Filing a dispute for hourly based work from a freelancer

[51ac9659]

Dear all, 

As we are new on Upwork we had recently hired a developer. But she didnt did anything on our website. We asked for a refund and the freelancer refunded all the amount paid to her previously as she knew she did no work at all. But as we had stop the project in the middle of week we were charged again for the other days. But this time the freelancer rejected our refund and we filed a dispute but the customer service went through her work diary and they only refunded us $8. We had an existing website. Instead of working on our website and the task we asked for the freelancer did the contrary and messed up our website completely. How do we ask Upwork for refund of the remaining. We are tired and depressed already and we felt ripped off and stolen. 

[prestonhunter]

Sabrina:
I am sorry if you had a disappointing experience while hiring a freelancer on Upwork.

There appears to be a gap in your understanding of how Upwork functions (and a gap in your understanding of how hiring freelancers works in general). I want you to succeed in your efforts. The best way for you to succeed in your current situation and future hiring efforts is for you to have an accurate understanding of how things work.

You hired a freelancer and you wanted that freelancer to do something for you, and you felt that the freelancer didn't do exactly what you wanted. Now you want money back.

Here is an important tip:
Never plan to get money back from a freelancer.

If you follow this tip, it will help you save money and succeed in your projects.

What went wrong in your situation?

You hired a freelancer using an hourly contract. But you apparently did not fully understand that an hourly contract means that you pay for a freelancer's time, and not for a specific deliverable.

You asked for a refund, and Upwork Customer Service representative looked at the freelancer's work diary and only refunded you $8.

The Upwork Customer Service representative acted correctly. That decision to refund only $8 was made in accordance with Upwork policies. You are fortunate that you received that much.

You might ask: "But wait! I didn't get what I wanted."

An hourly contract is not about "getting what you want." It is about paying for a freelancer's time.

The Upwork Customer Service representative checked to make sure that the freelancer:

- used the desktop time-tracker app

- recorded adequate memos describing what she was doing

- produced screenshots that showed she was working on your project

- had adequate mouse/keyboard activity

The Upwork Customer Service representative never asked the question: "Did the freelancer finish producing the results that the client wanted?" That will NEVER be a question that Upwork will ask when a client disputes a freelancer's hours.

Where does this leave YOU, as you move forward?
Do try to dispute this freelancer's time any more. In fact, you will be better off if you plan to never file a dispute for ANY reason for ANY freelancer.

INSTEAD, do this: You should FIRE an underperforming freelancer BEFORE paying her more money. Then you won't need to TRY to get money back from the freelancer. Because usually you will NOT be able to get money back from a freelancer. MUCH easier to NOT pay the freelancer money in the first place.

It is very important to keep in mind that not every freelancer you hire is going to be a good fit for your project. Plan to hire multiple freelancers and plan to fire many of them. Continue working ONLY with the freelancers who provide the best value for your project.

[petra_r]

---

Preston H wrote:

INSTEAD, do this: You should FIRE an underperforming freelancer BEFORE paying her more money. Then you won't need to TRY to get money back from the freelancer. Because usually you will NOT be able to get money back from a freelancer. MUCH easier to NOT pay the freelancer money in the first place.

---

Unless you catch that a freelancer is underperforming before they track a single segment or before putting money in escrow, there is no way to avoid paying money to the freelancer.

I am incredibly surprised that you don't know that and that you are advising a client to not pay freelancers for work done.

[prestonhunter]

re: "I am incredibly surprised that you don't know that and that you are advising a client to not pay freelancers for work done."

I don't know what you are referring to. Nobody here is advising clients to not pay freelancers for work they have already done.

When a client finds that a freelancer is underperforming, the client should fire the freelancer immediately. As soon as that happens, it blocks the freelancer from logging any more time. This is standard advice.

[petra_r]

---

Preston H wrote:

I don't know what you are referring to.

---

To

"...MUCH easier to NOT pay the freelancer money in the first place."

[prestonhunter]

That is correct. It is always easier to not pay a freelancer money than to pay a freelancer money and ask for it back.

If a freelancer has done some work for me and I can see that their work doesn't provide great value to me, then I should end the contract rather than continuing to pay them money.

My first post in this thread is very clear about how this all works.

Petra: You and I both understand how this works and we are in agreement. Please feel free to offer your preferred wording. I am familiar with your posts on this subject. I will stipulate ahead of time that I am in agreement with your explanation.

[kochubei_valeria]

Hi Sabrina,

I'm sorry to hear you have had a negative experience with a contract on Upwork. One of our team members has reached out to you directly with more information about the dispute process and options available in this situation. To find their message, please refer to the request #31499063 in your inbox and here.