I'm just coming out of a tremendous experience with AJE. I'm a freelancer. For years I've been working with channels from all over the world but never, ever I've been treated the way in which AJE has done.
I've been contacted to provide a freelance job. I did it and I think I've done it well and in time. However when it came to the payment, the nightmare started: for weeks I've been promissed that the payment will be processed tomorrow, next week, in 2 weeks etc. I had to run after the money I've worked for, writing emails, calling...begging?! Yeah, I think that at one point they make you look completely stupid and miserable! Finally, one beautiful morning, after 2 months of fight and struggle, the money have arrived. Well, it was not the entire sum they've owned me, but...hey, for me as a freelancer 20 euros...doesn't matter! And with the money, a certain Mr Muhammed, demonstrating to the whole AJ how this bloody freelancer is completely mad: he was perfectly in time with the payment!
Well, this was my second experience of this kind. It happened already, but in the first place I thought that I was just a very unlucky freelancer as the person who was dealing with my payment has left to the Meque and so my payment had to wait the return. It was my fault, certainly my fault, I should of thought about it and send it before. The second time I was also naive: I forgot about Easter! I wish I would be jocking but I'm not, unfortunately. I was told that there was an extra delay in my payment due to the ...Easter holliday.
In my desperation I wrote to a manager, the highest I could find on AJE site. I was saying to myself: he is an experienced guy, he comes from AJ arabic, so he might know how to handle the situation...He replied to me immediately, so suddenly I felt lucky! Well, it didn't last as when I opened my email the tone was straight...so straight: "I think you came to the wrong person." "Sorry Sir, indeed, I think I came to the wrong...channel".
It seems that the whole scenario was quite the same for another crew, somewhere in Europe...
ALJAZEERAJ - I wish you all the best, I do understand so well what you've been through. Me I'm a freelancer, they've done it once, twice...that's it, I'll never accept to work for them again. But in your case, your 3 children and everything you've left behind...it is not fare! I use to watch AJE everyday, and I've loved the way the news where chosen, the perspective and I was thinking: this is the way journalism should be! That was a few months ago.
I'm just coming out of a tremendous experience with AJE. I'm a freelancer. For years I've been working with channels from all over the world but never, ever I've been treated the way in which AJE has done.
I've been contacted to provide a freelance job. I did it and I think I've done it well and in time. However when it came to the payment, the nightmare started: for weeks I've been promissed that the payment will be processed tomorrow, next week, in 2 weeks etc. I had to run after the money I've worked for, writing emails, calling...begging?! Yeah, I think that at one point they make you look completely stupid and miserable! Finally, one beautiful morning, after 2 months of fight and struggle, the money have arrived. Well, it was not the entire sum they've owned me, but...hey, for me as a freelancer 20 euros...doesn't matter! And with the money, a certain Mr Muhammed, demonstrating to the whole AJ how this bloody freelancer is completely mad: he was perfectly in time with the payment!
Well, this was my second experience of this kind. It happened already, but in the first place I thought that I was just a very unlucky freelancer as the person who was dealing with my payment has left to the Meque and so my payment had to wait the return. It was my fault, certainly my fault, I should of thought about it and send it before. The second time I was also naive: I forgot about Easter! I wish I would be jocking but I'm not, unfortunately. I was told that there was an extra delay in my payment due to the ...Easter holliday.
In my desperation I wrote to a manager, the highest I could find on AJE site. I was saying to myself: he is an experienced guy, he comes from AJ arabic, so he might know how to handle the situation...He replied to me immediately, so suddenly I felt lucky! Well, it didn't last as when I opened my email the tone was straight...so straight: "I think you came to the wrong person." "Sorry Sir, indeed, I think I came to the wrong...channel".
It seems that the whole scenario was quite the same for another crew, somewhere in Europe...
ALJAZEERAJ - I wish you all the best, I do understand so well what you've been through. Me I'm a freelancer, they've done it once, twice...that's it, I'll never accept to work for them again. But in your case, your 3 children and everything you've left behind...it is not fare! I use to watch AJE everyday, and I've loved the way the news where chosen, the perspective and I was thinking: this is the way journalism should be! That was a few months ago.