Work doesn’t match the brief

[cc28c84f]

Hello

It’s my first job on Upwork and I briefed a freelancer to create a logo and brand kit. I attached a detailed brief and set the deadline. I have now received the work and it hasn’t answered the brief at all or delivered half of what was asked. He himself admitted it’s one of his first jobs - I don’t think that his work will be in line with what I want for my job. I also don’t think the work submitted is reflective of my budget - although that’s admittedly small, the work l feels like it wasn’t designed for me but has been taken from another job. I have said all this and am worried as my project on my side is now falling behind. I would rather cancel the contract and walk away and rebrief someone else. Is it possible to release only some funds (day 10%)? I don’t want to pay the full amount when the work I asked for hasn’t been delivered and the portion that has is not at all right based on my brief. Please help

[abuhari]

I believe you can discuss and come to an agreement with the freelancee. You really should not have to pay for poor service. If the freelancer is not ready to come to an agreement then raise a dispute. Good luck.

[gilbert-phyllis]

Tell the FL the work is not acceptable and you are closing the contract. Tell them you are releasing x% of the funds in escrow and would like for them to approve refunding the rest to you. If they refuse, take it to UW mediation. In that process, an UW representative will encourage the two of you to reach a compromise. The FL will be weighing the pros and cons of forfeiting the money versus prompting you to write negative feedback about the project, which can have a large or small effect on their JSS and thus, on their ability to win new work on the platform.

If mediation doesn't work, you can file for arbitration but that will cost each of you and Upwork $291 which is non-refundable. (The fee for outside arbitration is $873.) So, arbitration is only practical if the amount of money in contention is more than that.

[richard_wein]

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Phyllis G wrote:

Tell the FL the work is not acceptable and you are closing the contract. Tell them you are releasing x% of the funds in escrow and would like for them to approve refunding the rest to you. If they refuse, take it to UW mediation. In that process, an UW representative will encourage the two of you to reach a compromise. The FL will be weighing the pros and cons of forfeiting the money versus prompting you to write negative feedback about the project, which can have a large or small effect on their JSS and thus, on their ability to win new work on the platform.

If mediation doesn't work, you can file for arbitration but that will cost each of you and Upwork $291 which is non-refundable. (The fee for outside arbitration is $873.) So, arbitration is only practical if the amount of money in contention is more than that.

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This isn't the whole story. If mediation fails, the onus is on the freelancer to pay for arbitration first. If he doesn't do so, the client will receive a full return of escrow, without having to go to arbitration.

[prestonhunter]

Alex:

Don't over-think this.

It is quite likely that you hired somebody who can't do the work that you want done, or can't do it in the way that you want done.

Upwork helps connect clients with freelancers, but it absolutely does not guarantee outcomes.

If you want to save time and money, I advise you not to waste time training the "weak links" on your team. Just continue working with the best people on your team, and stop working with those whose work doesn't measure up.

[prestonhunter]

re: "Is it possible to release only some funds (say 10%)? I don’t want to pay the full amount when the work I asked for hasn’t been delivered and the portion that has is not at all right based on my brief."

YES.

It is possible to release only some of the funds.

Whatever you do, I STRONGLY ADVISE you to not drag this out.

You definitely should end things, and you should not try to get this particular freelancer to finish the project, because the demands of your project are beyond his capabilities.

Honestly, the fastest thing to do is to just release the full amount and close the contract. You don't owe it to the freelancer to balance out his karma or whatever by figuring out the right amount to pay him and negotiating with him. So that is the FASTEST option: Pay the full amount. Close the contract. Block the freelancer. Throw away his work.

If you want to pay less than the full amount, you'll need to get him to agree to a lesser amount. That IS POSSIBLE. And it is likely he will agree if you are nice about it, since he knows full well his work wasn't what you need. Talk to him first via messages and get him to agree to a lesser amount. Emphasize that you will pay that amount immediately, and he won't need to do any more work. Then... yes... you CAN edit the payout amount to be any amount you want and if it is less than the full escrow amount, when you submit the payment, he'll be asked to agree to the lower amount, and you'll receive the remainder automatically refunded to your payment source.

[versailles]

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Alex L wrote:
 I also don’t think the work submitted is reflective of my budget - although that’s admittedly small, 

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Sometimes, often actually, the cheapest graphic designers are not designers at all. They steal logos from the Internet, tweak them a bit at best and send them to their clients victims. But hey, they're cheap.

Contact some professional designers on and off platform and try to get an idea about what it costs to have a logo and branding material designed and compare it with your budget. You may be for a surprise. Who knows, maybe the work was reflective of your budget after all.