Advice on how to proceed w/long-term contract entailing work that's not standard

[7ba56d1a]

Hi all! I'm still relatively new to Upwork and could use some advice. You know how sometimes you enter a contract and things crop up that weren't discussed prior? That's where I'm at, with added elements that end up taking more time and energy (and in my eyes complicate unnecessarily).

As voice over artists, we typically get sent a message on a platform, and we deliver files corresponding to that order on platform. It's super simple compared to what's transpiring in this case.

The contract started and the client wanted them, their manager, and me to chat via whatsapp on what audio needs recording. I got out of that. I'm not putting an app on my phone, let alone with my phone number, even if my phone/wifi connection wasn't as bad as it is. So then they wanted me to correspond via Trello, which I've never used before. And they want me to log in to Dropbox to view scripts and deliver files into a specific folder. Yes. I still deliver a second time here to release money held in escrow for the milestone.

Aside from added logistics and tasks, the communication between all 3 of us is so inadequate. I'll be notified by the 'owner' that scripts are ready and find out they aren't proofread yet by the manager (or therefore ready) and would take SO long to read from in that state. I'm told a new document is in a "ready for audio - Mandy" folder is set to go, read from it, submit files, and that only document in the folder was not even supposed to be read from (or be in that folder, in my mind).

It's a time consuming disaster of a system. I've proposed to the owner to either email or  submit through Upwork files (not links), and I deliver through the milestone submit button.

They might not like that, in which case I will want to bow out because it isn't fair to myself to stay. But, I don't want any negative impact on my standing here. I don't really know how how to proceed if they want me to stay within this system.

Thank you in advace for any pointers or advice.

[prestonhunter]

re: "It's a time consuming disaster of a system"

That does not matter.

Because you are getting paid for your time, using an hourly contract, right?

If not, then you messed up. This should have been switched over to hourly a long time ago.

When a client wastes your time, you should IMMEDIATELY stop working using fixed-price contracts and ONLY work using hourly.

Or stop working for the client.

A fixed-price is not intended as permission to waste a freelancer's time or get the freelancer to work for free by doing out of scope work.

[colettelewis]

Preston you really do go over the top on occasion. How on earth would you know if the OP messed up?  If things are going pear-shaped, it doesn't make an iota of difference if you are working on an hourly or fixed-price basis.  Sometimes getting paid as an objective is simply not sufficieint. 

[prestonhunter]

re: "How on earth would you know if the OP messed up?"

Perhaps I was not clear about what I meant.

I was not commenting on the freelancer's work.

I was saying that if a client wastes a fixed-price freelancer's time, the freelancer should not allow this.

It is my position that a freelancer should not allow such client behavior, and should either move to an hourly contract or stop working for the client.

[7ba56d1a]

It's rare for freelance voice actors to be paid hourly.

[prestonhunter]

re: "It's rare for freelance voice actors to be paid hourly."

Regardless of the type of work, I do not advise any freelancer to work for free.

Doing out-of-scope work on a fixed-price contract is working for free.

Switch to an hourly contract.

Or re-do how fixed-price milestones are set up so that you get paid for your work.

Or stop working for this client completely.

[7ba56d1a]

I'll also suggest hourly pay as an option. Thank you.

[colettelewis · Accepted solution]

From what you have written, it's clearly not working for you. Perhaps you should  think of  bowing out gracefully at this stage, hopefully without it having any real impact on the feedback or your rating, but it would have to be done as tactfully as possible. My feeling if you go on with this client, the situation will continue to deteriorate, feelings might run too high, and backing out might not be quite so easy. 

ETA: I see you are top rated, if you do decide to quit and get really poor feedback because of it, then you can use your TR perk. 

[7ba56d1a]

Hi Nichola. I do want to back out. There's an active milestone on the contract. Will that alone affect my JSS if I end the contract?