Vocal is Refusing to To Pay Its Writers

Summary

The author of the article is expressing severe dissatisfaction with Vocal, a writing platform, due to non-payment of over $400 owed to them, and is calling out the platform for what they perceive as exploitative practices towards writers.

Abstract

The author has had a tumultuous relationship with Vocal, a content platform, and has quit and returned multiple times. However, the final straw came when Vocal failed to pay the author for over six weeks, despite repeated inquiries that were met with unsatisfactory responses about verifying traffic authenticity. The author suspects Vocal of targeting writers with high traffic, accusing them of using bots to inflate views. The situation is exacerbated by issues with Stripe, the payment processor, which closed the author's business partner's account citing residency in a banned country, despite her living and working in the UK. The author points out the precarious nature of writing for online platforms, where earnings can be suddenly lost due to the actions of payment processors or the platforms themselves. The author recalls a similar situation with Triond, which shut down without paying outstanding earnings. Despite complaints in online communities, no collective action has been taken. The author plans to write a detailed exposé to bring attention to Vocal's practices, labeling the platform as a "scam site" that entices writers with bonuses and affiliate commissions but then withholds payments.

Opinions

The author believes Vocal is not fulfilling its financial obligations to writers, specifically in their case, owing over $400.
Vocal is perceived as being overly suspicious of high-traffic writers, accusing them of using bots or fake traffic software.
The author is skeptical of the reliability of online writing platforms in general, due to the potential for loss of income from actions like Stripe closing accounts or platforms refusing to pay.
The author is critical of the lack of action from the writing community, despite shared grievances in online forums.
Vocal's business practices are labeled as "shady" and "scam" by the author, who accuses the platform of luring writers with promises of bonuses and commissions only to withhold rightful earnings.
There is a sense of urgency and frustration in the author's tone, emphasizing the need for more writers to come forward and address these issues publicly.

The non-stop problems with Vocal are just too much

I have quit Vocal and gone back to them many times however, this is the last straw that will break the camel's back! They owe more than $400, it’s been six weeks and they refuse to pay me. Every time I send them a message via the support system, they respond with a copy, paste message that solves nothing.

“We are working on it, we are just checking that your traffic is genuine.”

It makes no sense because these days, I don’t share my Vocal content. I write, publish and leave it. They seem to have a problem with people who receive high traffic, they suspect that everyone is using some kind of bot or fake traffic software to “game” their system. I am tired of messaging them non-stop it’s stressful, to say the least.

My business partner had her Stripe account closed last week, they said she is from a banned country, she lives and works in the UK. This situation is making me very skeptical about writing for all platforms, including Medium. Because Stripe can cancel your account at any given time. Your Medium income would get flushed down the drain. No more monthly checks from Medium!

A young man in the Vocal Facebook group is owed more than $900 and Stripe has banned his account, prior to that, Vocal refused to pay him because they said they are “verifying” his traffic. It’s been more than eight weeks for him, it’s disturbing.

I enjoy writing for Medium and I enjoy the process of creating written content generally but the truth is, we are at the mercy of these platforms, we have no control over anything. You could earn $10,000 in a month and they could refuse to pay you. What can you do? Nothing!

Years ago, there was a platform called Triond, you write content, you get paid according to how many reads your content received. They disappeared without warning, I had more than $700 sitting in my Triond account. They ran away with the money.

It’s interesting because people complain in Facebook groups but no one is taking any serious action, they just complain. My plan is to write a very detailed article and pitch it to top publications because they can’t keep getting away with this shady behavior!

I am going to say it out loud! Vocal is a scam site! They lure writers in with bonuses, cash prizes, and $20 affiliate commissions. They encourage us to write more and then withhold bonuses and earnings. What are they doing with all that money they make? $9.99 per month for Vocal plus membership and they can only afford to pay their paid members $6 per thousand views!

I am disgusted and disturbed and I hope more people come forward because I know it’s not just me.