How to Solve your Programming Problem?

1. I have a program I’d like created or a technical question I need answered.  How does "Rent a Coder" help me?

“Rent a Coder" allows you to locate experienced programmers from around the world quickly and easily. You just enter your project or problem, along with the maximum you are willing to pay, and programmers will bid down the price in order to earn your business.

You can quickly view the qualifications and resume of each programmer who bids on your project as well as their approval rating from previous customers.

2, What does this service cost?

  There are no service charges or finder's fees for buyers.

3. How do I pay the coder?

    After you accept a buyer's bid, you submit the bid amount to an escrow account via credit card, PayPal, postal mail check or bank to bank wire transfer (wire transfer involves a small surcharge to cover our expenses).   Only after you receive the deliverables and approve them, will the escrowed funds be transferred to the coder.   This guarantees that the coder will work his or her hardest to get you the results that you asked for.

4. What is a preferred payment method and how does it help my selected coder?

    When you escrow funds via a means that is cheaper for Rent A Coder to accept and process, Rent a Coder passes the savings on to the coder.  If you use either a bank to bank wire transfer or snail mail check to escrow all of the funds for the bid request, the winning coder receives a Rent a Coder Fee reduction of 2.5% from the normal fee that they would pay.  This can be a great way to reward a coder with extra money with no extra effort on your part.  The preferred payment discount began on 8/26/2004.

5. I am a U.S. business or citizen.  Do I have to mail yearly IRS 1099 forms to all coders I hire?

    No you don't.  In the offline world, this is a time consuming process for most U.S. businesses.  But on Rent A Coder we handle this thankless task for you.  Per IRS rules, we automatically issue all U.S. coders who made $600 or more in the past year an IRS 1099 form at the proper time of the year.  That gives you one less thing to worry about.

6. How much do wire transfers cost?

    Wire transfers involve a small surcharge to cover our expenses.

7. How are buyer and seller disputes handled (arbitration)?

    Most transactions are completed harmoniously, but every now and then a buyer and coder cannot come to an agreement.  If this happens to you then you can simply request one of the Rent A Coder arbitrators place the bid request into arbitration to determine if the contract was met or not.  During a court-like process, the arbitrator follows the rules of arbitration to determine what has and has not been delivered, and may even test the final deliverables to verify a buyer's flaw list.  (For complete details, see the complete rules of arbitration in either the buyer or seller legal agreements).  To ensure fairness, all parties have already agreed in advance to abide by the Rent a Coder settlement.

8. What protections are there for buyers?

    Rent a Coder has a number of features that make the site an easy and safe place to purchase coder related solutions and services.
When choosing a coder:

1. To help you choose a coder, you can instantly check the reputation and history of all bidders.   Ratings range from 1 to 10 (with 1 being worst and 10 being best).  A comment log left by other buyers who have worked with the programmer in the past, is also available.  Additionally, if you feel uncomfortable and would like assistance in choosing the best coder for your situation, a Rent a Coder Facilitator with experience in project management is available to assist you in choosing the best coder for your needs.
   
   To guarantee that your coder is motivated and committed to completing your project, you can require that they place an Expert Guarantee.  The coder deposits a certain amount of money(which the two of you can negotiate) into a deposit escrow.  If they fully complete the project, then they receive the deposit back.  If they do not complete the project then they lose some or all of the deposit.  This is the best way to find a Coder who is fully committed to your project.  (Click here for full details on the Expert Guarantee).
2. If you need to protect trade secrets while selecting a coder, Rent A Coder offers a non-disclosure agreement feature for maximum protection of your intellectual property.
   
   When working with a coder:
3. The "Safe Project Escrow" (tm): This Rent A Coder exclusive feature, guarantees a stress free transaction by putting you in control of releasing funds to the coder.
   
   Before Rent A Coder , many companies had to make non-refundable up-front payments to coders to hire them. This often resulted in 'dead-beat' coders making off with deposits, and buyers being left with nothing but empty promises and empty wallets.
   
   However, with the "Safe Project Escrow" (tm), you don't pay the coder directly, but instead deposit the funds into an escrow account.  While giving the coder the reassurance that you have the funds, the coder also knows that they do not receive any funds until work is completed (or a work phase is completed if you are doing a phased project).
   
   Upon completion of work (or work phase), you verify that you've received what you've asked for, and authorize the release of funds though the site.  Since you are in control, you can guarantee that you'll get the deliverables that you're asking for!
4. Once your bid is accepted, you receive the coder's email information and may exchange phone numbers, addresses, etc. at both parties discretion.  In addition to this, weekly coder status reports keep you updated.  (required only of Coders working on projects over $150.00.  That way, if the coder is running into problems or getting off course,you'll know right away rather than after it's too late
5. If you find yourself in a dispute with the coder, you can put the bid into arbitration with a Rent a Coder arbitrator. They will determine what has actually been delivered(or not) and the coder (and yourself) has already pre-agreed to abide by their decision.  If it turns out that the coder is unable or unwilling to do the work, you can also switch to another coder at no charge.  See the Rent a Coder Rules of Arbitration for full details on arbitration.

9. I need help choosing a bid/coder. Can you help?

The best way of choosing a coder depends on whether or not you have a deadline that you need your project finished by.  Put another way, the best way depends on whether you have more time than money, or money than time:
If you have a deadline (more money than time)...

...then the single most important criteria in evaluating a coder is his/her previous experience on the site (followed closely by their job skills).

Narrow down your coders only to ones that:

1) Have done work on the site before in your price range (click on their name to see their work history).  Don't pick a $100/job coder to do your $10,000/job and vice versa.  Make sure the coder has received favorable ratings from past buyers.  If a coder has 2 or 3 or below average ratings (below 5) then that is a warning sign.  You may wish to skip them and move on to another.

2) Have a resume that matches your project requirements (click on their name to see their resume).  The closer their resume is to the skills required to accomplish your current project, the better.

    The #1 mistake that inexperienced buyers with time frames make is picking the cheapest coder.  This generally means the coder has no work experience or history on the site.  Then, when the project is not completed on time (or at all) by their 'discount coder', they are stuck in a bind.  (The Rent A Coder escrowing process protects their money, however, their problem is that they want completed software, not their original money back).  So, if your timeline is important, don't make this mistake.

If you have NO deadline (more time than money)...

...then time is on your side and you should strongly consider taking a chance on a coder with little or no work experience on the site.

You can generally get quite a discount this way, and you can do it safely, since the Rent A Coder Safe Project Escrow protects your money should they not deliver.  In the worst case you can simply pick another coder at no charge, but in the best case you pick up your project for substantially less money.  This can result in getting the project done for a lot less money.

Another issue that many English-speaking buyers have, is whether or not they should consider coders where English is not the country's first language.  These coders can be 50-75% less expensive than native-English speakers and so this is a very good question.  The answer depends on your situation.  If you have a well defined project (meaning a thorough, well-laid out requirements document), then choosing a non-native coder can be a great way to save a lot of money.  However, if you have a less well defined project, then you will be relying a lot on the coder to communicate with you to 'flesh' out your program.  If this is your case, you may wish to consider using a native English speaking coder.  If you would still like to try a non-native-English coder...make sure that you can understand them and that they understand you in your correspondence.

One additional issue is that of confidential and proprietary information.  If you have a project that involves this type of information, you should first be getting any coder you are considering, to sign an Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to protect that information.  However these agreements (like any contract) have no teeth if the country the coder is from doesn't enforce them.  If the coder is from such a country and walks away with your secrets, you may not have much recourse.  So to protect yourself, after having your attorney draw up an NDA, ask them which countries you should avoid.  Generally 1st world countries have excellent intellectual propery laws and agreements, but you start to take a risk once you go to a country that is either 2nd world or a developing country.  Your lawyer can advise you of the specifics depending on your contract, and make more specific recommendations.

Finally, if you're still lost and need some help choosing a coder...you can always contact the facilitator with your bid request URL along with your 'short list' of coders (if any) and they can give you some advice.