An Open Letter to People Per Hour: Please Comment Below on Payments
Dear People Per Hour,
I wanted to let you know just how much havoc, chaos and panic you have caused in my life since you announced your decision to subject us to the new payment clearance process and times. If you are a freelancer reading this, please comment below so we can try to support each other and so that we can let PPH know what damage this is causing us and that we, as freelancers, are not only the lifeblood of the platform but also real people with real lives and families to support.
I am a freelancer, but I am also a single parent to two young children. We have all lived through a year and a half of the most disruptive time in any of our lives due to the pandemic. I am sure it hasn’t escaped PPH’s attention that freelancers have had a rough ride during this time. I am mainly referring to the UK here as that is where I am from, but I am sure these problems are global for freelancers. As freelancers, we did not enjoy the benefits of furlough, of the Job Retention Scheme and many of us were not eligible for government grants or benefits. As we start to move out of the pandemic, many of us are reeling from the effects and have now been served a huge blow by PPH-a platform that is supposed to support us as freelancers and make our lives easier-by making us wait up to 18 days to receive money we have earned and worked hard for.
I don’t know about other freelancers, but my family relies solely on the money I earn from PPH and we live from invoice payment to invoice payment. We don’t live beyond our means, there is only me earning money and I work very hard.
On Friday, I came to the realisation that due to the new payment clearing processes, we did not have enough food to last us the weekend, let alone 18 more days. My rent was due on Friday, and I have not been able to pay that. So, we are hungry and on top of that I am now really anxious about not paying my rent. I earnt enough money this month to pay my rent and buy us food and everything on top, but it is sitting in my PPH account, and I cannot access it. This morning, my son’s school had to arrange a delivery from our local food bank. I have never, ever had to ask for anything like this before, but we had no choice.
I have not heard anything from PPH that makes me understand why they are doing what they are doing. I simply do not believe that in the world of instant payments, high tech and on-demand services why they need to hang on to our money for 18 days. It just won’t work for me in the long term, but at the moment, I am wondering what we will do in four days’ time when the food runs out, when I can’t pay my internet bill leading me not being able to work at all and when the stress of this will just be too much to bear.
I hope people don’t think I am being overdramatic, for some freelancers this will just be a frustrating experience, but for some of us, this is having real life, damaging effects on our lives and the lives of the people we love- and I am sure I am not alone.
Please comment below and tell PPH how this is affecting your life if you can.
Yours Sincerely,
Meri Williams
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@Yury
You are so right man, I think the same. I bet that at least the %90 of the freelancers are doing less than 1000 £, much less. Projects, with feu exceptions are dancing around 50 - 200 and dozens of people fighting for the bite. Jobs are awarded randomly, many employers look for cheap but not for excellence, for quality. I have a high level in artistic cartography and maps designs and never, ever I reached even 1000/month during 10 years.
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When they raised the fees a few years ago they hit the low earners first, then the people who had low earnings in any month and then they introduced it to everybody. Even people who are not affected now should take notice of it. If this is what's causing the work to drop, it is affecting the high earners now.
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@you all
I still believe this as a strategy. Nobody will take off this hunch from my mind. They put this to 14 days and... after disturb all the community with this crap they will be so nice, so sweet, such adorable and will reconsider this to 7 days. The community will be so happy even the 48 hours are trash now and they won. In 1 month nobody will talk again about this affaire. Remember me.
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@Florin, ALL.
Yes. As lo ng as there is fire at someone's ass, do you think she or he can sleep or even lead any sort of normal life (as we humans live it)? Nah! That said, here's my promised report. Stay tuned for more naming and shaming. I'm good - really good - at making bad people sorry and watch for their asses.
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@ALL.
And since PPH has done nothing - nothin' - about their payment policy or for that matter anything about their CS and platform management, I think it's high time to listen - collectively - to Stevie Wonder's masterpiece "You Haven't Done Nothin'":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjs_sHwMj-0
[This is an oldie that, with some community help, has been nicely enhanced, although some Chinese subtitling at the intro is a little bit distracting but, overall, this is a masterpiece]
Enjoy.
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@ALL.
Share as much as you can and across as many channels you can and find: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, LinkedIn, etc.
It takes one user a few seconds to share a post or a link. By sharing more, your shared posts or link literally multiply as many - so many - really read and re-share your posts and links. PPH is going to be a global trend soon.
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PPH has lost its integrity as far as I am concerned Meri. Its long term freelancers and top sellers have helped grow the business yet it has failed to recognise and appreciate us. I very much rely on my PPH income (I’m the sole bread winner trying to support 2 kids and a disabled husband) but will not be bidding for work on PPH unless specifically invited until they change their policy. PPH has broken their contract with me. They have held my money to ransom and would not release it without me having to accept their terms even though I had contracts open that were agreed before they suddenly changed their T&Cs.
I’m disgusted with how we’ve been treated.
Mickey Mouse MANAGMENT I’m afraid who don’t work with integrity. Even though not working on the website will lose me income they don’t deserve my money.
Please do add my name to the open letter.
Caroline Hill
TOP CERT | TOP ENDORSED | SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER | DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER -
@ALL
It doesn't make sense regarding our money stuck on PPH to be allowed to be use for buying services from freelancers and other PPH offerings.
PPH quote
Some freelancers have asked why they can spend the money freely on PeoplePerHour while their funds are in clearing. This is because we can retrieve any funds spent on PeoplePerHour products, if any red flags occur during the clearing period.
End quote
So this mean the freelancer who has been paid for a job, with funds that are held for clearance of the buyer. Could be taken by PPH if they deem it unclean money? This wouldn't be fair or ethical. This doesn't make any sense PPH. You are willing to use unclean funds to pay for freelance services which you then could take the money? Even if the service/job has been completed?
Am I missing something here? It makes no sense at all to me.
Any clarification from PPH would be welcome.
I also will be slowing down my job proposals on PPH and spending more time on my other income strategies.
Kind regards
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@ALL.
I'm glad more and more people are waking up to the reality of PPH. Now it's enough to stop at this point and just go. PPH MUST pay a price. It's not that freelancers will get any immediate monetary gain but that by being proactive and assertive about your rights, you set standards and make PPH an example for all platforms that might think they can get away with anything.
I'm not going to let them have a break. I'm exercising all pressure on all sides. It'd be great it some, or better still all of you, exercise all sort of pressure, to bring PPH on their knees. It takes you only a few seconds to do so. I'm even willing to pay money from my own pocket to write a guest post in a or publish a book (as I'm currently doing) about PPH LONG abuse.
Abusive Freelancing should not enjoy any impunity.
You all may have watched that video where George Floyd had his neck under a police officer's neck and he was barely able to yell, "I can't breathe."
Now, I ask you all not to give up and to make PPH unable to breathe. Unlike an inhumane police officer, we freelancers at PPH are cutting the lifeline of PPH to ensure abuse has no place in honest and ethically profitable freelancing.
LET PPH BURN. LET PPH DIE NOT BEING ABLE TO BREATHE.
Fight. Share. Keep Your Pressure. Do Not Give Up.
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