Client didn't pay

[julie-qn]

Hello,

My job is to find a house for a couple with requirements they want, in 5hrs with 7$/hr. So I found and tried to deal with owner to get a good price and fulfilled their demands.

However, when I asked again about the house, they said they had found another one. Then I keep asking about the payment, they did not reply. What should I do?

Sadly, I did not use time tracking to check hours I worked. All things were discussed via Upwork messenger.

Thank you

[wescowley]

Without having used the time tracker, it's likely there's nothing you can do.

Did you have a contract? Meaning, did they give you an offer through the messenger and you accepted it? Does it show up on your contracts page?

If you have a contract, does it allow manual time? If so, you can try adding your time manually and see if it gets paid, but there's no protection from Upwork for manual time.

[julie-qn]

Yes, I accepted the offer and it allow manual time. They mentioned max 5 hrs to finish it. Basically, they were ok with the house but refused to take it because they had found a new one

[prestonhunter]

re: "What should I do?"

if the contract allows manual time, then you should log manual time. That way you will get paid for your work (unless the client disputes that time).

If you can not log manual time, then you may ask the client to pay you using the client-side "Pay bonus" tool.

If you did not log your time while working on this project, then you should recognize that it is you (the freelancer) who made a mistake.

You should learn from your mistake, and never make that mistake again.

If you can't get paid for this job, because of the mistake that you made, then you should not dwell on it. You should look forward to your next job, when you will get paid because you will log time properly.

re: "Basically, they were ok with the house but refused to take it because they had found a new one"

Okay... that has nothing to do with anything. As a freelancer working with an hourly contract, it doesn't matter what house they like or don't like. It doesn't matter whether they purchase a house that you suggest. That's all irrelevent. What matters is that you get paid for the time you spent working on the project.

If you properly log your time using the Upwork desktop time-tracker tool, then you are covered by Upwork Payment Protection. That means you are guaranteed to get paid for your work, even if the client tries to avoid paying you. If you properly log your time, then Upwork will pay you out of their own pocket if the client refuses to pay.

[AveryO]

Hi Ha Quynh, 

On hourly contracts, it is important to track time with the Upwork Desktop App to ensure that you meet a basic requirement of the Hourly Protection. If your client allows manual time on your Work Diary, you can manually log time for the hours you rendered for this project so that your client is automatically billed, and you are paid for the hours you work. 

As it has already been shared earlier, please know that manual time is not covered in Hourly Protection. As such, if the client disputes these manual hours, you do not qualify for hourly protection, and these will be refunded back to your client. Hopefully, this doesn't happen between you and your client, but it's always best to learn how the platform works to make sure that you stay protected while working on your projects on Upwork. 

I highly recommend that you read up the "Safety First!" section of the freelancer resources we have compiled, and these tips for avoiding questionable jobs for more information about working safely through Upwork.