So basically, I've left one job so I could focus on school (and because it just wasn't working for me for multiple reasons) In the meantime, I've been doing some freelance work in order to get my name out there and gain a little money for school. So far so good. Done data entry, articles, and some ghost writing. All these jobs I've found through sites designed to give a platform for clients and freelancers- like oDesk and Elance, etc. Well, I was hired by someone to ghostwrite an alternative medicine guide. I was basically instructed to just rewrite passages from her last book, edit for grammar, and format it for Kindle. I had a slew of problems with the files she gave me. I had to track changes on the file she wanted and of course, the file seemed to be corrupted. So I spent a lot of time trying to repair the document and fix errors that seemed to pop up every time I launched Word. I'd save regularly but I'd have paragraphs that would bleed together, changes that wouldn't save, and new errors that always seemed to result. I also had issues with the medical claims I had to make through the manuscript but I never brought them up. I should also mention I never had direct communication with this client. Everything had to be through a third party. Neither of them were native English speakers. They were constantly changing the deadlines and terms of the job on me without prior agreement. One week, I was expecting to be paid $70 for my troubles. The next, I was told $50 was a stretch and I "must have been expecting too much" and I "must be new to freelancing". Well, I finally fixed the manuscript and I completed all necessary changes the client required. I fixed the formatting and made it Kindle ready. But now the client says she hates the draft and refuses to pay me at all. Even though I did everything and the only claim she has is "the grammar is awful" even though she isn't an English speaker and I know I've done everything I've could to repair the grammar and make it water-tight. What do I do? She refuses to let me make further revisions and I feel cheated.
Nothing you can do. Unless you have a contract or she actually uses your work. (In which case I'd pursue legal action) You're out your time. In the future I'd suggest getting a percentage of your fee upfront.
This really sucks, but it is not uncommon with shady freelance gigs. That's why a lot of people use Odesk or Elance or one of the other services that have much stronger resources to guarantee payment. I'm sorry to say it, but I don't think there's much you can do. It sounds like the people you're dealing with are shady assholes.
