Guru.com experience

With limited funds, I had to resort to finding a developer from the internet. I went on Guru.com and wrote an outline of my website. I put a a budget of 500-100. Got 37 people who responded with interest to do the project.

I gave the project to an Indian person for $500. It was almost impossible to understand his English. After accepting the project, he immediately requested $200 up front. It was never discussed. I un-awarded him the project the next day.

Found a guy in Oklahoma. He quoted $1300. Talked to him on the phone. English was good and clear. He had tons of really good reviews on Guru.com of people who used him in the past. I awarded him the project. After one week, he still hasn't sent me the project agreement. I messaged him asking him for the agreement. He didn't reply for 48 hours. I un-awarded him the project.

I awarded the third person, and so far it has been going ok. only ok. He is Mark with Appexos.com . Pakistanian and I"m sure he is piecing out the project to someone in Pakistan to build. His English is good. The total cost will be $1200.
  What have I learned? It is very important to being very precise with what you want. I had assumed everyone knows what a Resume is. Nope. So what I have been doing is drawing after drawing of every page of the website. And you think they would know automatically the website needs an internal email system. Nope. That had to be made clear. Working with freelancers from India and pakistan requires everything being stated and made clear. Asking them to come up with the appearance or what the layout would look like is not the way to go.

Right now there is alittle trepidation and worry. The biggest worry is a scam. Talking with customer service of Guru.com and they even said - it happens. So far, the design mockup has been done. But not done exactly the way I want. So I had to do more drawing. But I have been very cordial and polite. So far I've given him $500. That was agreed upon once the design mockups are done. But mockups are nothing. All it is is just what the website would look like. Nothing is functional.

so that where I'm at. Hoping someone from a far away land is an honest person. The website will be built and this man is not going to easily make a design and get $500 and run off. For $500 in Pakistan is a good sum. We shall see. For I have no other choice but to put my faith in this man.