Hi Odette,
A few comments, if I may...
I am not a platinum member any more because I have never had any jobs paid from the site.
Obviously, everyone must decide on whether investing in Platinum membership is a sensible thing to do, given one's personal circumstances. I don't get jobs through ProZ.com (although I have met two clients who contacted me through my ProZ.com profile), but the last time my Platinum membership was close to expiration, I extended by three years. Why? Because I value the site and the opportunities it offers, and want to support it. Bear in mind that Platinum fees pay for pretty much everything you see on the site.
I was asked about the two companies that used my services and never paid me but nothing came out of it. Is there no way Proz could better protect its members ?
I take it you're referring to inquiries by Jobs/BB moderators in cases of non-payment complaints, in line with the ProZ.com Termination Policy. In this context, it's important to recognise what ProZ.com can - and probably more importantly, what it cannot - do. ProZ.com is a venue, and thus not a party to any business relationship which may be established via the site. Controlling such contacts is way beyond the scope of a venue - besides, I would strongly object to ProZ.com intervening in bilateral business relationships. ProZ.com is not an association, nor is it a collection service - it's important to recognise that, as an independent entrepreneur, it's your responsibility to manage the risks involved in running a business.
In some cases, we have seen outsourcers reconsider and pay - but of course there have been numerous cases where fraudulent or even criminal intent was involved. The purpose of the Termination Policy is to ensure that proven non-payers cannot use ProZ.com. I'm afraid we cannot provide protection against risk exposure, which is why you shouldn't rely on the Blue Board alone (actually, that's also in the FAQ).
By the way, the blue board being accessible only to platinum members, you open the door to exploitation of the poorer members...
Actually, that's not quite correct: the Blue Board is accessible to all members - see the Blue Board FAQ.
Best regards,
Ralf
[Edited at 2005-10-27 20:00]
Login to reply/comment 
