freelancers from changing rate after conversations

[8a5cf453]

I've posted 3 or more jobs and have hired a few times and I've noticed a pervasive problem.  Freelancers change their rate after you show some interest.   It starts at 25, then after a bit of back and forth it's suddenly 35.  Then after a job is done it's back down.    

I know there are controls for fixed bid and I have freedom of choice - but it feels like a practice that you should put some controls around.  Perhaps frequency of change or having it alert the people they have been in touch with that they have a new rate - like a $ on their profile pic or something.

please consider this as it is very annoying.

[g_vasilevski]

Hi David,

Thank you for your feedback, I will share this with our team.

[kfarnell]

No.

The rates we quote are based on the project and they don't necessarily have to be the same as listed on our profiles. I would vehemently object if Upwork posted on my profile something that suggests I'm flaky or started intervening in how I set my rates.

[wendy_writes]

David, there are a myriad of things that go into presenting a potential client with a binding bid.  The following are merely a few:

1. Actual and exact job parameters, needs, and client goals.  This is never fully conveyed in RFPs.  And not evenly vaguely addressed in 99.9% of them.

2. Level of expertize in subject matter > research time, etc.

3. Time frame for completed project. Rush jobs cost more.

4. Client willingness to communicate in a timely manner. 

[reinierb]

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@Wendy C wrote:

David, there are a myriad of things that go into presenting a potential client with a binding bid.  The following are merely a few:

1. Actual and exact job parameters, needs, and client goals.  This is never fully conveyed in RFPs.  And not evenly vaguely addressed in 99.9% of them.

2. Level of expertize in subject matter > research time, etc.

3. Time frame for completed project. Rush jobs cost more.

4. Client willingness to communicate in a timely manner. 

1000+ kudos to Wendy for pointing out what should be obvious to all clients 

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[bobafett999]

Easy to fix.  Just add a sentence in your posting that says,"The Budget price is non-negotiable don't apply if you can't do it for that price".

[petra_r]

I understood the OP to mean hourly rate, which should not need to change between applying and talking, really, especially not if it then goes back down after the job was done.

That is a tactic known as "bait and switch" (baiting the client with a low hourly rate, then upping it by $ 10 an hour once the client is on the hook, then putting it down again to bait the next client.

[8a5cf453]

OP Here - I appreciate all the perspectives here.

When i think of an hourly rate, it means I'm hiring that person at that rate - regardless of what they are doing.   Notable exception for rush jobs that require OT, or if this was labor that involved various risk levels.   

So when i see that change, going up after i send them the job, then down after it feels very much like these individuals are gaming the system and erodes my trust in them and the platform.  

[prestonhunter]

I think Petra is right... I think the original poster has run into "bait and switch" freelancers.

I think some of the excellent comments by other posters in this thread are from freelancers who are like me - our rate is our rate, and we don't change it except in unusual circumstances. So we think other freelancers are the same.

But I can believe the OP has encountered something a bit shady.

I do NOT think this is the norm overall.

My bottom line on this is that it is not against the rules for freelancers to do this, and I don't think it is an actual systemic problem that requires Upwork to modify policies or its user interface. But this is shady for a freelancer to do without unusual cause, and my suggestion to the original poster is to not hire the people doing this. 

Also, if he is encountering this practice clustered around a certain pay range or geographical area, he should shift his search for freelancers away from that cluster.

[yitwail]

David, here are 2 things you can do proactively the next time you post an hourly job. If the freelancer has a work history, see what rate she or he recently charged on a completed job, and if it's more than the freelancer's profile rate, do not be surprised if the freelancer asks you for a higher rate. On the other hand, if the freelancer has no work history, then make it clear you will only hire she or he at their profile rate.

[pandoraharper]

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@Preston H wrote:

Also, if he is encountering this practice clustered around a certain pay range or geographical area, he should shift his search for freelancers away from that cluster.

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 That. In a nutshell.