You're dead right DrZoidberg. There are sharks in dem dar waters. And there are also well-intentioned amateurs and youngsters with a diploma on the wall and no experience under the belt.
For what an honest editor should point out to a prospective client, pop into our own webside at
http://www.bewrite.net and click on 'Freelancing'.
Believe me, Doc, this post isn't touting for business. I doubt we'll have time to spare for new freelance commissions until well into 2011, but it'll give you some idea of what promises a freelance editor, realistically, can and can't make. In fact, I think I admit in the piece that it must be the world's worst advertising pitch.
Cheers. Neil