New system aimed primarily at matching newer sellers with buyers

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1902 comments

  • Aaron

    @Consultopia Law I too in the same boat... CERT4 nearly all my work came from PPH but last 2 - 3 months I get maybe one job a month. now my CERT is dropping.. I asked why to PPH they said: "

    I'm very sorry to hear about this. Unfortunately, it seems that your CERT has dropped due to decayed earnings. Older earnings, and feedback do lose their value to your overall CERT score after some period of time, which is why users need to consistently supplement them with new income/reviews. We can see that you might not have the same rate of earnings as you had at other periods of time since creating your profile, and as a result your CERT score has slightly dropped."

     

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  • Gillian

    They refuse to accept any responsibility in acknowledging that they may be partly responsible for this. I don't mind taking some of the responsibility, but these changes have had a knock on effect on ALL of us. I had a similar response myself. It's like banging your head against a brick wall.

     

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  • Jason

    Dear + PeoplePerHour - why aren't you listening?

    ► Why have you removed the threads or moved them to moderator discussions?

    ► Why are so many people complaining about the ineffectual algorithm you've introduced to match jobs with freelancers?

    ► Why are you launching a system that hasn't been put to or tested on the PPH Community (at least not effectively?

    ► Why are you being so darned fascist?

    ► Why are you avoiding the issue, other than sending a canned response that makes you look even more incompetent than whoever decided setting a 2-hour timeframe for matchees should exist, whilst blocking out potential freelancers waiting for work who are eminently more qualified?

    #GetAGrip  

    Shared with my 20,700 G+ followers: http://bit.ly/PPHGPlusRant2 - if we do't take it off the platform, we'll get nothing out of them. PPH must be held accountable for this ridiculous 'service'.

    Just because one of your tags matches a job, neither means you're available nor that the job is in your niche.

    Google only wants content authorities. If you're not expert in a niche, you cannot hope to write content that will rank. Now, if it had another filter - Copywriter + [Specialist Subject], that might be meaningful.

    In its current state? The algorithm is delaying clients from getting proposals from people qualified to do their work whilst PPH waits for those not qualified to respond. How is this providing a service, on any level?

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  • MindBottling3D

    I too was on CERT4 with a regular stream of work which has declined rapidly since these ridiculous changes.

    Even though I am a CAD designer, yet again I have received bid invitations today for:

    Pattern Grading for Children's Apparel

    New UI for Bingo Site

    Casino Games

    PPH you seriously need to address this issue and stop providing generic cut-and-paste answers to a lot of really pissed off freelancers. If this is not sorted soon I'm off from this site cos I've had enough.

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  • Rebecca

    I haven't had a negative effect on my cert during these changes. In fact, I've gone from a cert level 1 to a cert level 4. However, I have been pulling some very very long hours working for almost literally peanuts just to keep things going.

    Not sure if its anything to do with the recent changes but the quality of jobs and the money people want to pay is getting worse each week. I mainly do admin and business support work so the pay has never been great but lately there's been loads of jobs asking for things like 10,000 email addresses sourced from the Internet for £6 or 1000 products uploaded onto an Ecommerce site manually for £15. They are becoming more ridiculous by the day. I usually report these types of jobs and send feedback that they have a very low budget but I don't think the PPH ninjas do anything at all about them. And what's worse is that people bid on these jobs setting a precedent for other buyers to also post jobs at a very low budget

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  • Alexander

    Pity to read about so many issues here.
    "Sad but true" (c)
    I'm agreed with mostly freelancers here - same things are happened.

    Dear PPH-ninjas, please avoid of a fate of elance & odesk, stop to killing your own nice and modern resource and finally hear us, freelancers who are working for you also.

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  • kushal

    i am getting problm on my account (In order to send a Proposal you should first complete your Seller Application)  I cannot bid  how i can solve my problm .

     

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  • John

    I can't send a Proposal to a job that's not relevant to your skills ??????

    Weird as I have buckets of experience yet cannot submit proposals writing blog entries ?

    What's going on PPH. I am new to you in terms of marketing, sharing and selling my skills but despite winning one project and looks like another will be awarded shortly this blocking is silly.

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  • Gillian

    Just been invited to send a proposal for a job for one and another I've been invited by PPH, both sellers in India, paying £18/£24 for 8 pages of content. I'm appalled, this is getting worse. The writing jobs page is awful, full of low paying jobs. 

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  • Gillian

    Peopleperhour used to be so good, it's such a shame it's gone downhill like this. 

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  • Gillian

    This has to be the best one I've had yet! Somebody want's a male singer for a one off parody? For some reason I've been selected because of my skills in "Singer." What the hell?!!?!!

     

     

    You're one of the most qualified Sellers for the Job "Male singer for a one off parody" because of your skills in Singer *.

    Most Buyers award their Jobs within the first hours. This Job was just posted and seems to be a perfect fit for you. Applying within the next hours also means that you won't use any of your available bid credits. Be quick and get a major advantage against the competition.

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    | Male singer for a one off parody

    Looking for a male singer to record a 2 minute scripted audio. It is a parody so must be happy for a little language and tongue in cheek humour. The song is called 'jaegar' and sung to the tune of yeah.
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  • Paul

    Maybe the system is better than we imagine and that youtube karaoke video in a husky voice has paid off!

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  • Gillian

    Hahaha!  Proof if proof were needed Paul that PPH really has gone truly bonkers! 

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  • Alain

    Well the response to PPH from me is "good bye". "Can I have the money I made for you back before I go"? I had a good time and got good reviews but your site is now useless. Maybe the stupid people joining this site from Pakistan and Bangladesh and undercutting everyone have something to do with this? I have lists and lists of recommendations from people I don't even know of have never worked with who are starring me and endorsing me for nothing!!!! They don't even know me!!! Then they ask for me to star them back or endorse them. All of these people come from Bangladesh or Pakistan. What's up with that? I'm Better off on Odesk and Elance to tell you the truth. 90% of my work comes from there. PPH "Send me a check"

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  • MindBottling3D

    As previously mentioned, I am a computer aided designer and my latest skill match from PPH is for a Professional Tailor.

    WTF? HOW IS THIS MATCHED TO THE SKILLS I OFFER? IM A CAD DESIGNER NOT A TAILOR - ARE YOU PEOPLE STUPID?

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  • Malcolm

    I've never commented on here before, just been reading what seems like a substantial number of complaints about the key words system, 2 hour delay etc, and I have to say that the way PPH works seems 'odd' to me at best. 

    I had a problem whereby I spotted a job that looked interesting, and surprise, surprise, wanted to ask a clarification question.  So, I clicked on the button and got, "You need to submit at least 3 proposals before being able to ask a clarification question".  Really?  In order to submit a proposal, I want/need to have a clear picture of what it is that I'm expected to do.  Or don't I?  Anyway, I posted a question on their helpdesk, and after a day or so, was beginning to wonder if I was going to get a response.  Anyways, got a response back, but before the response, I had actually gone back on and found out that they'd changed the system, without actually telling me.

    So now, I am finding myself in the middle of (and stuck), filling out a seller application form, because now in the 'other skills' section i think, I easily found the right keywords for my skills, however in the main skills section, I seem to be unable to find any skills that match the ones I have already selected.  So something seems very wrong with the way the system works at present.

    All I'm thinking is, they need to sort this FAST, as in LAST YEAR, not in two weeks time, because this is affecting real people's income, RIGHT NOW.

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  • Steve

    wow, it looks like I have joined this site at entirely the wrong time. Whatever this new algorithm they have implemented is basing this on, it's sure making a mess of things.

    As a brand new user there are complete mismatches in what i can and can't apply for even in the same specific sections. What i can take from what I'm saying and what everyone is showing it looks as if it is literally dumping it in sections based on key words the buyers use. This means only either really brief descriptions are open or incredibly specific, well worded briefs are open to me. even then some probably should be but aren't.

    Now i'm reading all this stuff about passports and lost bank details, not to mention the desk donkey stuff. Since PPH have entirely stopped engaging with this conversation and have more or less made it clear that they have no interest in changing this system my question to you guys;

    Is it worth even bothering trying to get started now they have done this? 

    Thanks

    Steve

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  • Alain

    Now they turned my account back on. So I tried to bid a job as a singer which I do I'm a music producer sound designer, composer.......But I'm not aloud to bit because it doesn't fit my profile....This is just crap and these people are wasting my time.!

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  • Pie

    That's the problem, so much time being wasted. If you add together all the hours that all the sellers and buyers have had wasted by this fiasco, lots of head scratching and frustration and not a penny earnt, it would probably run into years. If it wasn't for that, it would be funny to watch it happen and wait to see what pph will manage to cock up next. 

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  • Gillian

    They must be making enough money to justify doing it, or continuing to do it, unless they're just too stubborn to admit they've made a terrible mistake and they're blundering on hoping it'll all work out in the end. I just don't think it will. It'll either end up having to merge with someone else or it'll disappear from view altogether and another bidding site will suddenly take over the scene.

    It's sad really, because they'll lose all the goodwill they've gained over the last few years.

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  • Eric & Karen

    Three funny things.

    Freelancer.com (which I never use but tried) sent me an email ... "Hey haven't seen you in a while, you have 54 bids ... it takes an average of 34 bids to win a job with an average fee of $200."

    Well, that's crazy that they published that. You do the math. If the job is won for $200 (likely a low hourly) and it takes 34 bids, at three minutes to READ and respond to each offer, that's an hour just in bidding. A four hour job is now five hours or $40 an hour. Not bad, unless the $200 is for a 20 hour job. And remember that's their average.

    Next, I did not get my 15 free bids from PPH this month :( Guess at Cert4 I'm no longer worthy. Or it may be because I purchased a bid pack and have some left. Not sure if you get no free bids if you buy any.

    I've gotten no jobs for the last two weeks on Elance, Guru or PPH. Maybe it's a dry spell. Is end of July a bad time to get gigs.

    Lastly, I see my CERT indicator heading toward 3. It's sad ...

     I think PPH is focusing on this DeskDonkie/SuperSlacker site. Maybe their goal is to go up-market. And so PPH is really a vetting farm. The restrictions for new people may slow down the influx of new people. And anyone who only does work here part of the year, may get frozen out due to non0activity. Then, as many are leaving due to the lack of work, in six months, there may be a lot less freelancers here.

    Oh, I guess one last thing, I keep getting all these SEO/Backlink jobs. Anyone what then?

    Eric

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  • Code and More LLP

    Newcomers may not be aware of the problems PPH was trying to solve: one of them was low quality freelancers who bid on any job going regardless of skills. What they really needed to do was tighten up on clarification question spamming, but that takes people and time. I have been having quite an interesting discussion about all this with some other freelancers out of the forums (where we can discuss issues like alternative sites) and I think PPH is going start losing both buyers and sellers.

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  • Gillian

    I wish I knew where all these alternative sites are......

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  • Moira K

    @Gillian We should meet up for a cup of tea some time and exchange notes. I think we live fairly close. Moira K Stone

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  • Gillian

    @moira - North Wales?

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  • Moira K

    Gill - dw i'n byw yn agos iawn i Fangor. M

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  • Gillian

    @Moira - brilliant. Dyma ebost fi pandora.77 wedyn hotmail a wedyn co.uk

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  • Alexander

    Huh! The topic is useful finally! :)

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  • The Commercial Law Partners LLP

    I wish I knew where these sites are for commercial/corporate legal work, business consultancy, web & CRM designers. i an . Bro wn (at) cons utopia dot Co dot UK

    If people want a £20 job doing, they deserve a £20 job, but I will give you an example, there was the requirement for someone wanting a set of corporate profiles written. The poster also required a tag line and three brand name tags too. There were six bidders, all from Pakistan, save one from Bangladesh. I read their profiles, it's something I have been doing since I have noted our work dropping as we have been bid against by marketing specialists, one logo artist, two web designers and one poster designer, all for a company's Terms & Conditions. I am bound to say we were the most suitable being lawyers. However, £60 did even win the job! We have had to stoop so low in our prices to try and increase or even maintain the workload from here. I can only imagine the profiles are not being checked by the client, or the prices being put in are so low, people feel they can take a punt with what their getting

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  • Gillian

    Having looked at other bidding sites, there's seems to be an overall pattern - there's a proliferation of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian writers who are prepared to work for a pittance. I just don't know what the answer is.

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