Can't lodge dispute!

[7d684678]

I've tried to lodge a dispute as money was withrdawn this week as a 'salary' and no work whatsoever was done. The formal process is a joke - it says there is an option to 'lodge an official dispute' under 'request a refund' and the option just isn't there at all. It just loops back to the document telling you what to do. A frustrating waste of time! How do I lodge an official dispute for a salary withdrawn when no work or hours were logged.

[JoanneP]

Hi Angus,

I’ve shared your concern with the team. One of our team members will reach out and assist you directly via a support ticket. Thank you!

[prestonhunter]

Angus:
You have an incorrect understanding of what it is that you need to do.

You are NOT supposed to lodge a dispute about salary money that was paid.

You do NOT need the help of Upwork Customer Support or anybody else in order to resolve this.

Don't wait to hear from Upwork.

Immediately close the current contract.

That will STOP al salary payments.

Then create a new hourly contract and this time, make sure you do NOT click the button to establish a salary.

The weekly salary is ONLY established if you (the client) adds a number to a field. You may have done that without thinking about it. That's OKAY. It is a mistake that many clients make. The important thing is YOU can fix this. And you can avoid making the same mistake again in the future.

Look for this:

ALSO:
If you feel that these weekly salary payments were made in error, or if you feel that the freelancer was not living up to expectations associated with these payments, then YOU can do something about this yourself. You do not need help from Upwork Customer Support. I don't even think Customer Support will do anything about it if you talk to them. And don't look for the "button" to resolve this. There is no such button.

All you need to do is communicate to the freelancer. Write something that explains your concerns and asks her to send you a refund of the weekly salary money. Then, before you send the message, edit it. Remove 50% of the words. That will make your message more effective.

If the freelancer is honorable, then she will NOT want to keep money that she didn't earn, and she will send you a refund. If she is not honorable and if she decides to keep the money, then you have learned something valuable about this freelancer. You could choose to stop working with her and only work with people who are honorable.