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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Agreed Roger. Having said this whole time that I wouldn't be looking for work outside PPH, I now am and have secured some. I am also now prioritising this work ahead of any booked in work I have for PPH clients, because they are willing to pay me up front. I always said I wouldn't because I could never generate the leads that PPH does- but there is no work on the platform at the moment. I wonder how many of us are doing this. It's just really bad business sense from PPH.
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I really don't get your problem @mohamed
No one is being abused? If you are not happy then like others on the thread diversify and move to other platforms rather than be so negative. The communication from support is very poor but let's be truthful that most freelancers outside of platforms and work directly with clients impose a 30-day invoice fee (which even then they struggle to get on time) and all the other freelancer sites have a very similar commission or clearing processes. All you are doing is making it harder for people who do want to use the site
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@Adam, yeah we've said this to him many times, but he doesn't seem to want to listen to the fact that this isn't about destroying PPH, this is about asking them to consider their freelancers in their operations. Also, comparing this situation to ANYTHING to do with George Floyd? Totally inappropriate.
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@Rachel, Adam.
So, now that you've received - time and again - many messages from PPH that they do not give a damn about you, who is negative now? I'm being positive to do some change but what do you do guys?
@Rachel.
George Floyd is a metaphor, Rachel. I guess you already know what I mean and if you do not, this is what I mean: You, Rachel and may others, cannot breathe because your livelihoods are at risk. Hope this clear clarification does not escape you, too. Let me know I need to explain more.
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Totally agree Adam and Rachel
I've refrained from commenting too much on Mohammed's post in case it gets out of hand, but really what's the good of revenge? I'd hate to see PPH brought down. I despair at the negative postings on Trust Pilot because it does nothing to bring in new custom. I'm somewhat used to 30 day payments as I have many clients outside of PPH, but I did rely on smaller jobs to tick over. How are new clients supposed to find us if we're not on these platforms? The others are similar, if not worse with unrealistic projects. There's a smattering of determination at play here which I don't like at all. Please protect PPH for all of us. The 'I'm alright, Jack, attitude' is rather selfish. Please don't make life any harder for us all.
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@Nancy.
That's fine, Nancy. You do not have to be associated with me. It's your right. It's my right too to defend my views and fight for them. That said, I'm all to willing to help you in any way I can. You're not someone I'm against. You're in the same place, just as many freelancers here are. Respect.
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@Rahcel, Nancy, Adam.
AGAIN. You've seen it many many times that PPH do not give a damn, and since it's "not a literal life or death situation" as you say, so what's the heck this is all about then? Why all of the sudden Rachel, Adam, Nancy remembered that so many other sites follow the same policies, if not ones with more longer payment periods, and they are now complaining about, or pretend to complain about, communication and CS? If it's the latter, so why did not you all guys keep your complaints private to CS if you still believe in them? Why are you coming here and talking to us other freelancers who are in the same place as you are?
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@Mohamed- we have got the point loud and clear about PPH not caring about us- and we aren't stupid, we know they don't. But what you are missing is that for many years, we have cared about PPH and our clients on the platform and we need it to work. Actually, out of everyone, it seems that you are the person who devotes most of their time caring about PPH with long-winded posts. Do you know, at one point yesterday I wondered if you were a plant, planted in here by PPH to make us look disorganised, unprofessional and unhinged. I really did.
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No, Nancy doesn't have to be associated with you Mohamed, but she does have to suffer the consequences of this somewhat obsessive idea of destroying the platform. Meri has said many times we've all been very entertained by you at point. But you swing wildly between making light of the situation (which are the parts I have enjoyed), and being hell-bent on revolution (which I think only one or two others have sided with you on), and the rest of the time is trying to appease your fellow freelancers who you think you've annoyed??
The point of this letter was to highlight that PPH is important to a lot of us, and we NEED it to work. Maybe you don't - great. And yes, maybe some of us have learnt lessons about diversifying now, probably to the detriment of PPH, and that's the price they will have to pay. But just a belligerent mission to "punish" them (which you won't, ultimately, they will do what they want to do), is ONLY HARMING THE PEOPLE WHO STILL NEED TO GET SOME INCOME FROM PPH. It isn't slave labour (again, another inappropriate metaphor), we aren't begging them for mercy, no one is DYING HERE. We are just asking for TRANSPARENCY, and REASONABLE TERMS. NONE OF WHICH WE WILL GET IF THEY ARE DESTROYED OR IF CLIENTS ARE DRIVEN AWAY.
You are not helping anyone. There is nothing being ACHIEVED here. GAAAAHHHHHHH.
ok, rant over. But seriously. This isn't just me is it?? Has this thread finally driven me mad??
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Mohamed, I came here originally to complain about the lack of transparency, the lack of advance warning of these new policies. I know PPH don't care about us, but I care about being able to command new clients ongoing. I don't like the other sites. Like I've asked, how does bringing the site down help us freelancers in any way?
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@Nancy, ALL.
I'm helping you by putting all pressure on PPH to change their policy. As you can see, they do not give a damn to your voices. Plus, you've already seen they've disabled the chat functionality. doesn't that just run against their very last "Community" message to Meri yesterday, that they will work more on their communication? So, how on earth you think messaging us, who are in the same place as you are, will help you change PPH policy?
I'll never get bored to get my message across. If anyone still wonder why I'm doing what I'm doing, please ask. I believe in what I do. So, I am all too willing to explain anything that appears puzzling to some or many but is all too obvious to me.
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I believe @mohamed the situation should have been handled better. If they informed freelancers and given notice (i.e 3 months) then this situation would not have happened. I have always said PPH, in my opinion, is the best and easiest site to use, however, their customer support has always been non-existence and when something goes wrong it tends to go drastically wrong. All long terms freelancers on the site will no there have always been issues with the payment system (if I recall a few years ago it was nearly 2 weeks due to a system error). But the benefits of the freelancers site are massive with the opportunity to make money and get customers without the need to spending vasts some on marketing budgets or SEO.
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@Nancy.
Ah! That's your soundbites:
"I know PPH don't care about us" and " I don't like the other sites."
So, you already know PPH does not give a damn and you still see value in PPH compared to other sites. So, it's not PPH's problem, Nancy, that a freelancer who wants to enjoy the "perks" but complains when things do not go her way. Cannot you see that PPH is like any other employer can do what he chooses to do but workers can voice their concerns in many ways? All of us have already played it nice but it did not work. So, what? Will you still kiss the ass of someone you do not like?
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@Meri, ALL.
A plant? Well, I do not deny I've some "spying" skills but I've not gone so low to be PPH's spy on you guys. If I have any choice, I would spy in style, not online but offline. This is really totally conspiracy theory. (@Meri: I believe this "plant" thing will add more spice to my planned book. Thank you.)
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Stability isn't a perk. It's not kissing anybody's ass as you put it. That's so overdramatic. I've made this point three times, as have others - we want potential clients to find us, and as PPH is / was better than others, I'd like them to continue posting. Why is that so difficult to understand? I am trying to protect my family, thank you
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Mohamed, you can't just hand grenade the whole thing when you don't get the answer you want straight away...that is childish, and, frankly, bonkers. We need PPH to communicate with us, but this was never going to be resolved within 4 days of raising the issue here. Can you just back off until more time has passed - the more rantings they see, the less inclined they will be to communicate with us like reasonable adults, because you cannot take most of what you've said SERIOUSLY. Can i just remind you of your opening prelude to this thread when you speculated whether PPH staff were dead and the whole thing was now automated? Like...COME. ONNNNNNNNN.
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@Rachel, ALL.
Interesting post about my "wild swinging." Now what? PPH do not listen and we are here talking to ourselves. What do any of you guys suggesting we play nice think should be done then? (Apart of me being a plant, which is a lovely idea I'm thinking to give it a little bit of a spin. Thank you, Meri.)
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Mohamed,
I'd advise you do what you have to do in silence.
I've seen “foreigners”, “east Asians”, etc.
Now that someone has suspected that you might be a “plant” it won't be long before another calls you an extremist or religion comes into play. Someone is thinking about it, trust me.
I'm out of here!
I wonder what the complain was about if “other freelance sites are doing it”
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@Paulson- I think I am talking for everyone in this thread when I say that NOBODY had thought of Mohamed as an 'extremist' or anything religion-based until you just said it. That is really insulting to both Mohamed and the rest of us and think you should retract your statement and apologise to Mohamed and everyone else on this thread. Until Mohamed said he was based in Egypt, I had assumed he was British like many of us here.
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@Rachel, ALL.
"Can you just back off until more time has passed..."
This reminds me of my French ex girlfriend (used to have many girlfriends actually - are not spies, a la James Bond, supposed to have many women around them anyways?) who, despite all France's revolutionary history, asked me to "calm down" when I got irritated because my ice cream was late?
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And P.S- when I found out he was from Egypt, it changed nothing. For me as a writer, it is someone's command of English I notice and Mohamed is clearly fluent in English and writes very well it would have been impossible for me to tell. Mohamed knows the problems we have with what he is doing, and I hope he knows that NONE of it is based on where he is from.
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@Meri, Paulson, ALL.
I'm so fine guys. I'm so open minded and I do not mind you call me whatever you want. It'd not stick anyways. Plus, many people really get deceived by my writing style (and my accent, when I speak) because i sound like a "foreigner" (that's a foreigner to Egyptians). That said, I'm good at role play because that's, somehow I make a living anyways. Just do not bother. I do not mind anyone calling me anything. I know who I am anyways.
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@Meri, ALL.
I'm not even at my best here writing English. But thank you for praising my English. You're not the first. It's no wonder, you're not the first too to suspect I'm a "plant." If I were in your place, I'd have said the same, even in a more "crude" way. Meri is just decent. I'm not (and proud.)
So, since I'm starting to have some readership and fan base here because of my "fluency," who is interested to read my planned book about PPH which I have shared an excerpt of (and will share more later today) in an earlier post?
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Actually I think this last post sums it up for me nicely. This is not about you, Mohamed, except it seems to have become about that. You, your life, your character, your work, your super hero attributes, your ex girlfriends, what anybody else might think about you...none of that is interesting to me, and none of that is relevant to what is going on here. This is not a one-man crusade that you are deciding the course of - if other freelancers have respectfully and repeatedly asked you to discontinue in sabotaging their livelihoods, you should respect them enough to concede to that.
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