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hadikallas
Community Member

Client is ignoring payment

Hi there!

 

I am working with a client through milestones, and for each task, I create the milestone for her then she approves it, since that she is new on Upwork.

 

We already worked on 5 milestones already, and she sent me the 6th task (proofreading 2 hours lecture), and as always I requested the milestone but she did not approve. I assumed that she forgot to approve and worked on the task anyway, since that we already worked on 5 tasks and have a good work relationship.

 

The task was submitted 22 days ago, and she has been ignoring me since then (she is online sometimes). Please feel free to check the messages of our chat, or I can send them to you if needed.

 

I know it is a fault on my part; I was just trying to be nice and not being too pushy about the payment, and I know that since that there is no money in escrow, there is no protected payment for me according to Upwork policies. But is there a way that it can benefit? Even a little? I have not tried a dispute before. Can it help?

ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Sorry to hear your story. Been there, done that, I can feel you. 

 

You don't have to bash yourself on the head for too long for actually doing the work without having the milestone set and approved. You had all the reasons to think this is a good, steady work-relation. What you need to feel a bit bad about is the submission. What you should have done was to inform her that the job is done and ready for submission, so now is her part to approve the milestone and fund it. 

 

The good thing is 2hrs lecture editing may be painful but won't force you to sell a house and a car to recover. UpWork's clients provide such paid coaching from time to time - feel graduate now 🙂

 

Good luck with the next client! 

 

View solution in original post

6 REPLIES 6
prestonhunter
Community Member

re: "Client is ignoring payment"

 

It doesn't matter.

 

As a freelancer, I get paid the same whether or not a client "ignores payment."

 

I get paid the same if a client does nothing.

jr-translation
Community Member


Hadi K wrote:

Hi there!

 

I am working with a client through milestones, and for each task, I create the milestone for her then she approves it, since that she is new on Upwork.

 

We already worked on 5 milestones already, and she sent me the 6th task (proofreading 2 hours lecture), and as always I requested the milestone but she did not approve. I assumed that she forgot to approve and worked on the task anyway, since that we already worked on 5 tasks and have a good work relationship.

 

The task was submitted 22 days ago, and she has been ignoring me since then (she is online sometimes). Please feel free to check the messages of our chat, or I can send them to you if needed.

 

I know it is a fault on my part; I was just trying to be nice and not being too pushy about the payment, and I know that since that there is no money in escrow, there is no protected payment for me according to Upwork policies. But is there a way that it can benefit? Even a little? I have not tried a dispute before. Can it help?


There is nothing you or Upwork can do.

The best senario is the client returning and then funding and releasing the milestone. But there is no guarantee.

Worst case is the client closes the contract and leaves a negative feedback just because she can. And no, Upwork neither can nor will help you in that situation.

Sorry to hear your story. Been there, done that, I can feel you. 

 

You don't have to bash yourself on the head for too long for actually doing the work without having the milestone set and approved. You had all the reasons to think this is a good, steady work-relation. What you need to feel a bit bad about is the submission. What you should have done was to inform her that the job is done and ready for submission, so now is her part to approve the milestone and fund it. 

 

The good thing is 2hrs lecture editing may be painful but won't force you to sell a house and a car to recover. UpWork's clients provide such paid coaching from time to time - feel graduate now 🙂

 

Good luck with the next client! 

 

Thank you Piotr, that was motivating.

 

Yes, I do feel like a graduate now. Lesson learned. 🙂

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

It looks like you received excellent advice from our Community members, Hadi. 

Keep in mind that to be protected under Upwork Fixed-Price Protection, the milestone should be funded, and the client's payment method should be verified. Fixed-Price Protection does not cover any promised amount. 

If you have further concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out here, and our team will assist you. 


~ Avery
Upwork
mtngigi
Community Member

So you're working on milestones that the client hasn't funded? Why? Stop doing that, and explain to the client that you'll be happy to work on a  milestone once it's funded.

 

You are not getting paid because you (and your client) are not using the site and the processes that are in place properly.

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