I've got scammed, 4000usd later and im left without a working code. Freelancer profile deleted

[fd99cf5f]

Hello, i do not know why there seems so hard to find a place to create a ticket or get some support which is why i've decided to also share those words with you about my experiece.

I ordered a code from a guy called **edited for Community Guidelines** working here as a freelancer, the job was given may of 2019 and were a scraping service of online gaming.

In the beginning he told me he could start right away without any further issues, fulltime since i was in a hurry.
He worked and the program was left with bugs which he told me he would fix which was pretty solid from him.

The time went on and everytime i reported 2 problems, he solved 1 at a time, always.
In the end i shared my account with a IT-Developer which i know from long way back since i found it really hard to understand why and what he always was saying since im not into computers the same way **edited for Community Guidelines** probably was. Time went on and i pretty much relied on my friend to solve this with me but he always said that it seem'd like he answered what the problem was, but when he sent the fix it was never fixed. Time went on further and then i noticed i got this Auto-Reply when i tried to message him January 2020: **edited for Community Guidelines** does not currently have access to Upwork and will not receive messages until access is restored"

In the end the code was not delivering what we agreed on from the start, its giving false data and im not able to change anything due to lack of coding experience which equals that the code that he delivered is not anything i can use at all.

I have been engrossed in work and have not had time with a person who neither answers nor tries to understand, but now the situation looks different. Since this is quite a lot of money, I wish I will get help from Upwork, probably it has probably "gone too long", "You have already accepted the terms" or something like that, but no matter what I want to share my journey here at Upwork and probably make you think twice before you order.

Since i found it so hard to find any relevant place to explain and share about this in order to get support i will keep this thread updated with every response i get from the Upwork support team.

Do anyone here had the same issue as me and know what i could do about this?

Sincerely, Daniel

[a_lipsey]

I'm not sure what Upwork can do on their end. Their job is to connect you with a freelancer. They are not the freelancer's boss, and you entered into a contract with the freelancer, not Upwork. But they do offer some protections. So maybe they will take pity on you. 

The problem is, you've done what a lot of clients do, erroneously. You allow a project to go on, paying a freelancer who is not producing, for far too long. I know you want to vent about your experience, but I hope  you'll remember in the future to kick a freelancer to the curb if they are not producing as expected. If this project was based on milestones, perhaps you can dispute it, but it sounds like they already banned this particular freelancer, so unless Upwork wants to open up their own wallet to refund you, it sounds like you are out of luck. If this was an hourly contract, that means you approved the billing invoice each week when they emailed you to let you know you could review the hourly work diary. 

I cannot impress upon clients enough that when they are wading into territory they do not know to do at least some cursory research so that they know what to look for in terms of what kind of freelancer they need and red flags. I'm sorry you've had to go through this. I know it's hard to lose money on a project. I do hope that you have learned something about how to manage a project, and I do hope that Upwork will be able to help you in some way. 

I know it really sucks, but it's that cautionary tale of reading the TOS and knowing what recourse you have and don't have before entering into an agreement. Upwork can truly be a great resource to do business, but you have to use it with caution, as with anything else. 

I hope you're able to get a small refund, at least. 

[fd99cf5f]

The biggest concern which i did not mention is that he Said ge would solve the problems, but Since UP removed his account i couldnt get in touch in time.

We will see how upwork behaves upon this, i’ll wait some days to see If any actions is taking place.

Sincerely

Edit: I’ve done research, and followed each step, but in the end the product did as expected, but left me with wrong data.
Which is why the the code is useless.

[petra_r]

---

Daniele H wrote:

I wish I will get help from Upwork, probably it has probably "gone too long",

---

It's gone way too long and the freelancer is gone from Upwork anyway, so even if Upwork wanted to, there really isn't anything they can do.

[fd99cf5f]

I have waited to get in contact with the freelancer and followed the guidelines that upwork automatic message told me, "wait for freelancer to gain access" meanwhile i found it very hard to ask for help about this issue.

I've read about same issues on Fiverr and they seem to act better in these situations, though im not sure why  there would be impossible for me to get assistance with this issue when upwork is part of the problem (due to breaking my possibility to get in contact with this freelancer) Maybe its better to use Skype and speak with them there incase of any trouble, but i guess thats not the way Upwork want it to be aswell.

Im curious of how much upwork earned in those 4000+ euros i spent.

[prestonhunter]

re: "Maybe its better to use Skype and speak with them there incase of any trouble, but i guess thats not the way Upwork want it to be as well."

You are always welcome to use Skype or any other communications method to talk with freelancers you hire on Upwork.

Upwork has no rules prohibiting you from doing so.

[prestonhunter]

re: "Im curious of how much upwork earned in those 4000+ euros i spent."

Upwork collects a standard and administration processing fee of 3% of the money you pay freelancers. And Upwork collects a 20% fee from the freelancer earnings for the first $500 USD. After that, Upwork collects 10%. Until the freelancer has earned $10,000 USD, at which time the fee goes down to 5%.

[prestonhunter]

Daniele, I am very sorry that you are disappointed in the work that was done by a freelancer you previously worked with.

While it is true that you can't get any money back, there ARE things that you can do now, even after all this time. The most important of which is this: You can assess how things went with that contract, and learn from your experience.

I think you now understand more about how hiring freelancers works. You know that not all work done by freelancers will be up to the standards needed for your project.

You must have your project manager regularly review the work that freelancers turn in. Make sure the work is tested. Always look for underperforming freelancers, and stop working with them as soon as possible. Save money by identifying the members of your team who provide you with the most value, and assign them to do the work that you need done.

[AveryO]

I'm sorry to learn about your experience with this freelancer, Daniele. I can confirm that actions have been taken against the freelancer's account for violating the Upwork Terms of Service. I can see that the team reached out to you about your contract, and this freelancer through Ticket #27290924 last December. The same ticket thread should also be available in your email inbox. If you are unable to locate it, you can access it here. If you need further help, let us know so that we can notify the team. 

[prestonhunter]

re: "I’ve done research, and followed each step, but in the end the product did as expected, but left me with wrong data. Which is why the the code is useless."

If - in the end - the product did as expected, then this is significant. This may represent the majority of the work that needs to be done.

Rather than starting over, it is possible that you could choose to continue to use the existing code base, but find the specific calculations or functions that generate what you referred to as "wrong data."

According to your own description of the project and your qualifications, you may not be in a position to say the code is useless.

[fd99cf5f]

I may not have been clear enough, but it is not profitable to expect too much of that code.

[fd99cf5f]

Ive read the ticket, which I've never seen before either which i  would not blame you for.

In the ticket this setence: If you’d like, our Talent Services team will be happy to help you find a new freelancer for this project at any time -- just let us know.

This would cost me more money, and more time to let another freelancer get into the code etc etc.
This whole project which i used upwork for is just getting way to expensive.

Im not sure what to reply on that, I would like to discuss some compensation for this whole mess created.


Sincerely, Daniel

[prestonhunter]

re: "Im not sure what to reply on that, I would like to discuss some compensation for this whole mess created."

You are welcome to discuss most any topic related to this situation, right here in this thread.