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Hi folks!
I'm having a pretty major issue with Writerlance.com, and I was hoping someone would have some info or advice for me.
I completed about $675 worth of work through Writerlance over the summer. The clients for whom I worked deposited the money for payment into my Writerlance account in a very timely manner. I requested a payment check from Writerlance in August. Weeks came and went and no check came. I submitted a question through their contact us form (the only way to contact anyone there; there is no other email address, physical address or phone number listed), and over a week later received a response that the check had been mailed. I knew this was not the case, because I looked at my account and the money was still sitting there.
I gave them another week and wrote again. No response. And again. No response. All told I have sent them over six messages asking for the status of my money with no response. I finally wrote them a message last week telling them that if I received no satisfaction on this matter I would contact the BBB. When I tried to log in to my account today, it had been shut down.
$675 is a lot of money, and I worked hard for it. I have no other means of contact with these people. Their domain is held anonymously through DomainsByProxy. I have contacted the clients for whom I worked and let them know what happened, in the hopes that they can lean on these guys, but it really isn't their problem.
Any ideas?
October 24 2007, 05:51:12 UTC 4 years ago
http://www.writersweekly.com/whispers_a
I hope that helps! Good luck!
October 24 2007, 09:44:29 UTC 4 years ago
Anonymous
October 24 2007, 22:14:04 UTC 4 years ago
First, it looks like Angela Hoy is way ahead of us, as usual. (http://forums.writersweekly.com/viewtopic.php?t=6011)
Other people seem to have had problems with them also. (http://www.helium.com/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=259017;sa=showPosts)
A May 24, 2006 press release gives the following company contact info: (http://www.1888pressrelease.com/writerlance-967-company-pr.html)
Phone: 5612623090 (This phone number is a cellphone in Jupiter, FL, registered by Nextel)
Contact: Andy Balasis
Website : http://www.writerlance.com/
If you Google Andy's name, you get many interesting results, but the most important is this one (http://www.aboutus.org/AbleTraveling.com), which lists an address! (the phone number is different in this one, but it's still a cellphone registered to Nextel in Jupiter)
This listing (http://www.siccode.com/viewbus.php?biznum=61723) seems to confirm the previous info.
Oh, and at About Us (http://www.aboutus.org/WriterLance.com), the contact is listed as CapCan Media, Inc. The WHOIS entry for this one (via GoDaddy) is:
Technical Contact:
Grispino, A
sunshinesmilea8@aol.com
P.O. Box 13074
North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 United States
5612623090 (interesting phone number, don't you think?)
I love this message (http://www.scriptlance.com/projects/1141825570.shtml). It's from about the time that Angela Hoy wrote her message about spamming.
Andy and CapCan turn up again on this site (http://allmiamiinfo.com/advertise.html). The WHOIS entry for this site is:
Technical Contact: balasis, andy
andy9192@hotmail.com
126 evernia st
jupiter, Florida 33458 United States
(561) 262-1728
Hope this info helps. Good luck!
Anonymous
October 24 2007, 22:15:14 UTC 4 years ago
July 16 2008, 02:06:22 UTC 3 years ago
October 24 2007, 23:31:22 UTC 4 years ago
December 1 2007, 18:20:56 UTC 4 years ago
Any resolution?
Hi diaphanous,Did you ever get any resolution on your issue with Writerlance? I'm curious what would happen if you mention the "L" word (lawyer) even if it's just a bluff...
J. Wallace
www.freelance-zone.com
December 1 2007, 19:58:37 UTC 4 years ago
Re: Any resolution?
Within the last several days I got in touch with a man who says he is the new owner of Writerlance, and that the man he bought it from in October ripped him off, too. He also mentioned that if I bring my complaint to the media to please leave his name out of it since he didn't own it at the time. On Friday I responded that legally it doesn't matter who owns the company and when; Writerlance as an entity owes me $675 regardless. I have yet to hear back.Anonymous
January 8 2008, 03:33:43 UTC 4 years ago
Re: Any resolution?
are there any other companies like this one? that do the work of course?Anonymous
March 12 2008, 23:52:35 UTC 4 years ago
Re: Any resolution?
I'm caught in the same situation with them right now -- to the tune of $1000. I'm hugely disappointed with Writerlance and if I don't hear any response from them, let's just say the "L" word will be used and not just as a threat.I had won a bid last year from them and although I had to email them to get my payment it was relatively meager... This is rather substantial and my sense of humor has run out.
I'm going to check out the other help agents, such as Angela's site posted.
March 13 2008, 00:03:09 UTC 4 years ago
Re: Any resolution?
Please let me know what happens -- I still have no resolution from them. Thanks!March 15 2008, 18:55:37 UTC 4 years ago
Re: Any resolution?
Yep - got it straightened out... with apologies from the new owner. Full and immediate payment transfer. Problem for me and probably why it totally got to me is it was the third incident like that in two months, immediately following up on the footheels of one that took 6 weeks to resolve to the tune of $2500 (neither of which were with WriterLance, but another companies I freelance with... for some reason, the Gods were against me).Anyway, guess the old owner, Andy, of Writerlance really screwed the new owner more than he could have messed with us and is continuing to do so... rather unscrupulous fellow that Andy fellow is... guess I'm lucky I got paid on the work I did for WriterLance last spring while Andy was still the owner.
I think the new owner, Mike, is doing what he can but I think he's feeling a bit behind the 8 Ball right now. Not justifying is not responding to you, because technically, if a company is bought, you buy all assets and liabilities, fixtures and debts included... but I'm not getting into what their purchase agreement did or did not state...
Good luck.
Anonymous
June 5 2008, 18:06:21 UTC 3 years ago
Re: Any resolution?
Wow..for a bunch of so called educated people ( writers excuse me ) you are so eager to hang someone...remember there is always 3 sides to every story..yours,mine and the truth. I was a freelancer on Writerlance and had nothing but excellent results, maybe this person who says she was owed money, really was not, or maybe she did a crappy job writing ! anyway don't be so quick to judgeJune 5 2008, 22:28:01 UTC 3 years ago
Re: Any resolution?
Hardly. The clients in question hired me for other jobs after the Writerlance fiasco - and paid me promptly. I run my own company, quite successfully, with integrity. I expect the same from those with whom I contract. That is not the experience I had with Writerlance.July 16 2008, 01:11:14 UTC 3 years ago
July 16 2008, 05:36:52 UTC 3 years ago
July 13 2008, 10:47:54 UTC 3 years ago
Anonymous
April 4 2008, 10:54:31 UTC 4 years ago
Re: Any resolution?
Wow........are you guys all so naive ? so anyone can say they are owed money and we all believe it ? two side to every story !!April 4 2008, 17:42:23 UTC 4 years ago
Re: Any resolution?
The only other "side" to this story is that Writerlance did not pay the money owed. I have two clients who have proof that they paid money in, and bank statements that show no money came to me from them. There's your proof.Writers struggle every single day to eke out a living without needing to deal with being taken advantage of people like this, or attitudes like yours. I run a successful multi-media business that includes copywriting services and do not need to cheat someone out of $675 -- I want what is rightfully owed to me. Take your shitty attitude elsewhere.
Anonymous
July 24 2008, 06:52:13 UTC 3 years ago
Re: Any resolution?
I had the same problem with writerlance. The only explanation for your comment is that you are Mr Michael Satiago of writerlance.July 15 2008, 01:42:25 UTC 3 years ago
July 16 2008, 21:08:52 UTC 3 years ago
Anonymous
July 24 2008, 06:50:39 UTC 3 years ago
writerlance.com is a fraud
I had the same experience with writerlance. The contact information of Mr Michael Santiago can be found by looking up his domain in whois.Also, you should file the issue here:
1. File an internet complaint report against the other party.
· National Fraud Information Center: http://www.fraud.org
· Internet Fraud Complaint Center: http://www.ic3.gov
· Better Business Bureau Online: http://www.bbbonline.org/
2. File a police report against the other party.
Anonymous
October 8 2008, 11:45:27 UTC 3 years ago
re the above
The first thing I noticed on the list of jobs for writrs was ... 'writerlance is a fraud.' At first I thought it was just a case of sour grapes by a rival, but now I'm not so sure. This was a client who'd had their account cleared out! I'm gonna checkout 2 sites I know are genuine, and ask their advice on this one.But what a rotten thing to do, if this is the case! the writing community supports and encourages its members, in the same way musicians and other creatives do. For someone to fraudulently set up a site like this, with the object of fleecing as many people as possible, beggars belief. This person/persons have no right to include the word 'writer' in their title. With any luck, the muses will get to work and blow his hard drive up ...