PSA: My $200 “guaranteed” freelance gig board membership was a total scam

I dropped $200 on a site that promised to connect me with local ABQ clients. After 3 months, I got zero leads, just spam from people selling SEO services. The site claimed a 90% success rate, but when I asked for a refund, they pointed to some fine print about “active participation.” Has anyone else tried one of these paid job boards and actually gotten work from it?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_betty15d ago

Oh man, did you fall for the same one I did? I paid $150 for a "guaranteed leads" board and got nothing but ads for resume writers and SEO guys trying to sell me their services. It's such a bummer because I was really hoping to find some local clients, but instead I just wasted my money.

cora81315d ago

I dodged that one, but I bought a "customer database" for $200 that was just a list of random people who never asked to be contacted. Got nothing but complaints and spam reports. These guaranteed lead schemes are all the same - they just take your money and disappear.

joseph_green1314d ago

Man, that reminds me of the time I bought a "vintage" typewriter off Craigslist for $80. The guy said it was fully restored and ready to type. Got it home, it was missing half the keys and the ribbon was completely dried out. I spent more on replacement parts than the stupid thing was worth. I tried to contact the seller but his number was disconnected. Some people just have NO shame selling junk like that.