Rajan S., 45’s Story
“On Freelancer.com, the developer can return the money and himself close the project. And that is even though it was my project, and I paid for it! So, he returned the $250 from the escrow, closed the project, and I couldn't even leave feedback!”
Rajan S., 45, a key member of a med-tech blog team, navigates the bustling Singapore job market with a keen eye for efficiency. For years, ScriptLance served as his reliable gateway to freelance talent, a platform that consistently delivered. But when ScriptLance folded into Freelancer.com, Rajan steps into an arena that he quickly finds fraught with peril for clients like himself, discovering a system he believes offers little to no protection.
His latest search leads him to NovaStudios, a developer advertising a US base and stellar ratings. Rajan, trusting the platform's perceived vetting, swiftly pays 75% of the $1250 budget – a decision he now deeply regrets. What follows is a three-month ordeal of stalled work, an unresponsive developer, and critical site crashes. Despite eventually restoring their site from a database backup, no tangible work ever materialises.
The true shock arrives when Rajan initiates a dispute. He discovers a system, reportedly based out of Australia and Singapore, that grants the developer unprecedented power. "On Freelancer.com, the developer can return the money and himself close the project. And that is even though it was my project, and I paid for it!" Rajan recounts, his voice tinged with frustration. "So, he returned the $250 from the escrow, closed the project, and I couldn't even leave feedback!"
Rajan's experience echoes a disturbing pattern reported across online forums and review sites concerning Freelancer.com. While the platform boasts a 4.4/5 Trustpilot rating from a large volume of reviews, numerous online accounts detail "bad experiences," allegations of "scams," and concerns over client protections, sometimes even mentioning freelancers being fired without clear cause. These individual stories, like Rajan's, paint a starkly different picture of a system that can leave clients feeling cheated and powerless.
The incident leaves Rajan not only $250 out of pocket but profoundly shaken. To add insult to injury, his site is hacked just days after the dispute concludes, cementing his perception of the platform as "crazy or evil." For clients in Singapore's competitive freelance landscape, Rajan's story serves as a stark reminder of the hidden risks and the critical need for robust client safeguards on global platforms, highlighting how a system designed for convenience can, at times, become a conduit for exploitation.
Multiple online reports describe significant negative experiences for users on the Freelancer.com platform, including freelancers being fired, sometimes without clear cause, and frequent allegations of scams, incomplete work, or generally 'bad experiences' for both those hiring and those seeking work.
Unnamed online sources, likely forums and review sites, contain numerous complaints. There are at least 5 mentions related to users being fired or experiencing layoffs, and 7-8 instances where users describe 'bad experiences' or explicitly label the platform as a 'scam'. A Trustpilot rating of 4.4/5 from 18K reviews is also noted for the platform overall.
This story is sourced from public online forums and recreated editorially based on what was reported. Names have been anonymized. Company intelligence is aggregated from public reviews — it represents community sentiment, not verified fact. Nothing here constitutes legal, HR, or employment advice.