Developer refuse to deliver project

[9518c7a0]

Hello , 

after months of work, my developer didnt finish the project, and refuse to deliver to me the code.

Any solution ?

I cannot even make a bad review since i hired him since 5 months...

Any solution?

[prestonhunter]

Obviously you should only work with developers who deliver the source code to you.

As a developer, whenever I START a project, I immediately create an online environment where I do all my work, and I provide the client with the same credentials that I have. So the client has the same access to the source code that I do.

There is really no reason for you to work with developers who won't provide you with constant access to ALL of the source code.

Now you know what you should do in the future.

As for your CURRENT SITUATION?
Well... Upwork doesn't have your source code.

You are saying that you hired a freelancer and paid the freelancer and then closed the contract all without ever receiving the source code?

It sounds like you already understand that you used the Upwork tool incorrectly.

There is not a SIMPLE solution. There is not a button you can click to get your source code. It may be possible for an Upwork employee to contact the freelancer and ask him to provide the source code. But that is completely NOT the ideal way to go about things.

A couple of important questions, to help us decide what to do next:
- How much money in total did you pay to that freelancer for this work?
- You said that he didn't finish the project. How convinced are you that freelancer did truly usable, valuable work that you definitely want to receive?

[AndreaG]

Hi Cyrine,

I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble with receiving your work product. I checked and it looks like you've been able to communicate with the freelancer. Please let us know if you need any further assistance.

Also, to clarify, you will be able to leave feedback for the freelancer once the contract is ended. You can read more about this here.

Thanks!

[prestonhunter]

re: "Also, to clarify, you will be able to leave feedback for the freelancer once the contract is ended."

Ah... interesting.

Cyrine: It sounds like you did not fully understand the fact that even though the freelancer's work was done many months ago, because the contract is STILL OPEN, you still have the opportunity to leave feedback.

This is an important thing to keep in mind. Freelancers typically WANT to leave good impression with clients, because they want to receive positive, accurate feedback.

So the fact that the contract is still open means that you have leverage.

If I was the client I would of course tell the freelancer something like:

"Henry:
Thank you again for the work that you have done on the project. I look forward to using the work you have done as I proceed with the project with the other people on the team. You don't need to work on this any more. If you will go ahead and send all fo the source code files, I will be able to close the contract and provide feedback that demonstrates my appreciation for the work that you did."

[prestonhunter]

And for the original poster and all other clients, an important thing to keep in mind is:

Source code doesn't belong to the developer or freelancer.

Source code belongs to the client who has paid for the work.

It is not a freelancer's "choice" to "give" the source code to the client.

If a freelancer is hired using an hourly contract, then ALL WORK PRODUCT belongs to the client who has paid for the work.

If a freelancer is hired using a fixed-price contract, then all files or work that were agreed upon as a deliverable in the original agreement belong to the paying client. The freelancer is supposed to provide all of those files/deliverables to the client, unhindered, and then the client reviews the work and releases payment to the freelancer.

Any legitimate developer knows these things. As a client, I have no interest whatsoever in needing to use Upwork Support's help to get ahold of my source code files, and I have no interest in needing to manipulate or cajole or coax a freelancer into providing source code files. Any client who gets the sense that a freelancer is withholding source code should simply not work with that freelancer.

The same goes for any other type of work. For example, if you hire an illustrator using an hourly contract who is providing you with output .png files, but won't provide you with the original vector files, then the freelancer is simply violating Upwork's default contract terms, and you shouldn't work with such a person.