I can't agree more with FLW. This installment scheme is quite tricky. Personally, I have had the same experience in which the client pushed me for unnecessary changes only because part of the payment was still pending. I have learned my lesson: payment paid upfront is a lot of hassle avoided at both ends. Second, since this rule is clearly laid out to a potential client, they are the ones to decide whether to go ahead or change their track. As far as the legitimacy of a writer is concerned, I think today, an average client is rational enough to find that out. However, yes, there may be writers in this industry (none that I know of personally) who might prefer different modes and schemes of payment which is absolutely fine as it may suit their marketing strategy and/or style.

Probably, you've come here 'after' all of this has happened to you, i.e., your Google search directed you here after you got caught in this mess.

Yes, it's a sad thing to find out a student falling into the trap by these scammers. Had you done some homework beforehand (which is now a mandatory part of information literacy), you would have saved yourself a lot of hassle and stress. For instance, quite a few threads on this forum are about the precautions one must take while placing an order with a writer/company plus other things.

That said, though it's obvious that the details of your ID and whereabouts is some sensitive data that the writer has, I think the scammer won't do anything because he's a fraudster himself. So, probably you just want to relax. He's reaped the benefit already out of you. Just don't let this happen again I would say.

If you look around here, you will find stories of scam that are far more inhumane and painful. I think you got away good.

I think although similarity index scanning software makes it difficult for such a company to resell a previous paper as an original piece, this particular niche is probably very much there but with a different marketing strategy. Googling for a potential area of research usually returns results that show such companies reselling old papers for cheap while they outright declare that it's only a sample. Most of these papers may probably have written a long time ago (say, 3-4 years), are outdated for most part, but are still selling because it's cheap, and someone entering a course and needing basic guideline won't mind spending as much as $2-3. I have had a client very recently who, when asked for some additional material, sent a model paper from one such company saying that it might help me, and that he bought it as it was cheap. The point is that though they're playing low, with countless resells every day, I think they're making a lot of $$ out of papers that are as good as old waste-paper.

I see. A one of a kind case I guess.

Lolz, that's very clever. I am sure she thought you'd forgotten about that payment. But she know little that we can forget anything but the pay for the papers we write because it takes a lot of perspiration.

In the beginning of my career, I was fooled by a UK-based woman (I am not sure if she really was a woman or man). She had me write a smaller paper paragraph after paragraph while she, as she told me then, was trying to straighten things with the payment gateway I used then (it was very difficult for me to get payment then). After every paragraph, she said the payment was almost ready; she just called her bank manager; she was waiting for the verification email, etc.

Since I was much younger then, I didn't realize she was just pushing me to finish the paper (I think it was 2 pages in total) and had no intention to send me the dough...

She just disappeared as she got the paper. She even deactivated her email account (hotmail). Phew! Lesson learned the hard way I think!

But since then I have tried to closely study the interaction pattern of any client I come in contact with. I have developed my own theory about who could be a risky venture, and who is probably trustworthy. This guess can be made in a few initial emails while exploring the terrain. I think each one of us needs some sort of traction to ensure who we're dealing with.

I think it would be knowledgeable for all of us if we can pool such experiences about what we think who are upright, good clients, and who are the clever ones. What do you think? Shall I start a thread?

I think the discussion is quite enlightening albeit seemingly relevant to the academic writing industry for it revolves around the valuable human trait: honesty. Since I come from an ESL background and have disclosed my background, etc., I think I can add some meaning to the discussion.

As an academic writer with this specific background, I can assure you that honesty does play an important role in helping you get clients on a regular basis, and it specially pays you in a long term, i.e., when you have a reputable footing in the field for quite some time - that's just because you played your cards very carefully by not accepting the topics you cannot justify with. That said, honesty alone cannot help you write a better research paper that the client is looking for. An honest but unskilled writer in our industry is probably not going to write on a topic/research area that s/he is not adept at simply because the honesty of the person convinces them of the same. Thus, an honest person should probably also be realistic about their limitations and strengths. For the same reason, I have continued to invest in my skills to this day and can say that I am probably able to compete in the international market with writers from any country and background so much so that I now assist clients with native English backgrounds.

But again, it needs effort, perseverance, and continuous development besides being honest and truthful. I think these are the prerequisites of success in any field. At this point, I still lack in certain areas and either apologize to my clients for being unable to do justice with their paper or simply refer them to someone who I believe has those better skills. Once again, since I 'try to' closely follow (I am not without human imperfections) the maxim of honesty, I feel happy that my clients will get something worth their money.

This is new information to me. Haven't heard the scam goes this deep. The price, however, pays no one but the writer - poor soul! 😞

I had some experience with a company in the beginning of my career, back in the mid 2000s. That time nothing like that happened. Probably, those were the developmental years for such technology. Whatever, but it's sad that some con artists can rip hard working people so easily and get away with it completely.

I think not just us, the academic writers, but anyone working in any area/field needs to update their knowledge and skills as the world moves on through new research and trial and error. There's this informal education that comes handy while we work on different projects. However, getting enrolled to a specific program or degree is not a bad idea either. Depends on personal preferences and the availability of time and resources. I have always tried to go for both, and it has been positive for me. I am sure other writers are investing in their personal and professional growth as well. It keeps you feeling alive and kicking! 🙄

It is quite wonderful to learn that such a phone still exists and is fully functional! My phone has a particularly designed, native app to scan business cards this way, but I have yet to try this feature, so I am hoping that good old ways still work.

One of my cousins, much older, goes completely the old school ways. I don't know why but he has never liked a cell phone. He runs his business and keeps a contact diary that stays with him all the time.

@Smiley73 However, I do not mean to belittle this feature in any way. It must be helping many people to stay organized the better, digital way. I am sure those who find it more convenient will benefit a good deal from it.

@Smiley73 Makes a lot of sense to me. This is why I asked you to elaborate further. Anybody would agree that scam is a big issue these days not just on FB and Twitter, but probably over the entire www.

It probably seems that famous social media platforms are not very popular among our clientele to carry out a transaction (as most of us are still old school) mainly probably because of privacy concerns mixed with the fears of scamming.

Just before my eyes, right here, over the years, I see scammers soaring like a bird and multiplying. I think this has put a lot of pressure at the clients' end rather than our side.

@Major
I think we should all work toward a business model that eliminates any doubt in our clients' mind regarding a breach of their privacy. Such a model does not seem possible as of now given the fierce competition among the legit folks that is further escalated by the con artists in different countries. However, one thing still wins - trust! This forum has come a long way, and, probably, the best thing it has done so far is to pool legit guys (writers and companies) under one roof.

Can't agree more with you! Privacy is number one concern for any client, I know, I was not really, though, referring to FB and/or Twitter in specific. There are many other ways we can, probably, interact with clients w/o risking their/ours privacy. I am careful not to share such experience for I do not want to sound like promoting self!

Can you elaborate on it just a little? What beneficial services you refer to in the long run? I feel the other way around, because my personal account may sound like self-promotion on this forum, I would cut down on the detail.

What I believe, as states above, is that SM is a way to connect to people to socialize (close to real life). I am WELL aware that big players in this industry are old school: Their SM presence is almost zero (my apologies).

Whereas the old school ways are still paying, I would like to share my personal opinion that probably tides are turning. It's time to wake up - for all of us - including myself. Since I never lie about anything, I have usefully benefited from participating in SM and continue to do so.

The disadvantage that I face is that when I am busy, I lose on the SM participation. So, probably, more than one person is needed for an individual to carry out a robust SM marketing strategy, something I am not comfortable with because I am happy with what I have now. For our old school companies, I think, it is probably time to reinvest their SM strategy.

Let me share this hint:

• 
  B4bW4RhCUAAV1Mb.jpg
  

Good music. When I study I listen to music too.

I am probably one of the very few people who get distracted if music is playing while I am writing. Other than writing, I feel good listening to some local and/or exotic tunes. I think it's about environmental conditioning, plus your natural style, plus your preferences that work together for such a choosing.

It's good to see you guys reviving old threads to add some meaning to this forum. I never knew this thread even existed. Keep up the good work. The forum has evolved over the years and is getting better and better, "something I like...."

Yes, I was referring to the same, quality; it is what matters to every client no matter what their personal skill level is.

Makes a lot of sense to. In my country, fresh graduates (from good colleges and Cambridge system) hunting jobs are their most valuable asset. They stay around with them for a while and move on while a few stick with them or themselves jump into these waters. Quality, besides native like written language, is not a big issue these days (and I wonder if an ESL/EFL client cares about it), at least in my country which is now snatching IT jobs from neighboring countries. Tough times for us, lolz! :-)

At least, my niche is repeat clients and referrals. I strongly believe that, yes, the fancy-badge-endorsement sites (not just from Ukraine but from India, Pakistan and other countries) do make it problematic for an average client to get to a legit writer/company. There is so much to reap that these guys have put in place teams of competent professionals doing their SEOs, CRM, auto-paraphrase, etc. Simply, they have the skills and investment that's damaging the share of legit guys, mostly in US/UK.


I am just thinking if you have had some data/personal research/observation to back this claim because I wonder if there is just this one-time-wonder client.


I think as there is a lot of dough in this industry, there is this intuitively brainy professionals these companies have hired. Probably, we don't know their skill level.

The proof is these sites are thriving by the hour.

I think with students' populations growing by the year in the relevant countries, it is probably difficult to assume that the demand for academic writing is declining. My personal experience is positive even though I do not belong to the native writers' league. I would agree with the premise here that the number of scamming companies and writers is also on the rise, unfortunately. One thing I have sure observed is the new phenomenon that a specific institution is preferred by a specific student population from such-and-such country. They've established a network where senior students guide the juniors about the A-to-Z of the academic writing industry. Second, (at least for us the writers) personal communication is becoming a norm because the students want to communicate quickly. I don't know what the feedback from a legit company may be about the number of their clients; I am led into believing that it is no more exclusively the Google gateway that the students are using. There are probably many more niches, the expanding peripheral circles, today than ever before.

Sorry but, based on my knowledge, I don't think they charge any less than the essay companies do, neither do I. It could be a little less than that charged by essay firms, but that's only occasionally. These are two different niches, and the CRM dynamics are quite different in the two.

Somehow, this forum is developing into such an association, but your idea is worth it. Most probably, you should come forward and take the initiative.

Absolutely, quite a few scholars have reflected on this state of creating a culture. I am a big fan of Marx, Weber, and Fairclough and their theories touch upon the area you just mentioned above.

My premise does not focus on the agency behind an evolving monoculture globally, I was pointing to the auxiliary role SM platforms can play to uplift the ol' school face of this industry, lol.

Your worldview is shared by countless other people around the globe, and your reasoning is really justified. Major raises a legitimate point too in regard to the data FB and other SM platforms are making use of. But, I think in today's fast age of "fluid democracy" and "consumer culture", people are just going with the flow. I agree with these points and follow the same view.

But since too many people are hanging out on there, there's no harm in trying to keep in touch with them (at least for business).


My experience tells me a different story (to respond to the above). I think today many people don't care much about who is connected to who, simply because they're busy in more important matters: online socializing.

I'm not trying to convince you (FLW & Major), just sharing a different perspective (based on my personal experience and reading).

I think freelance writers would favor their niche to be a better option for potential clients, and those attached to companies will do the same for their niche. It's like an eternal debate.

However, it's 100% true that with all or any down sides freelance writers continue to exist and even thrive. Keeping aside the scammers, the legit ones continue to work - proving their legitimacy and effectiveness: personal communication is one of these.

Makes a lot of sense to me, and I would agree to most of your premise, but I hold the same position as above, i.e. SM can still benefit us a lot.

Social media marketing has expanded quite a lot in recent years, and there are a number of advantages of maintaining SM presence for anyone who is in any kind of business or activity - an individual to an MNC. It's not just about getting business in the first place. It's mostly about networking with your potential clients and capitalizing in the specific niche. Most importantly, SM gives you an edge (if you maintain a SM presence) over your competitors in terms of keeping in touch with potential and actual clients. It enables you to learn what people are talking about, their likes/dislikes, etc.

Insofar as the measurement of SM ROI is concerned, this may be considered a gray area; however, quite a few effective matrices and tools have been developed and are now available in the market for free and for a subscription.

Since SM has been my core interest for a long time, I can discuss more on this issue but don't want to drag on; just know that I have benefited a lot from this side of the WWW. I am not prompting myself here. There are a number of ventures that have benefited from SM presence: Case studies abound.

Philip Kotler has written good content on this area.

Without any offense to anyone, when it comes to academic writing industry, I noticed/observed it a long time ago that most folks here like to play simple and keep a low profile writing words that convert into $$ while paying little attention to what's going on out there. Most companies here maintain a simple/rustic website, and that's it! For our freelance writers...maybe I shouldn't say much.

Probably, it's time that we upgraded our ol' school style as an industry.

Last, to say such-and-such feature/tool/tech is not beneficial for an internet-based business would be a massive understatement in today's time.

I agree with you. FB and other SM platforms are being abused because of their potential. It does NOT mean, allow me to disagree a little bit, that SM is inherently bad or harmful. I have not gone through the paper you've mentioned above, but I am SURE it must have discussed what went wrong in that SM strategy and proposed future directions.

Makes a lot of sense to me, without a doubt. Since you guys have more experience on the administration side in this industry, you've come up with very strong reasoning. Abuse is particularly far more likely in our industry, lol. Good job! +1 :-)

When it has come to rating, engagement, and quality of participation in the forum, would the forum admin be interested in introducing members' ratings such as -/+1 or a thumbs up or down?

Though I have not posted in EssayChat to date, I think it is not very difficult to see that certain people have benefited from the interconnectedness of the two forums for a long time. To me, it's not even surprising anymore. I wonder if others do not know this thing.


Sorry to say but this sounds rude to me. I left my suggestion above for the good of the forum, side by side sharing my reservation for whatever algorithm is being used for the rating. What I prefer or do not, I have every right to promote wherever I'd like. If you do not identify with the beneficial humanitarian approaches to social interaction, I do not mind, but it'd be great if you let me be with my view and not tone me down because I am an ESL writer. Capitalism has its ugly sides too. No system is perfect. Democratic socialism is the in thing. Do you not realize that social media trends such as #occupy are still alive?

Since we're all working in the essay writing industry where knowing recent research trends in different areas is quite common, I would suggest that the ES folks be careful in setting up their 'rating' algorithm.

ProfessorVerb raises quite a few critical points in regard to the complications (subjective vs. objective) in a rating system particularly based on an algorithm. The struggles of the famous Facebook, Twitter, and even Google's SEO are common examples for us to take a break.

The most effective way to continue developing a robust rating system would be to share it openly with complete transparency with its members, and any feedback must be incorporated to enhance the system that would eventually benefit the Forum and its goals of sustainability in the troubled waters of global competition.

As a member of this forum for 5+ years, I have noticed a number of times that the management of this forum likes to stay back and watch the game. This is perhaps the most serious weakness because this attitude lacks a democratic approach that bases on interaction, dialogue, and mutual interest.

Older threads are being revived. Great! Looks like the censor board guys on the forum have been far more active recently than they were any time in the past. Cool.

I am trying to make sense as to how much ES has changed in the little while I was away. Now we have members' ratings, and what's more? There are these "Featured" writers.

Sorry to jump in. In my humble opinion, W2B is obviously making a very valid point. While there are obviously legit writers like you, FWL, who belong to the legit old school group, there is no doubt that making a gmail, yahoo, etc. email account is far easier than running a scamming website because the latter requires juggling quite a few balls together.

Though I am not sure, I think scammers with disposable emails are far too many in comparison to that scamming websites that must also be condemned. I myself have been running low on the gmail thingie ever since 2006, but now I believe it is about time to jump out.

I honestly believe that a writer of your repute and stature can easily get a permanent email address to add some glamour to your name, lolz. Otherwise, ol' school is ol' school. :)

Is it high time that freelance writers started thinking about diversifying?

I have noticed a similar decline only recently - 2 to 3 months, maybe - which is a little unanticipated/surprising. None the less, regular clients are there. Yet, there is an important point to make. My homework (research + a bit of eavesdropping on social media) suggests that some companies continue to get business as usual due mainly to their marketing 'tactics'. Would it be safe to infer that the traffic is moving to a different direction such as toward the companies with fancier websites, seemingly 'committed' customer care, and most of all, ethical + unethical marketing strategies.

In addition, I am sure the customer is very much present and active; the number may have fallen down, but I am not really sure about it. The correlation between the declining economy and the purchasing power of the client in the niche is hard to establish. I recently went through a few research articles (latest) that boast of a much stronger U.S. economy that is creating many more jobs now. EU is not behind.

I would really appreciate if the moderator of this forum can share his/her/their position on this viewpoint by Editor75 so that we can call a spade a spade.

I will NOT claim that I am a competent writer. Delivering is better than making claims. But, my point is simply to say that I work in the essay writing industry and have served, and am still serving, people even from US, UK, and Australia (natives) + ESL and EFL clients.

I have never claimed that my English is perfect, or my writing style is the same as someone who grew up in US or UK in an English speaking community (and that also standard English).

Still I get clients: So, maybe they find with me what they are looking for. You cannot stop them from working with me, can you?

However, this is not the point. The point is that I am fed up, and I am sure other members are too, of your pointing out the same thing time and again: My poor grasp (in your eyes) of English. You need to understand that this industry is global and there is place for anyone as a writer if they can sell their services with honesty.

If you hate my English so much as to point it out every time, then simply you should convince the moderator of this forum to get me out so that my English doesn't bother you any more. Or, do not just talk to me. If these two things are not possible, you need to accept it the way it is. Simple.

Sorry to say but I don't think making generalizations based on the genders of the clients you've had is rational because you've also stated that you don't know for sure the genders of everyone of them.

I am assuming that since you're in this business, you know the value (and risks of) data handling. It would put a question mark to your knowledge of the gender-related data with the top writing companies.

That said, I would not really favor anyone who is of the opinion that more females than males use essay writing services. A great majority of my clients have been (and still are) males though females are no exception.

This is also significant to understand that, though industrialized countries flaunt their human rights legislature so proudly, reality is still bitter. Take, for instance, U.S. where female population is still the most vulnerable group: poverty, psychological issues, and many relevant areas are still very grave for them.

I am not saying it. Googling a few relevant keywords would definitely take you to a number of reliable references. Workplace differences between genders, i.e. pay parity, working hours, etc. still remain a challenge for the ENTIRE world, and women are still at the receiving end.

In the developing world, the situation is even worse (So, don't think I am sparing my country, lol).

Thus, your generalizations kind of sadden me, and I wish we all could take a position that is grounded in a broader view of the reality of our world.

Haha. What you do is a side-issue, and what I do is sheer incompetence? Why are you giving unsolicited explanations then? Your arrogance has ruined you. Get a life.

Haha, looks like I always hit your right in your brain with your neurons so rusty.

Btw, you've tried to hide your embarrassment of posting in the wrong thread very well. But you know what? You failed, and that also miserably.

Please do not ever try to teach me what or how I should post. People like you do not qualify up to that level. Do your job you're so good at: Waste your (and our too) time by posting meaninglessly all the time.

By the Grace of Almighty, I have not scammed anyone in my whole life, let alone the writing services domain.