Client Testimonial not approved by UpWork

[#1]

Hello
I'm joining what seems to be like a long line of freelancers whose testimonials from clients outside of UpWork have not been approved because the clients contact details 'could not be verified'. I provided both my client's email address and one of his two LinkedIn profiles (he is a professor at two separate universities.) A quick google search of his name will confirm that he is a renowned historian with several publications under his belt. My client was kind enough to take the time out of his busy schedule to write me a testimonial for the copy-editing work I did for him last year. The project was a major step forward for me in terms of my freelancing career. I am baffled as to why this testimonial was not approved and the fact that I have wasted my client's time with this, is embarrassing. I hope you can resolve this issue and approve the testimonial. Thank you.

[#2]

Hi Maja,

To ensure trust and quality of our marketplace, we can only approve testimonials from clients where we have sufficient evidence that the contact information is valid. In this case, we may not have been able to find sufficient information. You can try requesting another from a different client. Thank you.

[#3]

Hello,

I sent a testimonial request through Upwork to my former manager on Friday. He submitted the testimonial on Saturday, and Saturday night/Sunday morning I received an email from Upwork saying that it had not been approved. The only information I have been given is that “we can only approve testimonials from clients where we have sufficient evidence that the contact information is valid”.

I'm confused about why this is the case, as I provided his business email address (firstname.surname@companyname.com) which is consistent with the email address on his LinkedIn profile and with the web address of the company in question. His LinkedIn profile identifies him as a Partner of the company I worked for until earlier this year. We are connected on LinkedIn and he's also left a recommendation for me there.

I sent a long message to support via the chatbot, asking if it could be reviewed as it seems to have been unfairly denied. I provided the LinkedIn link again in case there had been an issue with the original link I provided, and gave details to evidence that my manager is who I said he is and that I had indeed worked with him at my previous place of employment. For example, I provided the company's web address and linked to the pages that show my manager as a Partner of the company, and provided contact information for the company if Upwork still feels the need to verify. 

I'm posting in this forum, however, because I didn't receive any kind of confirmation email that I'd sent the message to support. And it's not in the 'my requests' section of the support page. So I'm not sure if this has been sent successfully or if I'll hear anything back about it. 

I'm new to Upwork and don't have any client history or feedback yet, so I was waiting until the testimonial was up on my profile before spending any more connects hoping that the endorsement might help in getting work. 

Would greatly appreciate some assistance here!

[#4]

Hi Sophie,

I can see you were able to submit a support ticket with our team regarding this. Please allow some time for our team to review and they will update you directly via ticket as soon as possible.

[#5]

Thank you Andrea. Is there a reason I can't see the support ticket? When I click the link in your message it takes me to the 'My Requests' page of Upwork Support, but the only thing in there is a solved ticket relating to feedback I gave on the Help pages.  

[#6]

Hi Sophie,

Thank you for following up. I shared your report with the team handling your case and one of our agents will follow up with you via email as soon as possible to assist you further.

[#7]

Hi Nikola S,

"Your testimonial request is pending"- this text is not showing in my profile now. My client has valid information and gave me the recommendation and the testimonial section of my profile is empty seems like I didn't apply for a testimonial.

[#8]

Hi Mohammad,

Thank you for reaching out to us. To request a testimonial:

1. Go to Settings, then My Profile.
2. Scroll down to the “Testimonials” section.
3. Click on “Request a testimonial.”
4. Enter your client’s contact information, including a link to their LinkedIn account. 

Can you please confirm if you've already done the steps above? If you've already done your part and are still not seeing the testimonial request as pending on your profile, please let us know so we can further assist you.

[#9]

Yes! I have done these steps already. After submitting the request proposal my client gave me an endorsement for the testimonial and it was showing "pending testimonial request" on my profile but now this pending text is gone. I don't know what happened with that testimonial? I am new in upwork and want my ex-clients review on my profile. Please help me and check the problem in my Upwork id!

[#10]

Hi Mohammad,

Thank you for your message. I see that a support ticket is already initiated for the same inquiry. One of our team members will reach out to you as soon as possible to assist you further.

Thank you,

Pradeep

[#11]

Hi Mohammad,

Thank you for your message. I'll have one of our customer support agents reach out to you directly and assist you further.

Thank you,

Pradeep

[#12]

In my profile, the testimonial given by the people with whom I have worked outside Upwork is approved first, Then why it does not seem approved later?

[#13]

Hi MD Ashraful,

I will look into this further and will get back to you once I have more information.

Thank you,

[#14]

Thank you, Nikola

[#15]

Hello Nikola, Did you find any solution?

[#16]

Hi MD Ashraful,

Apologies for the delay in our response here, thank you for following up! I checked and it does look like the team reached out to you via support ticket with information on why your Testimonial was not approved. Please refer to your ticket here. 

[#17]

Hello. I received testimonial from a customer (Turgay O.) outside of Upwork, but it was not approved. However, the e-mail address with the corporate extension and the link of the linkedin profile with the same name were also shared. I request your support.

[#18 · Accepted solution]

Hi Akbal,

We know many freelancers have worked with clients outside of Upwork and we want to give them an opportunity to showcase that on Upwork by getting testimonials from these clients. You can send requests to clients you've worked with in past.

To ensure the trust and quality in our marketplace, we can only approve testimonials from clients where we have sufficient evidence that the contact information is valid. In this case, we may not have been able to find sufficient information. 

You can use your profile overview or portfolio section to include endorsements and testimonials from people you worked with outside of Upwork. Make sure not to share any private or contact information.

[#19]

Hi Arjay,

I need help editing "Project Type" in testimonials, can you help me please?
I want to change "MMNT* - Social Media Network" to "Healthcare & Sports League"

 

[#20]

Hi Arjay,

I hope you are doing well. I requested a testimonial outside of Upwork from a client I worked with. I provided all the information appropriately including their LinkedIn profile URL, but still the testimonial isn't approved. My client can provide any verifications that you may need to approve my testimonial. Kindly help me approve my testimonial.
Thank you.

Kind regards,
Malik Ijlal

[#21]

Hi Malik,

I reached out directly to the team handling the testimonial request to have your report reviewed. Kindly expect an update from one of the members with more information and further assistance.

[#22]

Hi Arjay,

Thank you so much for reaching me, and helping me out. My testimonial is approved now. Thank you for your help.

Kind regards,
Malik Ijlal

[#23]

Hi Malik,

Glad to hear that your Testimonial is approved. Feel free to message us if you need any assistance in the future.

- Pradeep

[#24]

Hi Arjay,

I hope you are doing well. As you were very helpful before so I am reaching you out again. I requested a testimonial outside of Upwork from a client I worked with. I provided all the information appropriately, including their LinkedIn profile URL, but the testimonial wasn't approved. My client can provide any verifications you need to approve my testimonial. Kindly help me approve my testimonial.
Thank you.

Kind regards,
Malik Ijlal

[#25]

Hi Malik, 

It looks like the testimonial is already displayed on your profile. For future reference, we can only approve client testimonials with sufficient evidence that the contact information is valid. If that happens, the team may have been unable to find enough information about your client. You can read more about it here.

I hope this helps!