Request for refund for work by Freelancer

[6e93b404]

Hi,

I have a freelancer work billed me for someones elese work. Could see this through their worksheet, and this was another contract they were working on and billed me by mistake. I disputed the first amount, which was paid back and since then hvae found there is some some previous invoices by the contracter that was wlso billed to me by mistake. I put in a request for a reund on the other bills. Have not seen the corrspending support tickek for each dispute.

The contractor has addmitted their mistake and paid the first one back. Have not been able to contact the freelancer about this. They asked for the otstanding amount, I provied them with the amount and have not heard back from them for several weeks.

[prestonhunter]

I think it is worthwhile for clients to CHECK EACH FREELANCER'S WORK LOG before the end of the week and make sure this is not an issue. Or have a designated project manager do that.

[6e93b404]

The contract was paused for several months, then all of a sudden I am being billed for work that I did not request. Turns out they billed me for someones elese work. I did not find this out till recently as I noticed the chages on my card statement. 

[prestonhunter]

re: "The contract was paused for several months, then all of a sudden I am being billed for work that I did not request. Turns out they billed me for someones elese work. I did not find this out till recently as I noticed the chages on my card statement."

There are two possibilities:

a) "The contract was paused for several months. NOT OFFICIALLY PAUSED. I DID NOT CLICK THE PAUSE BUTTON. I simply asked the freelancer not to do any work on it. Turns out they billed me for someones elese work. I did not find this out till recently as I noticed the chages on my card statement."

b) "The contract was paused for several months. AND THEN I UN-PAUSED THE CONTRACT. Then all of a sudden I am being billed for work that I did not reuest. Turns out they billed me for someone else's work."

At this time, do you know if you did (a) or (b)?

Because based on our understanding of how Upwork contracts work, those are the only two possibilities.

[6e93b404]

Option a.

[prestonhunter]

For future reference, there is an actual, "Pause" button that blocks logging of time.

As for your current predicament:

EVERY HONORABLE UPWORK FREELANCER would immediately refund all money associated with an incorrect billing (logging time on the wrong contract).

If you discovered this and the freelancer was informed, then you are dealing with a dishonorable freelancer.

[6e93b404]

Yes, that's what I thought. They said they would pay all money back and asked how much they owe. i told them the amount, but they never resopned.

[prestonhunter]

Andrew: How much money is it that was billed to your account incorrectly?

[6e93b404]

$500 was billed to my account.

[prestonhunter]

$500 is a significant amount of money to lose simply because a freelancer was dishonest or dishonorable.

I'm sorry you are experiencing this.

If I was the client in this situation:

Unfortunately, this means the end of my relationship with this freelancer.

I can not have somebody on my team who is dishonorable like this.

[tlsanders]

That's easy for you to say, because you have that capability. As you know, a great many Upwork freelancers are barely getting by, or not getting by. A freelancer who had accidentally billed the wrong client would have received the amount of money she was expecting--no reason to know she shouldn't have received that money and no reason not to spend it. So, she paid her rent and bought food. And now, someone is coming back and pointing out her mistake, looking to recoup weeks of income. Undoubtedly, the freelancer knows that she should return the money. She probably WANTS to return the money. But, chances are good she has no immediate access to the funds necessary to return the money. 

[6e93b404]

Yes, I agree. They have probaly spent the money. They should go back to the client the work was for and chase them up to pay. 

[tlsanders]

They should, and may be trying, but there is no way to compel that client to pay. They definitely should have responded to you, but I would guess the reason they have not is more panic and not knowing what to say to you when they don't have the money to return than it is ill intent.

[2f863be5]

I agree with you.

It's most likely that the freelancer had collected pay from the both clients. She felt you wouldn't notice the extra bill.

In my freelance journey, I've always prioritized honesty over every other thing.

Working with someone requires trust.

[tlsanders]

It is impossible to track time on two different projects at the same time. 

It's beyond bizarre to make this weird assumption about a stranger just so you can brag about your own purported values. 

[2f863be5]

That's not the case here.

Youre making assumptions that this person didn't know, and had bills to pay.

I'm also suggesting that she may have known, but is now unable to pay back.

We both don't know the whole story, we can only guess.

So let's dial it down a bit.

[sajal36]

I believe if contract is paused than it prevents freelancers from logging more time on your hourly contracts. However, I was just curious for how long you are keeping the contract pause and have this been inform to the freelancer along with probable start date. In case the start date is not in sight than it is always better to end the contract and start new one when it is required.

Either way freelancer might pick up another job in the mean time and resuming or starting the contract might require his availability for the work.

[williamtcooper]

Andrew,

If you filled a Dispute via Upwork, typically you would hear back within 5 business days. Go directly to your open Upwork ticket and ask for a status update. Have a great day!

[6e93b404]

I tried to file a dispute for each invoice but there is no ticket created.

[prestonhunter]

I hope for the best for original poster Andrew, the client in this situation.

I really hope that there is some sort of misunderstanding or communication gap with this freelancer. Did the freelancer not understand what happened?

Because obviously such behavior is egregious.

As a client who uses Upwork frequently: My opinion is that the process for disputing any freelancer's hours or work is so egregious that I am solidly committing to never doing it. Because of my decision, I monitor the work done by freelnacers, especially early on. And I am also quick to use the "Pause" button if I don't need a freelancer's help at the present time.

[6e93b404 · Accepted solution]

The freelancer has paid all the mone back. This is a good result!

[25005175]

To try and settle some of the earlier speculation, can you relate what the FL said that cause of the delay was?

[6e93b404]

They did not have the funds avaliable at the time to repay the money back.