How long should it take before I see any work done?

[beven]

Hi All,

I hired a person to act as a Social Media Manager for two clients of mine, we agreed on a fixed rate and I made the payment on 16 Jan 2020. He asked that I release the money from Escrow and as this was my first hire on Upwork I was dumb enough to approve the milestone and he got paid.

Now it's been a full 6 days and he is flat-out ignoring me as we've used Messenger to communicate about the work that needs to be done. 

What can I do, I suppose the money I paid is now lost and this guy will keep scamming clients using the Upwork platform.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

[m_sharman]

Typically the fixed fee approach is designed to work as follows:

1) Client/FL agree on milestone which includes work to be completed and payment

2) Client funds the milestone

3) FL works

4) FL submits the work

5) Client approves (or disputes) the work completed. If approved, you release the  milestone.

Others who have more experience will advice on the possibility of filing a dispute.  I wouldn't do anything else until these experts weigh in with your options. 

[BojanS · Accepted solution]

Hi Beven,

I'm sorry about your experience with this freelancer. Our team will reach out to you directly to assist you with getting in touch with the freelancer and advise on further steps.

Thank you.

[beven]

Thank you for your reply, will wait for your teams' contact.

[prestonhunter]

The important thing is to learn from your mistake and not make the same mistake again.

If you are able to help Upwork out a little, that's great. But you are not obligated to follow up or anything. If you have reported this freelancer, then focus on your project and your interests.

[petra_r]

---

Preston H wrote:

If you are able to help Upwork out a little, that's great. But you are not obligated to follow up or anything. If you have reported this freelancer, then focus on your project and your interests.

---

Preston, the OPs aim is to either get the work or his money back. He is not trying to help out Upwork.

[jr-translation]

---

Beven S wrote:

Hi All,

I hired a person to act as a Social Media Manager for two clients of mine, we agreed on a fixed rate and I made the payment on 16 Jan 2020. He asked that I release the money from Escrow and as this was my first hire on Upwork I was dumb enough to approve the milestone and he got paid.

Now it's been a full 6 days and he is flat-out ignoring me as we've used Messenger to communicate about the work that needs to be done. 

What can I do, I suppose the money I paid is now lost and this guy will keep scamming clients using the Upwork platform.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

---

Message him one more time with a deadline. After the deadline close the job and leave an honest warning. The freelancer might be tempted to refund you the entire amount just to remove the feedback. It is a bit of a gamble, because in case the freelancer is top-rated he can use his perk to remove the feedback.

[tta192]

At this moment the money is gone anyway. Give him a few more days - and ask him to provide a plan on what his work will involve, what you will receive, etc.

If he continues to ignore you then close the contract and leave a written review so others can see it.