Is Guru A Scam? (2022) All You Need to Know Here.

Hello! Welcome to my "Is Guru A Scam?" review! (Updated 2022)

Today's life is easier compared to past. We can already earn money online, right? Furthermore, with the innovation of technology, that is one of the wonders it has brought.

Plus, I am one of those people who have been looking for ways to make money online. Furthermore, I have tried different ways.

Trust me, it can be challenging to find online jobs. To solve that, people have created freelancing websites! 

So, in this article, I am going to review one of the freelance websites that exist today, Guru.

We will get to know it, how it works, if it is a scam, its pros and cons and many more. So if ever you consider trying it, you must read this review first. In that way, you can prepare.

So, let's start.

Is Guru A Scam: Quick Summary

What is Guru?

To start this "Is Guru A Scam?" review, let's get to know what Guru is.

Guru.com is an online marketplace where freelancers and employers can work together to accomplish various tasks.

It is similar to websites such as Upwork and Freelancer.

Basically, it is a platform where employers look for freelancers to help them with a task. Furthermore, it is a place where freelancers can look for jobs to earn money online.

Also, it is an easy way of connecting businesses or employers with freelancers with the right capabilities and qualifications that they are looking for.

In conclusion, Guru basically acts as an intermediary for both parties. In addition, the site is responsible and handles back office processes and actions like the transferring of funds. 

Back in 1998, Guru was originally named eMoonlighter.com.

Is Guru A Scam: How does Guru work?

The way Guru works is simple. So, taking advantage of this platform requires little effort.

Before doing anything else, you need to be 18 or over to be qualified. Furthermore, any kind of freelancers is free to join.

First, you need to register an account. To do that, you need to input your name, email, and password.

Then, you have to agree to the site’s Terms of Service. From there, you will choose if you’re registering as an employer or freelancer.

After that, they will ask you to verify your email address with a verification code. 

However, if you are thinking about payments, registering in Guru is completely free. 

Bids

There are two types of membership in Guru, free and paid.

The number of bids will depend on the type of membership you have. Furthermore, bids indicate how many jobs you can apply for in the site.

A free membership can make a minimum of 10 bids (per month). However, in a paid membership, the number of bids correspond with the price you are willing to pay. 

So, here are the bids that you can purchase.

If you’re on free membership, your bids will not roll over to the next month if they are left unused. However, if you’ve purchased a paid membership, your bids will not expire.

Memberships

Guru offers different membership plans.

Plus, there are advantages of purchasing a paid membership.

They will award you with benefits such as higher chances of exposure to employers, the site takes less percentage of job fee, and bid roll overs. 

The various memberships include:

Profile

The next thing you need to work on is your profile. Furthermore, it’s important that you make your profile detailed and personal.

So, this would give out a trustworthy impression of you to the employers. Plus, employers like to know who they employ deeper. In this way, you can build trust with employers. 

Furthermore, you must include your skills, strengths, experiences and even your rates.

However, setting up your profile is not hard and you can finish it in simple steps but you should doing it precisely.

Additional costs

Aside from the job fees, Guru.com also adds handling fees to the employer’s invoice. This is around 2.55 compared to the regular fees that range from 4.95% - 8.95%.

Plus, if you have the interests to learn more skills that can be advantageous to your future job, you can apply for skill tests.

However, this poses additional costs though. But it will be worth it since your profile will be added with useful skills to help you be flexible in handling different jobs.

So, here are the costs:

With all these fees accumulating, there is another one that’s rather odd and completely unnecessary.

Plus, some call it controversial because this fee is for removing negative feedback on freelancers’ profile.

Furthermore, some may consider this as unethical because it relates to inaccurate and unfair rating system.

After all, there are those freelancers that do their best in making an impressive and true profile so they can land good jobs.

Overview of Features

Is Guru A Scam: Benefits

Featured Projects

For employers, you can actually attract more freelancers quickly by making a featured job.

It can cost you $29.95.

By availing this service, your job post will be displayed at the top of the search results for 30 days.

With this, the exposure of the post will be increased, as well as the freelancers.

Long-term relationships

What is great about freelance websites is that it has the ability to create or start long-lasting relationships between freelancers and employers.

If ever the employers are satisfied with the work, chances are they will hire you again.

Furthermore, some jobs are even long-term.

Fair fee structure

Guru has design its fee structure to be fair for the employers.

Also, this is great for employers because they don't have to pay to post jobs.

Unless you want to have a featured job, you have to play $29.95.

Simple hiring process

The hiring process is very simple. Employers only have to look for the freelancers or check the proposals.

Then communicate with them and make a deal. And get the jobs started.

This process really saves time. Furthermore, can make the job be accomplished faster.

Great project management

Employers have a dashboard wherein they can see everything. 

It is very use to use and comprehend.

Here, they can communicate with all of their freelancers, access the progress of the projects, track the freelancers' time and many more.

With this, it is easier for employers to manage their projects and the workflow is smoother.

Payment methods

Guru has multiple payment methods which is great to hear. Employers can choose which one they prefer.

Furthermore, Guru is not limited to credit cards.

It accepts checks, wire transfers, e-checks and many more.

How does Guru determine your salary?

Guru.com is a marketplace and there are many different jobs that require various levels of effort.

With this, there is no particular rate.

The salary will depend on what project you’re working on, determined by your bid, the competition and your employer.

There are four ways in which you can calculate your payments:

Recurring Payments

This method is like hourly and milestones combined in which you can negotiate an amount per week or per month.

Tasks

Good for projects that are small or many but are unrelated that can be invoiced one at a time.

Milestones

This is for projects that are extensive that need to be broken down into portions with descriptions and dates.

That way, there will be a specific rate for each portion and you can make adjustments with it as you work your way up.

Hourly

This is the usual mode of salary contract because it is reasonable.

But if you’re new, it can be difficult to set a specific rate because employers don’t have a record of previous work and how you work.

On the other hand, for those who are established clients, this contract is capable of making them earn stable profits. This type of payment is invoiced weekly.

Payment method

Guru.com has this system of payment called “Safe Pay” that makes sure employers fund projects before you start working.

Since there is this system, it is guaranteed that you’ll receive your pay. However, for safety purposes, employers are still required to verify the payments.

There are 4 transfer methods that Guru use. 

Plus, they require a minimum amount of $50 for wire transfer options and is subject to a $9 withdrawal fee excluding additional bank charges.

When it comes to payment or salary, disputes and misunderstandings are unavoidable.

Employees may complain that they’re not receiving the amount negotiated or the amount they deserve. However, this doesn’t mean that the employers are to blame.

Employers must have their own side of the story too. Some freelancers may not get the agreed amount due to impaired quality of work or they may submit beyond the deadlines.

But, no matter the dispute, it is important that the two parties reach an understanding and agreement that both of them can fulfill so as to not interrupt the flow of operations.

Is Guru A Scam: What I like about it

#1 Free membership

Signing up in Guru.com is completely free!

This is great, especially if you still want to try it out. You won't be paying for anything.

#2 Flexible jobs

Guru is full of various jobs. Furthermore, there are jobs that can really fit your schedule.

Another thing is that there are jobs which are perfect for your skills, expertise and experiences.

I suggest that you take these.

#3 Stable jobs

Guru will give you the opportunity to have stable jobs.

This is why I think that doing freelance work online is great to earn a full-time income.

#4 Higher profits

As you spend more time in Guru, you will be able to gather more skills and experiences.

This will go with the amount of profit you earn.

Over time, your profits will increase.

#5 Multiple payment methods

To consider your convenience, Guru accepts multiple methods of payment.

This goes to both the employers and the freelancers.

This is something that is great in my opinion.

#6 Payment protection

Guru uses SafePay to ensure that the freelancers do get paid. 

This is a great safety feature. Without it, any employer can just vanish without paying the freelancer.

#7 Notifications feature

Another feature I like is the notifications feature.

Freelancers can receive notifications about jobs that they might be interested in.

Furthermore, Guru makes sure that these jobs fits your skills and experiences, based from your profile.

#8 Easy to use

Guru is beginner friendly.

The interface is easy to understand and use. There are no complex stuff that anyone might be having trouble with.

Is Guru A Scam: What I don’t like about it

#1 BBB Rating

Guru has a very low BBB rating. As you can see, it has an F rating.

Furthermore, it is not BB accredited and has only one star.

This is something to be considered.

#2 Salary complaints

During my research, I came upon several complaints about the payment done in Guru.

Most of them complained about how not getting paid. And others said that they are not paid fairly.

#3 Negative feedback removal

This is very controversial.

Freelancers have the option to remove negative feedback from employers. All they need to do is to pay for it.

That is something unethical. it looks like Guru is only after the money in this case

Furthermore, it will be difficult to know which freelancers are the best. Truly the best. And not the ones who manipulate their profile by availing this feature.

#4 Competition

You are not the only one working in Guru. You have a lot of competition.

These people may have the same skills you have . Furthermore, they are after the same jobs you are looking for.

#5 Bids are limited

The bids are limited. Which means that the number of applications you can do is also limited.

You have to pay to get more bids. 

#6 Fees

After finishing a job, the payment you will receive from your employers will be deducted.

This is because you have to pay for the 5% fee. However, other freelance websites do this too.

It is for compensating them for using their services to find jobs.

Is Guru a scam?

Since we are through with the review, one more question still remains.

Is Guru a scam?

The answer is no. Guru is not a scam.

It has been providing services for employers and freelancers over the years. Furthermore, a lot of freelancers have made money from accomplishing jobs posted in Guru.

However, it is not perfect. It has flaws and red flags. Like the negative feedback removal and the salary complaints.

One thing to take note is that Guru must not be blamed for the things that scammers do.

Believe me, there are scammers there. People have encountered them. However, not all employers and freelancers are scammers. 

So just be careful doing business in this website.

Thank you so much for reading my "Is Guru A Scam?" review! If you have questions or comments, feel free to leave them on the comment section!

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