Client not responsive to payment

e01d0437 · ‎11-09-2021

Hello there!

It's been almost two weeks since I sent my client the final work for the project and have yet to hear from him. He has been online on Upwork but non responsive and I would like to be compensated for the work I've done for him.

Thanks for your help.

petra_r · ‎11-09-2021

Oriane P wrote:
I would like to be compensated for the work I've done for him.

Generally, if you use Upwork correctly, you get paid automatically...

Hourly contract or fixed rate?

If hourly, did you track your time using the Upwork time tracker?

If fixed rate, did you use the "submit work for payment" function on the contract?

If the latter, the client has 14 days to approve the request or request changes. If the client does not request changes, the payment is released to you 14 days after you clicked on "Submit for Payment" on the contract.

e01d0437 · ‎11-09-2021

Hi there and thanks for your response. The video is a fixed rate however there are two milestones of payments he set for one video $100 & $100 which means I won’t get the full compensation of $200 which is what we agreed upon in our conversation details upon completion of the video.

How can i ensure I am getting compensated for the full $200 as agreed upon in the chat?

wescowley · ‎11-09-2021

Oriane P wrote:
Hi there and thanks for your response. The video is a fixed rate however there are two milestones of payments he set for one video $100 & $100 which means I won’t get the full compensation of $200 which is what we agreed upon in our conversation details upon completion of the video.

How can i ensure I am getting compensated for the full $200 as agreed upon in the chat?

If only one $100 milestone was funded, the work you did and delivered should have only been for that milestone. If you turned in work for second milestone before it was funded and activated, there's no way to ensure you'll be paid for it.

a_lipsey · ‎11-09-2021

Oriane P wrote:
Hi there and thanks for your response. The video is a fixed rate however there are two milestones of payments he set for one video $100 & $100 which means I won’t get the full compensation of $200 which is what we agreed upon in our conversation details upon completion of the video.

How can i ensure I am getting compensated for the full $200 as agreed upon in the chat?

This is a problem with how you accepted the contract. You should never work without fully funded milestones. What was the deliverable for the first milestone and why didn't you deliver it and get paid, then have him activate/fund the second milestone to continue? Essentially you did one of the biggest rookie mistakes which is working without a funded milestone. So the only thing you can do is get paid for the first $100 and hope the client is good for their word and comes back, but it sounds like they won't.

In the future, if it's only one deliverable (like the finished product), then don't do milestones, just do one payment. Also make sure the milestone is funded before you begin work. Do not start work unless the milestone is funded. Period.

e01d0437 · ‎11-09-2021

Great thanks for your help and advice. Is there any way to report the client if he does indeed decide to not pay me for the other $100? To ensure no one has this problem with the client again?

petra_r · ‎11-09-2021

Oriane P wrote:
Is there any way to report the client if he does indeed decide to not pay me for the other $100?

There is nothing to report. The client hasn't violated any terms of service. As far as Upwork are concerned, what isn't funded might as well (and effectively doesn't) not exist. That's why it is so important to make sure that the milestones are set up and funded the way you will be doing the work. I wouldn't, personally, chop up such a small contract into 2 milestones for example.

a_lipsey · ‎11-09-2021

Oriane P wrote:
Great thanks for your help and advice. Is there any way to report the client if he does indeed decide to not pay me for the other $100? To ensure no one has this problem with the client again?

Your best bet is to leave honest feedback when the contract is closed to let other freelancers know that he did not fund or pay the 2nd milestone as agreed upon. I would not say more than that. Don't discuss anything emotionally, etc., because you don't want the feedback to look poorly on you. (Not that you would, it' s just that some freelancers say too much then make themselves look bad.) I would leave a low star rating with simply "Client did not fund or pay the 2nd milestone as agreed even though work was fully delivered."

g_vasilevski · ‎11-09-2021

Hi Oriane,

I checked your contract and I can see that you have already submitted your work on the milestone. After 14 days the funds will be transferred to your account if no actions are taken on the milestone. Keep in mind that if you resubmit the work again you will reset the 14 days period. To learn more details about fixed price protection, check out this Help Article. Thank you.

~ Goran