ComplaintsforAppen AI, Inc

• Initial Complaint

  01/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Asking for videos of minors

  Business response

  02/07/2024

  ******,
  
  Thank you for reaching out with your concern.  We have reviewed your concern in detail and will make adjustments where necessary.   
  
  Please know we do require guardian/parental consent when working with minors.
  
  Thank you,
  
  Artie 

• Initial Complaint

  09/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They have a SCAM COMPANY INCLUDED ON THEIR PLATEFORM. My application test continued to be submitted for grading while I am actively answering questions within the test. The system then refused to allow me to go forward and kicked me out. That caused me to go back to the application page, where noticed both testing weeks that the application was submitted for grading. Support is not helped me because the system only allows for the test to be reschedule for yet the next week. I would be a fool to try to do another week of preparing for test, start taking the test, and to only be kicked out once again. Therefore, this seems like a SCAM to me because of the all the information they are requesting, not allowing you to complete the application process and stringing the applicant along for long periods of time.

  Business response

  09/28/2023

  *******,
  
  I am sorry your experience was not positive with us and left you frustrated with the outcome.  This is certainly not the experience we want our Raters to have when making the decision to join our team.
  
  Research was conducted to see where things may have missed and please see below for a timeline of events.
  
  It looks like you registered in July and passed the initial prescreening. You then were assigned to a project, pending you passed the necessary exams to begin work. 
  
  You were scheduled to take the exam the first time (8/31 -9/07) however, you were a no-show. On the second attempt (9/14-9/21), unfortunately, you were unsuccessful in passing the exam.
  
  From there, you requested to have your account permanently deleted later in September to which we did. 
  
  I have confirmed you have two more attempts to take the exams.  If you wish to try again, or have any additional questions, please reach out to ***************************************.
  
  Again,I do apologize for the inconvenience and frustration this may have caused.

• Initial Complaint

  08/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I have had an account with ********************** Global for a few years now. I hadn't done any work for them in quite some time but recently I saw some tasks I was very interested in and submitted the required information to be considered for the projects. At this point I had been able to log in just fine, because I received confirmation emails saying I had been approved for the first step of the process to get on board with those particular projects. But then when I received an email regarding the specific project I wanted to work on the most (Project Powzer) asking me to submit some information and people would be chosen on a first come first serve basis and we only had ***************************************************************************** and kept getting errors as if my password wasn't correct. I thought maybe I had forgotten the correct password somehow, so I tried the link to change password and I got a message saying I would be emailed a link to do so but I never got the email (in my regular or spam folders). So I submitted a help desk request. I received a pre-written response telling me they were "sorry but they weren't accepting applications at this time". I wrote back saying I had actually had my account for several years and explained about wanting to work on the Project Powzer I had been emailed about. Then the next time I tried to log in, I got a new error message, this time telling me my account had been disabled, contact admin. I took a screenshot and tried several more times to send different help requests, detailing the problem and trying to explain that I already HAD an account; still they kept giving me the same pre-written response as if I was trying to apply for a new account and they weren't taking new people. This makes me feel like they, for whatever reason, went in and disabled my account with no explanation after my initial request for help, which doesn't make any sense considering THEY emailed ME regarding the project. I just want an answer.

  Customer response

  09/06/2023

  Hello,

  I was simply going to say, as far as what it should be classified under, it's not a refund/exchange issue, as it says....it was more a case of the business being very misleading and deactivating my account without providing me any explanation, AFTER they had invited me to participate in projects. Thank you for your help.

• Initial Complaint

  07/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  The customer support at ********************** does not value the time of people who try to work at Appen. I tried repeatedly to get information corrected on my account. Then when these corrections were made I got no indication that the problem was fixed which resulted in missing multiple jobs I was qualified for. Between reports of them randomly firing people, refusing to pay, relying only on Payoneer for payouts (another pathetic company), I would not recommend working with Appen in any capacity.

• Initial Complaint

  07/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I'm from ******. A couple of months after resgistering to Appen, I was invited to take the Yukon exam. After putting in many days of study, I managed to successfully pass it on my first attempt. A couple of days later I was asked to sign the digital documents for the project. A couple of days after signing the documents, I received an e-mail telling me there were no spots available for me on the project at the time (despite being INVITED to take the exam!), and that they would contact me as soon as a spot opens up. After reaching out to the support team to express my frustration, someone informed me that I could start working immediately, but first, I needed to link a Payoneer account to ********************** for payments. I followed the process diligently - logging in, opening a Payoneer account through **********************'s link, verifying my Payoneer account with a bank account, and successfully linking it to Appen.However, the very next day, despite receiving an e-mail from Appen telling me I successfully linked my accounts (screenshot attached), I found myself continuously stuck on the "Payoneer Registration" page within Appen's platform. I tried re-linking many times, but it didn't work. Seeking help, I opened a ticket and thoroughly explained my situation, attaching multiple screenshots for clarity.The support team responded, stating they escalated the issue to Payoneer. However, after waiting for about a week, I received no updates. Following up on the same ticket, I was informed that my problem was now being escalated to the engineering team.Again, I waited patiently for around 9 days, but still no response.I decided to open another ticket and explain my situation yet again. The reply was useless, stating they were working on my issue and would update me soon. I waited for 8 more days without any answer.Yesterday, I reached out to them again, and their response left me VERY infuriated. I just found out my account was automatically tagged as 'abandoned' due to their failure to recognize my successful Payoneer connection in the given time frame. Now, they are asking me to restart the entire process and reapply for the project from scratch...This is a complete disregard for the time and effort I invested in their platform and in taking the ***** exam which is VERY long and hard. The least you can do is actually trying to help someone YOU invited to apply for a job on your website, and not punish that person for a bug on your own platform. The audacity to ask me to reapply from the beginning after ignoring my problem for weeks is mind blowing.

  Business response

  08/04/2023

  Good afternoon,

  Allow me to start off by apologizing about your experience. This is not experience we want people to have when deciding to join the organization

  Upon investigation, it appears there was an issue where a final step was not completed.  The final step was connecting your Appen Connect account with your Payoneer account within a certain time frame which caused your account to be abandoned. 

  Upon further investigation, it appears you contested this to which the company researched however, during this time the project/client which you applied for was put on hold and longer accepting candidates. 

  In parallel, we offered to help reactive your account which would allow you to apply for other projects.  Unfortunately, we did not receive a response regarding our offer. 

  Again, we do apologize for this experience and you are welcome to apply and be considered for current and future projects with the company.  

• Initial Complaint

  04/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  1st this company, in my opinion, is a scam when it comes to jobs, they advertise jobs but in my opinion, it is fake, but this is not what I am complaining about, I have saved all the emails, and I have asked this company over 5 times to stop emailing me, I sent an email saying, do not contact, yet I have over 25 emails from this company, this company is incompetent, this company, this company is unable to function properly, this company is lacking qualities, this company is inept, this company is unprofessional, this company is faulty, and the list goes on and on and on. Finall,y Appen Connect is the bane of my existence and has caused me nothing but misery; and is a thorn in my flesh.

  Business response

  04/18/2023

  We have found that you have multiple accounts with us.  Two of your accounts have been actioned per your request, so you will no longer receive emails.  

  Customer response

  04/18/2023

   
  Complaint: 19948192
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I just received another after telling Appen Connect  not to contact me, I got another email 2 days ago from
  ********* (Support)
  Sun, Apr 16, 7:34?PM (2 days ago)
  When is this going to stop
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  03/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Appen **** said I got a job as a data Entry. Wanted bank account login and ******** login. Deposited a check and my account was locked for fraud. i was also locked out of my ********. before I even did any work. I had to change passwords and user names on everything.

  Business response

  03/13/2023

  This is not a legitimate job from Appen.  We have become aware of several groups who are pretending to be Appen employees to scam potential contributors and employees. We will never ask you to send money to apply or start a job with us. We will also never send a check in advance. We will never ask you to send personal identifiable information outside of our secure job site, Appen Connect. We will only contact you with a @appen.com email address, no other forms of communication (e.g., WhatsApp, Zoom, ************* Hangouts). Please check that all virtual meeting invites have come from a @appen.com email address. All job applications should be submitted through our Jobs page to the applicable site. 

  Customer response

  03/13/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  I appreciate the honesty. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  02/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I have been fighting with appen for almost 2 months now. The way they make me receive payments from them is through Payoneer. ******** had me fill out a W9 for them. I did that but appen was telling me that I wasnt finished that they didnt receive it so after I filled out the W9 with Payoneer probably 10 times they finally said I was set up I have still yet to receive payment and appen refuses to respond. I did the work and I deserve the pay. Im really starting to feel like theyre trying to scam me. The job I was assigned to required me to download another app for a group chat with my team leader after downloading the Chinese app DingTalk my account with DingTalk got messed up somehow, and wouldnt let me back into the group so I had no way to talk to my team leader, other than directly emailing them. I did that numerous times and she did not respond to any of my emails. This has been very frustrating. Again, I talked with Payoneer today and they told me I am set up to receive payment through appen, but Appen has not tried to send me any money. They refused to answer the phone calls and emails. Appen Seems legit at first. But then you quickly realize theyre scamming most people probably. I want my money. This is unacceptable. They took my Social Security information and everything but they wont pay me or even talk to me. The emails I do receive back are very short and are the same ones I receive every time with no information. They blame payoneer and payoneer blames them. Its a never ending cycle.

• Initial Complaint

  01/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  These publishers continue to throw their paper in my years after many attempts to ask them to stop. I consider it trash. All I want is for them to stop throwing their garbage in my yard. I have months of emails in which they admit the problem and say it will stop but it does not.

• Initial Complaint

  10/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dear Mr/Mrs ****** your attention to the following and please give a serious response to it Front of project page - for the ***** transcription >> Citation from project below: ''$27.00 / per hour"''We would like to let you know the payrate for Project Hongze-C has now been increased to $27USD per hour or **** cents/item and also you can receive a 15USD bonus if you meet the following criteria: Take and pass the Hongze Guidelines Qualification Quiz Complete and submit one practice batch to quality, once invited to Work ''Another citation >>''Hongze-C - Massively Increased Payrate and Additional Bonus''How can the project be ethical and honest - appreciating your hard working work force? see next citation which I see after I have put in the hard effort to fullfill and succeed all the requirements >> Citation >> This project is paid per completed item. Transcribers based in ***************, for every item you complete, you will earn **** cents. If you complete 55 items per hour, you will earn $13.35 USD per hour. *****???????????????????? you first talk about 27USD, why in halve suddenly. >>> you are advertising MASSIVELY INCREASED PAYRATE???? When your computarized customer service system does not have a proper answer to this with a satisfactory answer for me, I feel the urgency to go on social media with this ..All personal request I ask with email to Appen - what I get in return a BS short answer which doesnt make any sense to me..Now even assuming all this dishonest issues, I am experiencing the following issue is with hours / pieces missing where I have the right to earn more based on my real input .. check it yourself and give me an honest answer based on your real system outputs , How can I have r68 pieces is *****USD. I have worked longer hours than 1:31 , see your system!****** answer me honestly. I am a hard working loyal worker! Thank you!Best regards,*****

  Business response

  10/21/2022

  Upon checking with Project Hongze team, thank you very much for bringing this to my attention. We would like to apologise for the confusion that this has caused. Please allow us to explain the pay rate for the Hongze-C project and how invoicing is set up for this project.
  
  The information referencing the lower rate of $13.25 in the project pages is outdated information and has been removed. Thank you again for bringing this to our attention.
  
  We have introduced several pay rates increases over the course of the project. As a result, you may have received communications over the past few weeks with different information regarding pay rate. The pay rate for this project is now set at $27 USD/hour, and your invoice has been calculated based on this rate.
  
  This project is paid per item completed. The hourly rate advertised is what you can earn if you meet the expected throughput per hour, which is now set to 45 utterances per hour. This works out to 0.6 cents per item.
  
  With regards to your invoice, please let me preface by saying that the invoice is not yet up to date. Based on our Ampersand reports, I can see that you have completed 247 items for the project. However, your invoice only references 68 items so far. This will be updated to reflect the correct amount when invoices are automatically generated and updated throughout the week. Invoices are automatically generated and updated twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday at 2AM Pacific Time.  Invoices will be fully up to date by the end of each month, but if you ever notice any discrepancies, please let me know.
  
  On your invoice, you will see a 'Time Worked' figure. This is not a true reflection of how much time you spent working on the project, but is a conversion based on the following calculation:
  
  Time Worked = Number of Items Completed / Expected Hourly Throughput
  
  The figure of 1 hour 31 minutes is derived from the following:
  
  68 items completed / 45 (expected throughput) = **** = 1 hour 31 minutes
  
  When your invoice updates to reflect the 247 items completed as of Friday 21st October, 9AM UTC, you will see a 'Time Worked' figure of:
  
  247 items completed / 45 = **** = 5 hours 29 minutes
  
  Appen Connect then calculates pay by multiplying the 'Time Worked' figure by the hourly rate. You should therefore expect $148.23 for the 247 items completed. However, please allow for some variation due to rounding.
  
  I hope this addresses your concerns regarding payment and the Hongze-C project. However, if you have any further questions or concerns, please let me know and I will be happy to discuss further.

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