Client is ghosting me and not paying me since a month

[dishita-vatiya]

Hello,

I really hope someone can give me a suggestion for this as even Upwork is not able to get me the payment I should receive because of some policy. I worked for a firm called The Global Talen otherwise known as Paragon Global Talent is a European company. Two owners: Anton Theuma and Nadia Theuma. During my contract they made me work for literally 12 hours a day assuring me that I will receive my payment accordingly now they have completely ghosted me. No reply over Upwork, WhatsApp nowhere. And I tried to reach out to Upwork but they say it is not in their hand, they can only request them which by the way is also not being entertained by the company. Please suggest me anything I can do about this situation, my payment is over 500 USD. I really need help and I want Upwork to take action against such fraudulent companies. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

[spectralua]

You have contract via Upwork? If not the you was scammed, noone will pay you.

What is some policy you talking about?

[dishita-vatiya]

Hello, yes my contract was through Upwork and they ended my contract before paying me. So now that the contract is ended I can not submit my work. 

[prestonhunter]

re: "Hello, yes my contract was through Upwork and they ended my contract before paying me. So now that the contract is ended I can not submit my work."

That is not how this works.

The problem here is not the client.

The problem is the freelancer's incorrect understanding of how to use Upwork.

[66948211]

How to contact upwork?

[melaniekhenson]

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Vatiya V wrote:

Hello,

I really hope someone can give me a suggestion for this as even Upwork is not able to get me the payment I should receive because of some policy. I worked for a firm called The Global Talen otherwise known as Paragon Global Talent is a European company. Two owners: Anton Theuma and Nadia Theuma. During my contract they made me work for literally 12 hours a day assuring me that I will receive my payment accordingly now they have completely ghosted me. No reply over Upwork, WhatsApp nowhere. And I tried to reach out to Upwork but they say it is not in their hand, they can only request them which by the way is also not being entertained by the company. Please suggest me anything I can do about this situation, my payment is over 500 USD. I really need help and I want Upwork to take action against such fraudulent companies. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

---

Did they send you a job offer and did you accept it before starting the work? 😞

[bobby_omoregbee]

Was it a fixed contract or hourly?

[the-right-writer]

Your profile is private, so I can't see any jobs. It sounds like you went outside of Upwork before a contract was in place. Is that accurate? Whatsapp is mentioned.

If you worked outside of Upwork, there is no money. If you had an Upwork contract, it was funded, there were milestones/hourly tracking done, and Upwork rules were followed, you should have been paid. Was the policy you violated going outside Uwork?

[dishita-vatiya]

My contract was through Upwork and I have my tracking of work and everything with me. But since my contract is ended I am not able to submit my work. 

[the-right-writer]

Then you need to take this as a learning experience. Make sure the Upwork contract is in place. As soon as you submit the work, also submit it to Upwork. That way it is in process. If you don't get paid by the client, you will receive the money in about 25 days - two weeks for the job hold, and 5 or so days (it's always 7 or 8 for me no matter when billed) for a supposed "security" phase.

If you do this, the client can't ghost you. They can file a dispute, but you will get paid if you do the work and submit it correctly. Take this as a lesson learned.

[dishita-vatiya]

Can I file a dispute on them?

[the-right-writer]

No. Not if the information you have posted is accurate. There is nothing preventing clients from ending the contract. That's why it's essential to submit the work through Upwork, so it is officially documented, before the client can close the contract.

[tlsanders]

If there are funds in escrow, the client has to request that the funds be refunded and the freelancer can dispute that. But, it sort of sounds like there were never any funds. 

[2779bde0]

It's unlikely you'll see any of this money. This was a valuable lesson, in that you never work for an Upwork client without a contract that has had escrow money put into it. You also want to stay within the channels of communication that Upwork provides.

[prestonhunter]

There is no such thing as a client "ghosting" a freelancer on Upwork.

A freelancer either used Upwork correctly, or she did not use the platform correctly.

This isn't about the client.

[deborah-ponzio]

Before doing any work for anyone, it is recommendable to have a look at who they are and what they do. In case of this company, there are interesting reviews in Glassdoor. Looks like you are not alone in your predicament. 

[the-right-writer]

No, follow Upwork rules. Many times scammers will use legitimate companies and names. If the OP had followed the rules, there would have been no scam. Do not communicate or do anything with a potential client until an Upwork contract is in place. Looking up names is useless.

[tlsanders]

Many scammers use the names of well-known companies, so Googling them doesn't necessarily tell you anything.

[deborah-ponzio]

I am aware of this, but googling with a pinch of salt may also reveal that someone is abusing the name of a company. 

[the-right-writer]

No, it does not. You are wasting your time searching. If the client does not adhere to the rules, and you too, then the job is a scam.

Of course, they use fake names. No one cares. The real company doesn't care; they are trying to conduct real business. The scammers don't care because they are going to get money.

Searching will only give you a false sense of security. Use the Upwork rules, and you won't have a problem.

[51760361]

they are a scammers!! nadia and anton theuma, they are both doctors, doctors that scams people, we work with them for 2 months and never gets paid a single cent. waited more than 3 months now, all they do is promise you.