vWorker has recently conducted case studies of successful employers and workers on the site. During the next few weeks, we’ll be releasing a new story each week; describing the story of how an employer was able to use vWorker to develop/enhance their business or how a worker is able to financially support themselves through the work earned on vWorker.
Ali Khalid:
Ali Khalid (screen name: Ali Khlaid 345) is a virtual worker from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Ali found himself unemployed in the middle of a brutal recession. So he tried numerous things on the internet to try to scrape by. Unfortunately, he lost money on the worst, and even the best did not give him enough income to support himself. Desperate and extremely skeptical, he tried vWorker. To his surprise, not only did he win a project on his first day, but he also was paid as promised. Today, he works full-time on the site and can fully support himself.
Ali shared the following with us about his experiences working on vWorker.
1. Why did you start working on vWorker? How did you find vWorker?
Let me start by saying that I am extremely glad for writing about my vWorker experience. I started working on this site on July 7, 2010 and since then it has been a pleasant experience.
Pakistan is going through real tough time, and most of the companies are cutting down their employees; hence it is very hard to find a job here. Like many other unemployed people, I tried working on the net, using Adsense, Adbrite, etc., but the money I received from them was not enough. It was good for a passive income stream, but a main income stream needs to be good enough to fully serve my needs.
In a state of extreme distress, the idea of freelancing hit me. I did a hectic search on the internet for freelance sites. I visited more than 30 freelancing websites and then selected vWorker and two others. I made an account on all the three sites and posted bids on the projects I thought I was capable of doing. I decided wherever my bid was selected first, I would start working on that site.
On the very first day, I was awarded a project for $5. When the fees were subtracted, I received only $2. The fee was a downside, but the escrow touch impressed me very much. (vWorker editor's note: there is a minimum $3 fee on all projects, which is what Khalid ran into. This fee is described to you on the bidding confirmation page.) After working for the first month, I was skeptical of even receiving the money that I had earned on the site (I am one of the people who have been scammed on the internet a number of times), but vWorker sent me all of the funds, and as according to their promise, the payment was sent between the 1-7 of August.
When I started working on vWorker, I was very skeptical. I searched Google again and again, reading all the reviews about vWorker. With intensive Google search, I learned that vWorker does not have any scam complaints on the internet…because vWorker does not scam, and does not let anyone scam.
I am writing this testimonial to show my gratitude to vWorker. Currently, I am working full time on the site and making good money.
2. What advice do you have for others who are starting the same way you did?
One thing for the newbies in freelancing; start with vWorker. vWorker protects its workers and employers. As a newbie to the freelancing industry, you will not be able to differentiate between a scam and a real employer, and hence you may be scammed again and again on other freelancing sites. I will add this note here; I have not been scammed even once on vWorker.
3. What is your favorite feature on vWorker?
Escrow; I have not seen any other site with this feature. I cannot stress enough, how much I love the escrow concept. Hats off to the person who thought of using escrow on vWorker!
There is another feature that I like; it is the monthly payment method, where payments are only sent two times in a month. I love it.
4. What has been your experience in mediation/arbitration?
I have had only two arbitrations where I was unable to come to terms with the employer. In one, the employer won (I was at fault in that). In the other one, the employer got scared as soon as I filed the case, and he instantly released all the funds.
5. Do you have any tips/tricks/secrets about vWorker that you’ve learned that you’d like to share?
It all boils down to how capable you are; make a niche and master it to be successful.
6. Do you have interesting stories about employers or projects you’ve completed that you’d like share?
There are a lot. Many of my employers are now like my friends, and they regularly give me work. There is one employer with whom I have made a very good professional acquaintance, and he also wrote a recommendation for my university admission. I have also had a great experience with the whole vWorker team: Ashley O’Dell, Tina McElroy, Michael Legato, and the other arbitrators/facilitators.
There is another interesting story about vWorker that I would like to share. I once posted a comment on the vWorker blog about my payment. The blog thread where I posted the comment was completely irrelevant; I was new then, and did not realize it. I did not even give my email id in the comment, but the vWorker team reached me with the answer at my email address. It was really surprising for me to see that a company is so dedicated to serve its workers.
In the end, I have always found the vWorker team to be extremely professional, polite, and helpful.
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