I client does not pay may I delete my work product?

[mydowgirl]

I recently cancelled a contract when the client refused to actually review the web site I created for her. Instead I had over 4 1/2 hours of her spinning out her dreams. I have been a freelancer since 2008 on this platform and occasionally this does happen. I eat my costs and the client finds someone better suited. 

Even though I didn't want to get paid and had used the time tracer, apparently I lacked sufficient notes.  Okay, live and learn.

In these situations, who owns the work product? I am not getting paid for 2 premium WordPress plugins and I think I was okay with that, I always want clients to be successful. In this case the client obviously had her site. But what about the work product, when there is a cancellation of the contract, before any payment has been made. And how was she even able to file a dispute?

[petra_r · Accepted solution]

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@Kim K wrote:

In these situations, who owns the work product? I am not getting paid for 2 premium WordPress plugins and I think I was okay with that, I always want clients to be successful. In this case the client obviously had her site. But what about the work product, when there is a cancellation of the contract, before any payment has been made. And how was she even able to file a dispute?

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 If it was an hourly contract the client must either have disputed after being charged on Monday, or failed to pay Upwork. The hours from any hourly contract are charged on the Monday after the end of the work week, and the client has until Friday midnight to dispute.

The work product belongs to you if you were not paid.

[bobafett999]

If you were not paid you are completely OK to delete the stuff you have done.

[stefan-c]

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@Prashant P wrote:

If you were not paid you are completely OK to delete the stuff you have done.

It’s not OK to delete stuff if the stuff in hosted on the client’s server, even if the client has not paid you for your work. That might get you in trouble.

[bahadur-sawtantr]

**Edited for Community Guidelines** is a client  cheated me by taking work & not giving payment what to do ?

[joanbonjoc]

Hi S B,

Upon checking your account, the client made an offer and paid the amount. Please let us know if we may be of further assistance.

[mydowgirl]

Hey moderator, I wish you had not intertwinned my posting with SB's complaint, posting that SB was paid into this discussion takes it in the wrong direction and I don't think it's appropriate here.

[yitwail]

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@Kim K wrote:

Hey moderator, I wish you had not intertwinned my posting with SB's complaint, posting that SB was paid into this discussion takes it in the wrong direction and I don't think it's appropriate here.

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 Hey Kim, it was SB who hijacked your thread and posted his complaint. The moderator was only answering SB, who's probably new to the community and didn't mean to hijack your thread, so maybe you should give the moderator the benefit of the doubt.

[tlsanders]

Your story is pretty confusing. Did you cancel the contract, or did the client file a dispute and you were unable to collect because you hadn't included memos?

How it came about that you didn't get paid matters, because arguably if you were the one to reject payment, the client hasn't breached the contract and you can't unilaterally take back your work.