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aventador99
Community Member

Client blocked me and paid less than agreed!!

This is an example of the worst-case scenario of a project. So long story short:

 

Before hiring me, The client asked me to answer in detail Two questions 1- what will I do 2-what will she receive 

 

I informed her about all the edits I'll be doing and she seemed happy with the approach I was taking and even asked me what further edits can I do to the project to make it better, So I answered I'll be doing X Y Z. And again she was happy with my response.

 

After I finished the project, the client wasn't happy with the result ( I didn't do anything except for what we agreed on and what I informed her about) and asked for a change to the whole project and only apply the small edits without all the edits I made, So I refused politely because that's not what we agreed on in the first place and Second I'll need to start all over again So, I referenced the beginning of the conversation to let her know what the original scope of the project was all about, and yet again she wasn't happy and eventually told me she would pay me $275 out of $345 which was the client's total budget 

And I Refused for I did everything as we agreed on. So she Pays me $150 out of $345 and requests funds for the remaining $195 In the end because she was "Upset" and I was "Annoying" just for the reason I was stating the facts and only what happened, and then she blocked me. 

 

And only God knows what feedback she has provided to this whole situation. at least for the next 14 days

 

I've never been put in such a situation, What should I do??

 

 

 

 

9 REPLIES 9
jr-translation
Community Member

She might be unhappe because you promis: The job is not completed until you say so!

Does it say in your contract that revisions need to be paid extra? Usually clients can request changes. If you refuse to honour that part of the agreement, I can understand that she is unhappy.

 

Did you agree to the refund?

You have a point but, I can't just delete 3 days of work and start from scratch again only for the reason that the client wasn't clear enough in naming her requirements

 

I didn't respond to the refund request yet.

Would a dispute in this situation be a wise decision?

The job is closed so the client left her feedback.

Why didn't you finish 10 photos and then shared them with her instead of doing all 180?

I did but the client didn't respond so I went ahead to finish the rest of the work.

I can see how this is my fault, Not for the whole project, and how it ended though.

tagrendy
Community Member

Go for arbitration, she'll likely back down. The feedback is already left, so at this point all you can do is get the money. 

aventador99
Community Member

To be honest, I'm more worried about the feedback and not the money. Especially after how the whole conversation ended.

And you're right, I guess going for arbitration is the only option in this scenario.

 

Edit: I don't have experience or info on how arbitrations work on Upwork. 

Do they cost much?

You have to pay $291 for the chance to get the $195 in escrow.

This is a situation where everyone will be losing.

 

I think, I would refund (maybe even admit that I messed up the entire job) and try to limit the impack on the JSS by keeping the earned amount low. You can always refund the entire amount if the feedback is too bad.

a_lipsey
Community Member

Look, considering that you didn't nail down with complete clarity the scope of work and you continued on before you heard back from the client, in this instance, I'd cut my losses, take what she released, and let it go. 

 

Here's why: trying to chase down the other half through arbitration will just suck up your time and energy, and time + energy = $$$. Don't lose anymore wasting time chasing this. Yes, it sucks, yes you should leave appropriate feedback for the client warning other freelancers, but this is an instance where I suggest cutting your losses and moving on. 

JoanneP
Moderator
Moderator

Hi Mohsen,

 

I'm sorry to hear about how this contract turned out. You may file an escrow dispute if the client refuses to release funds for a completed milestone. Escrowed funds won't be released back to the client unless you approve their return or undergo dispute mediation. You can learn more information about Fixed Price Protection in this help article

~ Joanne
Upwork
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