@clients in this topic:
1. A freelancer gets the job. On the next day, they change their mind. They close the contract. The client suffers due to time lost. Freelancer's JS should drop because of a closed contract with no work/money exchanged. Freelancer is penalized.
2. A freelancer gets a job. S/he works on it. Gets paid regularly. Client is happy. Suddenly client disappears. Month after month, there's no message from them. Nothing. Freelancer's JS drops because of a stale contract. Freelancer decides to close it. JS drops (further). Freelancer is penalized.
So, @OP and Faith, do you see anywhere in the two versions above that a freelancer ISN'T penalized for a closed contract, no matter if it's the freelancer's or the client's fault? In both cases, it's the freelancer.
With all due respect to all clients on this platform, I think there's WAY to much pressure on freelancers when sometimes the client is so pampered that they don't even see that maybe they are at fault too. If your freelancers suddenly end the contract and disappeared, I am almost 100% sure that there were red flags you neglected to take notice of. Or maybe you didn't communicate in the interview stage. Or maybe you were tempted by the freelancer's low rate, so you could spend less $ for 'quality work'?
There are reasons why clients land on unreliable freelancers. If you can't read the red flags, then it's your fault for picking that freelancer. Of course, not to mention that such unreliable freelancers ruin the platform's reputation, and other more honest and reliable freelancers may suffer at times.
About improper communication with freelancers:
I had a potential client. He wanted a logo designed. Great. I saw that he did want quality delivered, and was ready to accept my rate. So far so good. He sent me a message plus two images, which featured the font he wanted. The idea was to have a custom font (hand-lettering) designed. So, when he sent me the two images, he said something like 'I want a similar font'. Errr, ok. Is this all?!?
Then I tried to get some more information about him, the company, the project. I can't work with information packed in just a few words. That's super unprofessional. I love to know the project. I struggle extremely much with clients who just don't bother to tell me about themselves and mostly the company. How can I design a logo for a company if I don't know anything about it?? He said they don't have a website yet. And that they were a beauty salon. And... that's it. I tried to extract more, but his awful English meant one thing - virtually no way to communicate about the project. It was like birth labors!! I realized that even if I understood exactly what he wants, I may have further problems when it comes to revisions and edits. It would have been a dreadful contract. So, that was it.
Why do I tell you all this? The red flag for me - bad communication. If I sense that in a contract, I know I'll have more of that during the contract, until the very end. I'd hate myself for working in such conditions. I used to neglect such red flags, but this time it was clear - no more!
So, if clients were more sensitive about who they talk to, how they talk to them, how they present the information, how they respond... then these clients would have fewer headaches and more work done on time.
P.S. And don't take freelancers as coffee machines who deliver work by pressing a button. If you could not utter one word probably you'd love it. But a professional freelancer DOES talk a lot and regularly with his/her clients. I know it takes time, but that's how the Pros do it. Only on Upwork do I see clients who interview me and virtually.... don't interview me. They just tell me 1-2 sentences, and I'm expected to understand that. With insufficient input, you can't expect sufficient quality work.
