an agreement would have added credibility to your position.

In the course of my business, I have engaged numerous professionals for training-related activities, including individuals from IIT. Nevertheless, I have never disappointed anyone. Your point about trust in your post is valid. At some point, we must place trust in others. If we approach everything skeptically, progress may be hindered.

Consider this experience a lesson and exercise caution in future dealings. Additionally, I noticed a discrepancy in both of your posts. In the first, you criticized entrepreneurs/employers strongly. In the second, you clarified that the individual you interacted with was a freelancer. Therefore, before sharing posts on public platforms, it is essential to conduct an "accuracy-check" or "consistency-check" on your content.

Thank you,

Regards,
Dinesh V. Divekar