RentaCoder – Honest Review!
It has been over a year that I have been part of Rent A Coder, both as a buyer and as a seller. I have taken the time in helping clients with their SEO & link building and have been fortunate (and unfortunate) to work with good and not-so-good coders.
This review is especially in regards to certain accusations that people seem to have made again Rent A Coder. I would like to tell everyone that I am in no way affiliate with RAC (other than the fact that I get my work done on their website).
Rent A Coder is a great example of an online workplace, where coders and buyers meet. As far as I know, their service has been nothing but great. Due to RAC, I have had over 5 websites designed as well as countless SEO work done at a fraction of the cost I would pay anywhere else.
That being said, let us look at some of the misconceptions regarding Rent A Coder:
1. RAC charges a fee of over 40%: This post can be found here
This allegation is simply wrong. I know for a fact that RAC charges 15% of the total revenue exhanging hands between the buyer and sellers. If you hand out a bonus, the charge is 10%. The person writing this post is simply incorrect and does not have a good grasp on RACs policies.
2. RAC sides with buyers or sellers on arbitrations:
Well, as far as I can tell, both sides are treated equally. A lot of coders seem to think that RAC is biased against them. I personally think that RAC holds coders strictly into account because coders provide the service (on which RAC runs) and a dis-satisfied client is bad business. Also, before a coder accepts a bid, he has to sign an agreement that he has read all terms & conditions and knows them inside out.
Buyers, on the other hand, are in a stronger position because they supply the projects (and the cash) and get disgruntled when the work is not done properly.
So yes, it is the coders which lose most of the arbitration, not because of RAC but because they failed to do the job properly.
3. RAC is trying to save its coders, even though they are not certified:
First of all, a lot of coders are certified. They can take online exams, which become a part of their profile. Secondly, RAC does not discriminate with either side. If you do your work properly, RAC has no reason to intervene.
I think that RAC is a great resource for buyers and sellers alike. Coders would not be able to find good work had freelancing websites not been there. And buyers would not get cheap, efficient work done if they were to run from place to place trying to find the right person to do the job.
I couldn’t agree more. My experience as an employer has been very good, as well as beneficial on both side of the equation. Those who have worked for me have been productive and satisfied, and I’ve gotten what I needed at a fair price.
There will always be people who carp and complain. You won’t hear from satisfied customers as often, and that’s sad.
Complaints against RAC? It is an unfair playing field. You give them a good recommendation because they bring you work that more than pays your bills. But what if the shoe is on the other foot and they are your own country men sending all the work that you could be doing to a country which works for far less per hour than you? Do you really think you can compete against a programmer who is as good as you are but works for 1/4th the cost of what you work for? Tell me if you would be happy with your own country men sending a large percentage of your jobs to another country? You certainly agree with your own country men being accountable to your country don’t you? We have a responsibility to our own country right?
Is it pakistan’s responisbilty to take care of other countries? Well the USA seems to take care of everybody else. But right now it seems like they are more concerned with taking care of every body, but damn those of us who work hard.
RentACoder’s arbitration system seems pretty fair to me. Everyone I have spoken to says the system is pretty fair and treats buyers and sellers roughly equally. This is an oft-underlooked attribute of these freelancing sites, and it is important to be fair in these decisions.
JP,
I hear you, but that’s the way the world is. We don’t get to compete locally anymore but internationally. Fortunately, the best still rise to the top and make a decent living on these kinds of sites. The ones who don’t want to put in the work or think their work is worth more than others are the complainers.