Client no-show for our initial consultation-Can I bill?

[tcsi]

New client did not show up for our scheduled consultation (today was to be our first). Emailed me 20 minutes after the start time saying she had gotten caught up with tv, would reschedule, "Regards". I terminated the contract. It was hourly. Can I still bill/be paid?

[gilbert-phyllis]

You can't bill to a contract that you've already terminated. I'm unclear why you did that, if she wanted to reschedule. Why not bill the time she wasted and work on setting a new appointment? Now you have a closed contract with no earnings which is a negative factor in your JSS calculation.

[tcsi]

I don't reschedule no-shows (barring some verifiable emergency or the like), most certainly not initial consultations or evaluations.  I've been doing this type of work, albeit not online, for 40+ years. I've been around the block a time or two and she was clearly not planning on rescheduling in spite of what she said.  To treat my or anyone else's time so cavalierly is highly unprofessional. This is my first time on Upwork, I did not know about the calculations; thank you very much for that information.