Advice needed

[retiredusaf]

I'm new to Upwork and need advice on how to get paid after doing 'X amount of hours' without using an escrow account? 

In my first project, the client asked for a contact.PHP file to be updated and I completed the task but never got paid after sending him the file. In addition to updating the file, he then asked me to deploy the change using his password (which didn't work). Since the password didn't work, he never offered to update the password. Instead, he retracted from the deal and kept my file. How can I protect myself next time?

[prestonhunter]

You do not need to use escrow in order to get paid. Only fixed-price contracts use escrow. Other payment methods do NOT use escrow:

- hourly contract

- weekly salary

- paid using Bonus tool

[retiredusaf]

Correct. I don't need to use escrow. Let me rephrase my question, "how can I protect myself next time from giving a deliverable to the client for 'X' amount of hours and then not being paid?" In my case it was $50 for the hour I worked.

I provided the changed file to the client, the client then asked me to deploy the changes to the web server. I told him that would be an extra fee ($25) for a total of $75. He agreed. Then he gave me the username/pw but the password authentication never worked. He said since I didn't deploy the file so I get nothing. Seems unfair. He retracted all the money for the job. The $50 and the $25. I told him to at least pay me for the $50 file, he said no.

He then proceeded to hire two other separate developers with the same results. How to maybe flag him from hiring people and wasting their time?

[prestonhunter]

Kris:

You can do whatever you want, as long as you do so within Upwork's available infrastructure and do not violate Upwork ToS.

You can not block a client from hiring other people to work for him.

If a client hired other people to work on his project, that has nothing to do with you.

With the fixed-price contract model, clients fund escrow for a task, and then you do the task, and then the client releases the money to you. The client CAN NOT simply take the money back. The client can't get the money refunded back to him unless the freelancer AGREES to refund the money back to him.

That is how escrow works. And it is not an Upwork rule or anything. The "escrow" concept has been around for many decades. Upwork actually has to follow certain rules and procedures or else it will lose its legal right to call its "escrow" system by that name.

If you don't want to use escrow, you don't have to.

Just use an hourly contract.

Or you can use the fixed-price contract model, and require that clients release funds to you before you do a task.

I always advise clients to NOT release payments to freelancers before the task has been delivered. But it does NOT violate Upwork ToS for a freelancer to make this a requirement for their clients.