Topic: If you don't like the price, please don't waste my time

[WindAndConfusion]

So I'm a ghostwriter. Basically, that means people give me money and in exchange I write things for them - maybe an article, or a letter, or captions for 600 images, or the instruction manual for a vacuum cleaner. Whatever people are willing to pay me for.

For the past three days, emails have been going back and forth between me and some dipshit who wants me to write a term paper for him.

Now first of all, I don't like it when kids want me to do their homework for them. It's ethically questionable, and it could damage my reputation. My site has already been delisted from Google, because it looks too much like an essay mill.

But second of all, I especially don't like it when some kid asks for something I specifically won't provide, and then bitches that my price is too high.

"$150 for a five-page essay?! That's crazy!"

No, that's $30/page, which is my going rate. And actually it's a seven- or eight-page essay, when you include things like the bibliography and cover and other niceties that I don't charge for. And anyway, most real essay mills charge more like $50/page, including the bibliography.

He wants me to work for $10/page, and he won't take fucking "no" for answer. A five page essay on an unfamiliar topic would take me about six hours to write, so I'd be making about $8.33/hour - slightly better than someone who works at McDonald's, except that someone working at McDonald's has a steady source of income and I don't.

If he keeps this shit up, I might do something really mean, like find out where he goes to school, and then forward all of his emails to his instructor.

[Quemaqua]

The mean person who hates stupid people in me says "do it".

[Raisa]

Maybe you should be firm an state your price and "take it or leave it".  If he takes it, write the essay in a way so that it gives him away, it sounds like he's not too bright so he probably won't pick up on whatever you've written that a teacher most likely would.

[WindAndConfusion]

First, it would be unprofessional to accept a job and then do it half-assedly because the client is a douche.

Second, I already gave him my price, and told him to sod off. Yet he keeps emailing me.

[gpw11]

That's ridiculous.  I've been in somewhat of the same situation when I'd quote something for someone high (usually because I didn't really want to do it in the first place), and they'd try to bargain down with "These guys offered me ____, you should match that."  Great, get them to fucking do it and why are we even having this conversation?

[Raisa]

First, it would be unprofessional to accept a job and then do it half-assedly because the client is a douche.

Second, I already gave him my price, and told him to sod off. Yet he keeps emailing me.

the thing is.. you're not going to do half-assedly.. you do it so pro, the teacher will know he didn't do it.. so you'd be telling the teacher through your writing?

[Ghandi]

I wonder how these sorts of things aren't caught more? Any smart teacher would notice the shift in writing style. Unless they do it for every paper.

[WindAndConfusion]

A lot of essay milling happens at large universities with hundreds of students per class. There are dozens of graders and several instructors. There's no effective way to review that many essays (although some schools use ineffective computerized cheat detection, which is only good for detecting plagiarism).

Even with smaller classes, it's easy to cheat. At $50/page, it's worthwhile to custom-write every essay; so the millers can tailor each essay to a particular student. Typically when you order an essay, you specify a grade level (A, B, C, etc.), so that there isn't suspicion when a D-student gets an A on his term paper. Some shops even let you submit writing samples. The smarter clients, after receiving their essays, re-write them line-by-line, which ensures consistent style and good comprehension. Basically, if you're clever about it, it's impossible to prove that you purchased your essay.

Plenty of people do get caught cheating, but that's usually because they're dumbasses and just plagiarize off the Internet - which is easy to do, but easy to detect.

And yes, I think about this often.

[PyroMenace]

Makes me feel so much better about college students....

[JacksRag(e)]

Why not just block his email and be done with it?  Doesn't seem so complicated to me.

[Xessive]

The good person in me says listen to Que

[nickclone]

Who cares if its cheating, do it at the price you gave him or tell him to kiss your ass and block his email.

[Cobra951]

I care.  I did it honestly, and I'd love to see any student caught doing this expelled and blacklisted.

[Quemaqua]

What Cobra said.  I hate cheaters.

[Xessive]

I hate cheaters of all kinds. Though the argument "it ain't cheatin' if you don't get caught" comes to mind, but it's just a weak excuse.

[nickclone]

Who cares about cheating? As long as there isn't a curve, I don't see what the big deal is. So some kid wants someone else to do his paper for him, it doesn't affect anyone else except him.

[Quemaqua]

What if someday he gets a job or gets accepted to some other school, bumping out somebody who actually did their own work?  What if he takes away a scholarship from somebody else?  What if he somehow weasels his way into a position of authority later in life using his underhanded tactics, and his ineptitude then cascades down over everyone beneath him?

[Ghandi]

Who cares about cheating? As long as there isn't a curve, I don't see what the big deal is. So some kid wants someone else to do his paper for him, it doesn't affect anyone else except him.

The classic example to refute this argument is the doctor who cheated on his exams. You're saying that it doesn't affect the patient that he is diagnosing?

[nickclone]

The classic example to refute this argument is the doctor who cheated on his exams. You're saying that it doesn't affect the patient that he is diagnosing?

Nope.

[scottws]

You don't truly intend to defend that statement, do you?

[nickclone]

You don't truly intend to defend that statement, do you?

I've been feeling really under the weather lately. I don't feel like arguing with the same old people who try to pull me into childish arguments, blame it on me and then threaten me with banishment. Give me a few days to feel better before I go knee deep back into that stuff. Until then...

Everyone has cheated, so what. Even the doctors who claim to have never cheated still amputate the wrong leg or kill patients by leaving their car keys inside them.

[scottws]

Hey, that's not fair, I never argue with you anymore.

[Ghandi]

I don't feel like arguing with the same old people who try to pull me into childish arguments

Heh. Funny that you are calling my stance that "cheating harms others" more childish than "cheating is o.k.".

Also, I'm sure that cheating has no effect on your ability to learn the material. Hell, what's the point of school anyways? They will just leave their car keys in patients anyways, right?

[nickclone]

Heh. Funny that you are calling my stance that "cheating harms others" more childish than "cheating is o.k.".

Also, I'm sure that cheating has no effect on your ability to learn the material. Hell, what's the point of school anyways? They will just leave their car keys in patients anyways, right?

Exactly!

[Ghandi]

[nickclone]

 

[PyroMenace]

Cheating really shouldn't be looked down upon that much anymore, I mean college is just a big fucking waste of time anyway. Amirite?

[Xessive]

Group cyber-hug?

From my experience in university it was basically an overpriced daycare centre. That does not defend cheating in any way.

[nickclone]

Hey, that's not fair, I never argue with you anymore.

I'm sorry, that wasn't directed at you. I'm just now seeing your post, hopefully you can now see one of the very few people who like to rear their ugly heads to provoke me. We may disagree sometimes, but I've never had a problem with you Scott.

[Ghandi]

Oh Nickclone, you are such the innocent victim. Always provoked. *tear*

[Cobra951]

I don't know where the kidding stops and the seriousness begins.  I'm going to give most of you the benefit of the doubt, because most of you are smart and experienced enough to know that not only harmless losers come out of colleges with diplomas.  The rest become responsible for the bridges we cross, the roads we drive on, the buildings we're in right now, the smoke detectors that wake us up during a fire, the cars we depend on, the propane tanks on grills, the planes we fly in, and yes, the people who keep us alive when we're in a bad way.

[nickclone]

Oh Nickclone, you are such the innocent victim. Always provoked. *tear*

Weak!

[gpw11]

Honestly, I believe cheating in  a post secondary enviroment is basically just a matter of personal ethics.  If getting that degree was all about retaining knowledge for future use in a chosen career and nothing else then you shouldn't even be marked on term papers anyways.

[Ghandi]

If nothing else, it makes me happy that these are the sorts of people that I will be competing with when I graduate in a few months. If you aren't competent enough to write a few papers, you probably won't get very far in the workplace.

[Antares]

If nothing else, it makes me happy that these are the sorts of people that I will be competing with when I graduate in a few months. If you aren't competent enough to write a few papers, you probably won't get very far in the workplace.

ha! you wish.