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carlosacb
Community Member

Client asking to do the job for free before proposal or milestones

Hi, it's me! Smiley Very Happy

 

I found a job to translate 2-mins video subs. So I sent my proposal and client contacted me. He send me this message:

 

"We require subtitle translation and onscreen text translation.

Original video can be found here: (link)
Original SRT can be found here: (link)
Please translate the onscreen text here: (link)
Please upload your translated SRT file here: (link)"

 

Checking the video link, it was the 2mins video!!

 

So I tell him "Will do! But I'm missing the proposal, maybe my chat hasn't refreshed?". I wasn't gonna work for free. And he said "I gave the job to someone else" and run away.

 

It was a nice conversation in fact, but still was asking for free candies!

 

So basically he was asking to do the job as a test for free without any milestones or proposal.

 

Obviously I flagged the job, but I want to know if I can check my "flagging" status. I just lost 2 connects and like 10 minutes, so no worries about my loses (but if I can get them back that would be great! Smiley LOL)

 

Thanks!

20 REPLIES 20
tropicany
Community Member

It sounds to me like the client sent the same message to a bunch of people and hired the first one who replied. And it was not you. So no big deal really.

Thanks for your answer!... But nope! He send me the work to be done before hiring anyone, and ask me to deliver before any proposal. I guess that or he asked everyone to see if someone did it, or (being positive with humanity) he sent the job to a bunch of people, and only paid the one he liked (and that's no good either, the rest of the bunch work for free).

 

It's not a big deal, but we freelancers must follow the rules in Upwork, why clients won't?

Does the job now show a hire? or is it still unhired?

Interviewing: 2 (me the first!).

Hires: 0.

 

Another point to my theory! Someone else is about to fall into a trap!

 

(Insert "It's a trap" meme here).

well, sounds like they are just interviewing someone else, as said above, maybe someone else replied first, it takes 2 seconds for them to copy and paste the same deatails to both of you

I think you all missed this part of the conversation:

 

- "Ok I need it done asap and deliver outside of Upwork"

- "Sure! Can you send me the proposal to start right away?"

- "Ehhhmm.... I ALREADY hired someone else, bye!"

 

I know Upwork is client-centric, but he clearly is looking to get the job done before sending a proposal to freelancer and everything else.

Ok, 

delivering a project outside of upwork is quite normal - 95% of my work is delivered off platform as file sizes allowed by upwork dont accomodate the file sizes i often deal with. but perfectly normal and within ToS.

 

Needing it done asap - also pretty common - and reinforces the fact that they may of sent the same message to more than 1 and gone with the one that replied to them first

 

Thanks Jonathan, and everyone else!

 

...but you all are still missing the point:

- "delivering a project outside of upwork is quite normal ": Yes, I know. Yesterday I delivered a job via a Dropbox.

- "Needing it done asap": Yes... e-v-e-r-y client always will want things asap.

- "and gone with the one that replied to them first": Did I mention he still haven't hire anyone? Or that he told me to do the job, and ran away when I told him to send me the proposal to start right away?

 

Btw, I want to clear any doubts: client DID ASK FOR FREE WORK. Please, stop defending the un-defendable Smiley Wink

 

For everyone that loves the rules in Upwork (me included), you can find this in the help:

"Report a Client

If you ever come across inappropriate or suspicious client behavior, please save evidence of your experience and get in touch with us as soon as possible.

...

Tells you to start working before they hire you to an official Upwork job contract"

 

https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211063118-Report-Suspicious-User-Activity

 

This thread wasn't created to ask if he did or didn't. I clearly said IT HAPPENED, and the main question was "How can I see my report status".

 

Smiley Happy


Carlos Alberto C wrote:

 

Btw, I want to clear any doubts: client DID ASK FOR FREE WORK.


 

Ok, then you failed to mention that they actually asked for free work. Perhaps if you had included that part in your original post things would have made more sense rather than just saying the client showed you the files and where to upload to (which in my experiance is not totally unusual as you can see the files you will be working with before accepting the job)

 

I'm not trying to defend anyone, least of all a client that is trying to get free work. However, i like to try and look on the light side and know how easy it is to jump to conclusions that could have a valid explination. Obviously as you now state the client actually asked for free work this is not the case!

 

In answwer to your question about report status - i dont know for sure, but i dont think you can see it or that upwork will tell you. (i'm happy to be corrected on this though)


Jonathan H wrote:

Carlos Alberto C wrote:

 

Btw, I want to clear any doubts: client DID ASK FOR FREE WORK.


 

Ok, then you failed to mention that they actually asked for free work. 


 

Jonathan, if you read my original post it says this line, literally:

"So basically he was asking to do the job as a test for free without any milestones or proposal."

 

 


@carlosacb wrote:

Jonathan, if you read my original post it says this line, literally:

"So basically he was asking to do the job as a test for free without any milestones or proposal."


 

That line reads, to me, that YOU are assuming that the client is asking for free work. 

 

You havn't quoted a single line that actually shows/quotes the client saying "do this job as a test for free"

 

you have shown that.....

 

a - the client showed some files and upload location so you could see them before agreeing to job.

b - The client wants it done asap

 

and thats it. - Maybe the client is dodgy, maybe not. But it looks like you have no more idea than i do. Though if the client still hasnt hired at this point it does seem odd if they were in such a rush. Hopefully Upwork will do something about the client if that is the case. (i dont know if they can/will look into clients messages between them and freelancers to see what has been said?)


Jonathan H wrote:

@carlosacb wrote:

Jonathan, if you read my original post it says this line, literally:

"So basically he was asking to do the job as a test for free without any milestones or proposal."


 

That line reads, to me, that YOU are assuming that the client is asking for free work. 

 

You havn't quoted a single line that actually shows/quotes the client saying "do this job as a test for free"

 

you have shown that.....

 

a - the client showed some files and upload location so you could see them before agreeing to job.


Jonathan... Man... Really? Did you read the post?

 

What about this that I wrote?:

 

"So I sent my proposal and client contacted me. He send me this message:

 

"We require subtitle translation and onscreen text translation.

Original video can be found here: (link)
Original SRT can be found here: (link)
Please translate the onscreen text here: (link)
Please upload your translated SRT file here: (link)" <--- UPLOAD THE WORK, WITHOUT ANY CONTRACT.

 

Checking the video link, it was the 2mins video!!" <---- I also explained that the "test" video was the job video.

 

This time I underlined the text where, quouting you, "that actually shows/quotes the client saying "do this job as a test for free"", plus some notes.

 

If client is intelligent, and I think he is, he won't say "hey do this for free first, and I won't send you any money after all". That's social engineering, you know...

 

I didn't wrote the literal conversation or all the details because it's private, and I don't want to get censored or scolded for saying something that I should not. Plus, that was a brief resume to my original question: Can I see the status of my report?

 

Aaaaaaaaaanyway... I'll just stop with this 1-1 discussion, and wait to for someone to tell me: Does Upwork info about the flagged job?

Smiley LOLSmiley LOLSmiley LOL

 

I give up - I work on fact, yes i read the post several times and all you have provided is assumptions and then tried to twist them to PROOVE that you are right!

As i keep saying, you may be in the right or maybe the client is but in either case one of you had a lucky escape!

 

The underlined parts make no mention of a "TEST" whatsoever nor do any of them have any indication of the client saying "start this now". All they do is confirm the job they want doing, show where the file is and show where to upload - this could mean without contract but it could equally mean with contract.

 

I have had several clients give me all the job details including files and where they would like uploads to go before any contract has started. 

sometimes its because they want to give me a chance to check everything is ok before i agree to job, sometimes its because they are in a rush and want to get the info forwarded first - in either case no work is done until contract is started.

 

 

 

 

Jonathan,it looks like you're fairly new here. You'd be wise to pay attention to what has happened here rather than trying to prove Carlos wrong. What he described is a very, very common scam on Upwork. Yes, of course, there is a tiny, tiny chance that this client just innocently mimicked a common scam and was actually planning to pay anyone who uploaded the requested documents (not cool, but not a scam exactly). But, virtually always, the way this plays out is that the freelancer does as requested, the client takes the work, closes the job, and doesn't respond to future messages. 

 

 


Tiffany S wrote:

Jonathan,it looks like you're fairly new here. You'd be wise to pay attention to what has happened here rather than trying to prove Carlos wrong. What he described is a very, very common scam on Upwork. Yes, of course, there is a tiny, tiny chance that this client just innocently mimicked a common scam and was actually planning to pay anyone who uploaded the requested documents (not cool, but not a scam exactly). But, virtually always, the way this plays out is that the freelancer does as requested, the client takes the work, closes the job, and doesn't respond to future messages. 

 


Tiffany,

   I dont think how long i have been on this platform has anything to do with it - Yes, i understand your point and i am also aware that these things happen - However the op has already stated they have reported the client. So Upwork will hopefully take appropriate action if it needs to be taken.

All i have done is point out another possible scenario - One that i have had happen to me on more than one occasion, and ive not done free work! I'm not trying to prove him wrong, i started out trying to point out that there is another possible explination which he took exception to!

 

Just because there are some bad clients doesnt mean they all are -

 

ETA - Whilst these bad clients obviously need dealing with, equally freelancers shouldnt be doing the work pre-contract as if people refuse to do it the dodgy clients wouldnt ask.


Jonathan H wrote:

...

In answwer to your question about report status - i dont know for sure, but i dont think you can see it or that upwork will tell you. (i'm happy to be corrected on this though)


I hope so! I'd like to see some justice, even small, in this world from time to time Smiley Happy and if I can help, much better!


Maria P wrote:

It sounds to me like the client sent the same message to a bunch of people and hired the first one who replied. And it was not you. So no big deal really.


It doesn't sound like that to me at all. It sounds like the client tricked someone into uploading the finished product without a contract and then likely went on his merry way. Even if he did pay one of the freelancers who submitted finished work at the link he supplied, that's not an acceptable way to run an Upwork job.

 

ETA: Carlos, don't worry about the random freelancers who don't understand what's happening with this "job." It will be immediately obvious to Upwork.

...

 

ETA: Carlos, don't worry about the random freelancers who don't understand what's happening with this "job." It will be immediately obvious to Upwork.



Tiffany

 

I only gave one Kudos in this thread, and it's for you. Enough said Smiley Happy

 

Imagine my picture of me saying "You're the woman!"

No clients can get away with anything like this if freelancers will NOT work for free.

 

If freelancers did not work for free, then we would hardly ever even see any clients TRYING to do something like this.

 

Ultimately, this kind of problem is the fault of freelancers who are doing the wrong thing (working for free) at least as much as it is the fault of the clients who abuse the system by asking for free work.

 

Think about airplanes... Why do you NEVER see would-be passengers who simply go to a concourse in an airport and then board an airplane and insist that they get to ride in the airplane to the next destination... WITHOUT A TICKET?

 

You NEVER see that? Do you know why? Because the people who work at airports and in airplanes NEVER allow that.

 

All Upwork freelancers need to be like that: No contract? No pay? Then no work.


Preston H wrote:

...

All Upwork freelancers need to be like that: No contract? No pay? Then no work.


Preston, totally d'accord with you, in every word!

 

I'd like to tell you this: in my country, there's a saying that goes "todos los días sale un tonto a la calle, el que lo agarre es de él". It means "every day a fool goes out to the street, the one who grabs owns him".

 

Yes, there are clients that can behave like this just because they don't know how Upwork works (that's no excuse, btw). And yes, every freelancer should know that before starting any job, even a test, a contract must be propose. But this is the real world, there's always malicious and innocent people, and I personally think if we can help even a little bit, there will be less fools on the street getting own.

 

...So yes! If I see weird jobs that makes me suspicious, I'll report it. Better a false positive than a scammer (insert "Change my mind" meme). Client will be blocked, will be warned... or nothing will happen if it was an honest mistake.

 

Smiley Very Happy

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