How to delete the entire hiring, canceling hire, and rating process for one freelancer?

[rhst1]

I hired a freelancer and then almost immediately canceled the hire. At this point I found I had to leave a rating for the freelancer. Because the experience was not positive I left a 6 out of 10 rating. I felt the freelancer was "lowballing" me - agreeing to do the work, but to bill me at a much higher rate than the posted job fee.

I did not see any way to simply cancel the hire without leaving a rating.

Now the freelancer is concerned about the negative rating and wants to do the job at the posted rate, but I'd prefer not to work with him at all. The ideal solution to me, since I am partly responsible for not asking screening question early about whether he was willing to accept the compensation or not, is to simply erase the entire hire and cancel experience from the Upwork records.

Can we do this?

[petra_r]

---

Bob S wrote:

Can we do this?

---

No, there is no way to do this. The contract also can't be started again, so this ship has sailed. You don't have to work with that freelancer. I am puzzled why you sent the offer and then withdrew it? What was the point of that? Why not just tell the freelance that it's not going to work out and simply decline the proposal?

[rhst1]

The problem is that shortly after he was hired, he told me the actual rate I would need to pay would be much higher than the rate he was hired at. This was the trigger that caused the cancelation.

[petra_r]

---

Bob S wrote:

The problem is that shortly after he was hired, he told me the actual rate I would need to pay would be much higher than the rate he was hired at. This was the trigger that caused the cancelation.

---

Then he should not have accepted the contract! Breakdown in communication before even starting the work is not a good sign so frankly I'd say block the freelancer and let the feedback stand as it does, there is no way to change it anyway. 

[alysegoody]

Why on earth would you hire someone, knowing their rate, and then cancel the project immediately? I hope the freelancer stays well away after such awful tactics. 

[rhst1]

Thank you, Petra, but you have the situation reversed.

It was the freelancer that told me the final cost would not be my posted fixed rate, but at a much higher hourly rate which he quoted. The higher hourly rate that he quoted, only was made clear in the messages between us after he had been hired.

It was this discrepancy between what the job was offered at and what the freelancer said it would really cost, that caused me to cancel the job.

[rhst1]

Sorry, I must not be making myself clear. After I hired the freelancer, he made it plain that the job rate was not the rate he was going to charge for the work. So I already hired him thinking that everything was proceeding normally. Note: this was set up as a low paying job with an offer of $8 for the complete project. After being hired, the freelancer then said that his rate was actually $25 per hour.

It took a couple of back and forth messages with him to fully understand this. If you can access the message thread you can see exactly what happened.

As soon as I saw what the freelancer wanted to do, I thought the simplest thing to do would be to cancel the job, that's when I found out I could not cancel without leaving a rating.

I debated with myself what rating to give him. At first I set it to 5, but then thought perhaps that was to negative and raised it to a 6. The freelancer of course does not want a 5 or a 6.

He has offered to do the job at the clearly stated price of $8, if when done successfully will allow his rating to be amended. Is it possible to re-hire him and if he does a good job, give him a better rating?

[feed_my_eyes]

---

Bob S wrote:

Sorry, I must not be making myself clear. After I hired the freelancer, he made it plain that the job rate was not the rate he was going to charge for the work. So I already hired him thinking that everything was proceeding normally. Note: this was set up as a low paying job with an offer of $8 for the complete project. After being hired, the freelancer then said that his rate was actually $25 per hour.

It took a couple of back and forth messages with him to fully understand this. If you can access the message thread you can see exactly what happened.

As soon as I saw what the freelancer wanted to do, I thought the simplest thing to do would be to cancel the job, that's when I found out I could not cancel without leaving a rating.

I debated with myself what rating to give him. At first I set it to 5, but then thought perhaps that was to negative and raised it to a 6. The freelancer of course does not want a 5 or a 6.

He has offered to do the job at the clearly stated price of $8, if when done successfully will allow his rating to be amended. Is it possible to re-hire him and if he does a good job, give him a better rating?

---

Yes, you can start a new job and invite him, but he would have to be crazy to agree to work with you, especially for only $8. Why would you give him such a low rating if he didn't even do any work? (The rating that you gave him on the original project would still stand; there isn't any way for you to change it.)

[rhst1]

Thanks, Christine, but It is the freelancer's idea to work with me. Not the other way around. He brought it up from his side because he wants to erase the #6 rating that I gave him.

The reason I gave him a low rating was because he was making a proposal under false preteneses. He wanted to take the job at the posted price, but then when I hired him. He said the actual price would be much higher and based on his $25 an hour rate.

[petra_r]

---

Christine A wrote:

---

Why would you give him such a low rating if he didn't even do any work? 

---

Other than the bait and switch?

[ladyelexia]

If he did not do any work, then there should be no payments made on the contract. If there were no payments made, then no feedback will show up, no matter how good or bad it may be. So, for feedback to be showing up, that means you paid him. Why did you pay him? Did he turn in work? If not, then he can simply refund the payment and there will be no public feedback. Private feedback cant be changed. 

Good luck. 

[petra_r]

---

Heather H wrote:

If he did not do any work, then there should be no payments made on the contract. If there were no payments made, then no feedback will show up

---

I don't think public feedback is even entering the picture here. The freelancer is whining about the PRIVATE feedback (there is no such thing as 6 as a public feedback) the OP left because of the freelancer's bait and switch tactics of accepting a contract at one price and then asking for more.

[lysis10]

Upwork should just link this thread on every question "why we have private feedback? why client can no change feedback?" This. This is why. Bait and switch and then freelancer either blackmails client or harasses them over their own stupid mistake.

[ladyelexia]

Ahh, I see Petra. Well, the client should never have told the freelancer what feedback they left in private, that is the point of that system. 

OP, simply block the user and move on.