How can I contact support. Account frozen even though card on file is good, and no charges declined.

[603e300c]

We received notice our account was suspended. I received another email indicating the payment card on file needed to be updated. However the card is current, has been used for transactions all year long without problem, and visa shows no charges declined.

On top of that, I see NO way to contact support. I’m sorry but this is ridiculous. It’s bad enough to have my account frozen do no reason and have a wrench thrown in our workflow, but the inability to easily contact support is just stupid.

I’m trying to give you my money! Why won’t you help me pay freelancers, and pay your charges as well?

[603e300c]

Similar problem. The inability to contact support directly horrible. I’ve been with upwork since they acquired Elance, and was with elance since 2005 or something.

Having our workflow grind to a halt for what appears to be Upworks problem is unacceptable. That they send you to a chatbot so address the issue makes us feel like unvalued customers.

If upwork will shut you down without any warning, and no way to quickly address the problem- how can you trust them and base your business on them?

Why is a moderator on a community board even involved? Why can’t we even open a ticket ourselves? Or god forbid talk to someone directly.

[603e300c]

These steps do not help unfortunately. I’m told my account is limited, given instructions that do not resolve the problem.

I can continue to click the get support button, but I just end up in a loop that tells me I can go to the upwork community.

[AleksandarD]

Hi Justin,

I'm sorry to hear about all your troubles. A quick way to contact support is by clicking the "Get Support" button that shows at the bottom right corner of this page. You may be asked what type of account you need help with, please select the best option for your situation. If you don't receive the information you're looking for, you can click "Get Support" for more options, including contacting our support team.

Regarding your account, there's a ticket already and you can access it directly on this link. Kindly check the ticket out and follow up on the secure link our team shared. If you have any questions, feel free to post them there directly so that the team can continue assisting you.

Thank you.

[603e300c]

Clicking on CONTACT SUPPORT does not, at any point, ever, allow me to contact support staff.

This was one of the first things I did. It either "hangs" on this screen ( shown ), or redirects me to the community forum.

Yes thank you for pointing to the ticket. I did not create this ticket, it is not mentioned in any of the email Upwork has sent me, nor is there a clear link anywhere to suggest that I should view that ticket.

That ticket is marked "SOLVED" so I still cannot discuss the issue with support. Nor can I create a new ticket.

Please answer this question: How may I speak with Upwork Support?

[603e300c]

Why am I being required to verify my client account?

"In order to remove the restriction on your account, you must send a document showing your company’s name and address. "

I've been using a username and a credit card for years - so Upwork definitely knows exactly who I am, and has never had issues with payment. What exactly is there to verify?

[JoanneP]

Hi Justin,

I can see that you already have an open ticket regarding this issue. One of our agents will update your ticket and assist you further. 

[603e300c]

I do not have an open ticket. Again I ask. How may I speak to support?

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[g_vasilevski]

Hi Justin,

You can access your tickets on this Link. I also checked your account and I can see that you have followed up on your ticket with the number 32269575. Feel free to follow up directly there with any additional questions you may have and our team will assist you further on your ticket. Thank you.

[603e300c]

did you even look at the photo I attached?

[603e300c]

So you want me to contact support about ticket 32207313 ( verification ) , by replying to another ticket 32269575 ( charges on card declined )?

[g_vasilevski]

Hi Justin,

I understand your frustration with this and I'm sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. I would also like to clarify that I have already escalated your concern to our team. 
One of our team members will update your ticket with additional information and instructions and will guide you further. Thank you.

[603e300c]

I see you reversed payments on freelancers, saying that my card was declined. This is not true, I spoke with my bank and there have been no declines on that card. I also see that you reversed the charges, even though the freelancers did the work that was required.

Can I ask what the hell is going on over there? You are insisting that I provide documentation for a company that doesn't exist ( It's just a user name ) - why? You don't provide any avenue for me to speak with support - why?

I feel terrible for anyone who relies on upwork for income. Your customer support is horrific - you clearly have no appreciation for my work history here, or value me as a customer.

[603e300c]

Apparently Upwork thinks my I'm based in a OFAC /SDN country. So I'm required to provide ID and proof of who I am.

Look, I get that you have OFAC to worry about. Might I suggest the following steps:

1) Send more than one email. During an active project, we have a LOT of upwork messages coming in. I never look at them, because I have PMs. I wasn't aware of the issue until the PMs started receiving email about account being limited

2) The email sent to rest of team are not accurate. They state that the credit card is being rejected. This is not true, and has nothing to do with the issue.

3) It is not clear that a ticket has been created, outside of the original email. Once I find the ticket, I am not able to respond to it. The Get Support button is nearly useless. Community Mods cannot be your frontline support. I get it is a cheap way to handle support, but after this I would definitely not recomend upwork to anyone from the client side. The idea is for Upwork to SAVE time, not drain it. But whatever, that's your lookout.

4) Consider sending a message in addition to an email, when an account is at risk of being suspended.

5) Be more upfront with your messaging. You are asking me for personal identification such as photos of my Driver's License, proof of business, etc. This isn't information I casually provide. This is exactly the type of information that is used in identity theft, and you provide no reason why you need it. You offer no assurances that it is protected other than saying "secure" once. Are you going to keep a photo of my DL? Is it stored with my other account data? Is it at risk of being revealed the next time you have a "bug"?

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/So-Upwork-this-security-breach/td-p/562999/page/6

[JoanneP]

Thanks for sharing your feedback, Justin. I'll definitely share this with the team. I just checked your ticket and it looks like you have also posted there. Rest assured that one of our agents will update you directly on the same ticket to assist you further. 

[603e300c]

Yes, it has been 24 hours, to find out you rejected my verification, even though I included a bank statement and a copy of my ID. This is a ridiculous process. You have more than enough information to verify who I am, and that I am not on the OFAC sanctions list. I'm tired of jumping through these stupid hoops.

[603e300c]

You have made it impossible for me to verify my account, as my profile name is "Justin C." None of my bank statements are going to say "C" on them. They are going to include my full name.

You have my bank statements, with my business name, a credit card with my business name, my personal ID - which includes my LAST NAME which is part of my COMPANY NAME.

I'm tired of wasting time on this, of not being able to speak to someone from support directly, waiting 24 hours between replies while you have SHUT DOWN my ability to do business on your platform, something I have come to rely upon. I hope this serves as a warning to anyone interested in using Upwork. Please also note that the freelancers who entered time manually were denied payment after Upwork froze my account.

[prestonhunter]

Justin:

Thank you for all the details you have provided about your experience.

As an Upwork user (client and freelancer):

None of this is acceptable to me.

I believe that Upwork needs to eliminate all of their new client identity verification protocols until they can guarantee that something like this won't happen.

[603e300c]

---

Preston H wrote:

Justin:

Thank you for all the details you have provided about your experience.

As an Upwork user (client and freelancer):

None of this is acceptable to me.

I believe that Upwork needs to eliminate all of their new client identity verification protocols until they can guarantee that something like this won't happen.

---

Hi Preston, this might be clear already, but I want to stress this isn't a "new user" verification.  I have tickets on upwork going back 9 years. I think you just mean that this type of verification problem would be detrimental to a new user's experience. But just in case, I thought I'd clarify that point for anyone reading your reply.

[prestonhunter]

I don't mean that you are a new user. I mean that these verification protocols are new.

They are new, and they obviously aren't working correctly.

[petra_r]

---

Preston H wrote:

 I mean that these verification protocols are new.

---

They are not new.

[BojanS]

I apologize for the delay in receiving an update, Justin.

I’ll go ahead and follow up with the team handling your case and you can expect to receive an update on your ticket directly.

Thank you for your patience.

[603e300c]

---

Bojan S wrote:

I apologize for the delay in receiving an update, Justin.

I’ll go ahead and follow up with the team handling your case and you can expect to receive an update on your ticket directly.

Thank you for your patience.

---

On Thursday 1 pm I sent the following email. I have not received any reply as of Saturday morning.

---

The ID you provided is acceptable; however, the statement you provided is not.
The provided statement is missing your names and address.

---

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[NikolaS]

Hi Justin,

I shared your report with the team handling your case and one of our agents will follow up with you on your support ticket as soon as possible to assist you further. 

Thank you for your patience,

[603e300c]

My finances are still limited.

Why did you remove my earlier reply? Can you please clarify which guidelines I violated?

[PradeepH]

Hi Justin,

Thank you for your message.

I am sorry to hear about the action taken on your account. I see that you are already communicating with the relevant team via a support ticket here. One of our team members will reach out to you as soon as possible to assist you further. Please don't hesitate to follow up with them on your support ticket if you have additional questions regarding your concern. 

Thank you.

Pradeep.