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caitgd
Community Member

Client Didn't Pay, Contract Still Open

Hi there. I entered a fixed contract of $15 to modify and update a flyer. Client was brand new to Upwork as I was. After some back and forth and one revision, flyer was completed. Client never verified payment method and said he didn't know how to pay me while saying sorry because I did a great job. I tried explaining how I verified my bank information and link him helpful topics but he never responded. Fast forward two months and nothing has changed aside from an email I received from Upwork and apparent milestone rejection (see attached).

 

What do I need to do here? This was my first job and I don't want to receive negative feedback. Would love to be paid the $15 but looks like that isn't happening. Additionally when I go to check on the contract, it says the "milestone was rejected" which makes no sense.
 
Thanks in advance for your help,
 
Caitlin 
ACCEPTED SOLUTION
sergio-soria
Community Member

Mmm... I guess that client just disappeared with your "great job" and will never pay you. He has what he needed and exploited your inexperience. I don't think he will give you a bad feedback since it looks like he has been idle for a long time, so there is no reason for him to come back here just to rate you.

 

Next time be more careful. Never work for a client who has not verified his/her payment method. Otherwise you are not covered by escrow. You can accept an offer but don't start working before the payment method verification is completed.

 

If you are a starter please take a look at the forum for new freelancers to avoid this kind of troubles.

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5 REPLIES 5
sergio-soria
Community Member

Mmm... I guess that client just disappeared with your "great job" and will never pay you. He has what he needed and exploited your inexperience. I don't think he will give you a bad feedback since it looks like he has been idle for a long time, so there is no reason for him to come back here just to rate you.

 

Next time be more careful. Never work for a client who has not verified his/her payment method. Otherwise you are not covered by escrow. You can accept an offer but don't start working before the payment method verification is completed.

 

If you are a starter please take a look at the forum for new freelancers to avoid this kind of troubles.

I wasn't sure how the rating system worked or if you automatically got a bad rating when something like this happens. I will review the forum for new freelancers, thanks. 

feed_my_eyes
Community Member

I doubt very much that he'll give you bad feedback - why would he, when he got what he wanted for free? But jobs with no payments will negatively affect your JSS. Next time don't start working until payment is verified AND the escrow account is funded.

 

Better yet, don't work for people who expect flyers for $15 in the first place - they're not good clients.

 

The only reason I took the job was because it was my first. It's been hard to get contracts with no prior history so I figured doing a few lower-paying jobs would help. Additionally, the work was very minimal and took me no longer than 30 minutes total. Regardless, thanks for your response and I will no longer do work until payment method is verified and escrow is funded. 

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Caitlin, 

 

I'm sorry to learn about your experience with this client. When communicating with a client prior to accepting the offer or staring work on the contract, you can speak to them about verifying their payment as this would benefit you in having payment protections in place. In this case, since the client was unable to verify his payment method, this falls out of payment protection. 

We always recommend freelancers to only start working when a contract is showing on your My Jobs page, a milestone is funded (for fixed-price contracts), and when the client's payment method is verified. I would recommend that you read up on these freelancer resources and these tips for avoiding questionable jobs, for help getting started, and for more information about working safely through Upwork.

 

I hope this helps, Caitlin.


~ Avery
Upwork
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