Lacey:
I do not doubt that you feel disappointed right now.
You may wish to review the pertinent Help documentation here:
https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211062158-Dispute-an-Agency-or-Freelancer-s-Hours
I am going to share some GENERAL information that does not have anything to do with your specific situation. But knowing more about how Upworks can only help you in better achieving your goals.
- As a general principle, it is not Upwork's intention that a client pays a freelancer and then gets money back from the freelancer. Upwork's business model centers on a client paying money and the freelancer keeping that money, while Upwork retains a portion of the money paid to the freelancer.
- Upwork does not provide websites or software.
- Upwork provides opportunities for clients to find, hire and pay freelancers.
- Upwork does not provide free project management. (But it is possible to hire project managers through Upwork.)
- When a client hires a freelancer through Upwork using an hourly contract, the client is paying for the freelancer's time. The client is not paying for a specific deliverable.
- When a client hires a freelancer through Upwork, Upwork is not a party to the contract between the client and the freelancer. If a client feels that they have an issue or problem with a freelancer, then the client may deal with that matter directly with the freelancer. It is not Upwork's intention to get in the middle of that, such as by approving or reviewing a freelancer's work. That is the client's responsibility.
- After a work week ends (midnight GMT on Sunday), a client has 5 days during which they may dispute time segments logged by a freelancer. Upwork will remove the time segments from the time that the client needs to pay for if the time segments do not meet the criteria for Upwork Payment Protection. Hours that do NOT meet these criteria include manually-logged time, time without memos, time with inadequate (too low) mouse/keyboard activity.
=============
I do not work for Upwork or represent Upwork. I am an Upwork user. I use the platform as both a freelancer and a client.
Now I will add some opinion and commentary that relates specifically to the original poster's situation:
Based on the original poster's description of events, it is seems unlikely that the client will get any money back. It is not Upwork's intention that the client get any money back.
This is an hourly contract, and the work was done 2 weeks ago. So the work falls outside the time during which hourly time may be disputed.
Refund thinking hurts clients.
This situation is a prime example of that.
I believe this client thought that if something went wrong, they could get a refund. That is not necessarily the case. Based on Upwork's policies, I see no basis for filing a dispute or receiving a refund.
Rather than thinking that it might be possible to get a refund, the client would have been better off monitoring and reviewing the work carefully, particularly early on. The client could have set the maximum number of hours that can be worked in a week to only two hours. After two hours of work, the client could have had the freelancer submit the work files and demonstrate the work. A real programmer/developer is able to do that. A scammer "programmer/developer" is often NOT able to do that.
If a client hires a real developer, the developer can send the source code files to the client at any time. The developer can also provide a URL or set of executable files that the client can run, which WORK, and can be TESTED. This can be done after each module is completed. The client DOES NOT need to wait until the entire project is done.
In the original poster's situation, there are two distinct possibilities:
- The freelancer did good work and really did provide what he said he provided, but the client lacks the necessary skills to properly test and demonstate this fact.
[or]
- The freelancer did NOT do "real" work and has intentionally scammed the client.
Either way, there is no button that the client can click on in order to automatically receive a refund. If the freelancer did good work, then the next step for the client is to use the freelancer's work, not try to get money back. If the freelancer did not really do any usable work, that is not something that Upwork will adjudicate.
As a final step in handling disputes, binding arbitration is available from Upwork, in which an independent arbitrator will actually look at discussions, hear from both parties, and consider submitted files. Arbitration is available only for FIXED-PRICE contracts. Not for hourly contracts such as this one.
In a project of this size and scope, the proper thing for a client to do is to hire an independent project manager who will receive and review source code and work files. It is especially important that this be done early one, to make sure that the freelancer's work is usable for the project. If the client does not hire an independent project manager, then the client needs to perform the duties of a project manager himself.
=====
Lacey:
An Upwork Forum Moderator has said that a ticket has been created for Upwork to consider your situation and advise you further. There is nothing wrong with you communicating with Upwork personnel directly. I wish you well and hope for the best for you.
If you have any questions about how Upwork works, about what the rules and policies are with regards to your situation, then feel free to ask your questions here.
