Freelancer's account is locked and money is stuck in escrow

[7955a116]

We hired an animator to make a video for us. We set 4 milestones and deadlines. The animator hit the first milestone, we approved the work and released the funds, and then funded the second milestone.

Now, the freelancer's account is locked. When I view my conversation with them, I see a message that says "NAME does not currently have access to Upwork and will not receive messages until access is restored"

We really need to move this project along but our funds are stuck in escrow. Also, as an added annoyance, if we have to start the project over, we lose the two weeks worth of work and the first milestone payment we made to the first animator.

What's the best way to resolve this issue? At a minimum, we need the funds that are locked in escrow returned to us.

PS to Upwork support staff - please feel free to contact us directly. There does not seem to be a way to file a support ticket or communicate directly with the support team.

[g_vasilevski]

Hi Daniel,

I'm sorry to hear about the bad experience you've had. One of our team members will reach out to you via ticket as soon as possible and will assist you further with your funds. Thank you.