🐈
» Forums » Freelancers » Re: Client with a verified payment status who...
Page options
robynch
Community Member

Client with a verified payment status who doesn't know about Upwork's Time Tracker

I applied to a job where the client has Verified Payment status.  Her first responce to my proposal was all about how much and how often I'd get paid, no real mention of the work or business itself and she included how I'd need to provide proof of the work done by taking photos of letters to submit.  

 

In my responce I asked if she had an issue with Upworks Time Tracking system and was she meaning to have me use another platform ( against terms of serice)

 

Her next responce was how she didn't know Upwork did that.  How would a client get Verified Payment status without knowing Upwork had a time tracking system that takes screen shots?  Is it possible clients are piggy backing on each others accounts so we freelancers really have no protection from Upwork ? 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

 

15 REPLIES 15
martina_plaschka
Community Member


Robyn H wrote:

I applied to a job where the client has Verified Payment status.  Her first responce to my proposal was all about how much and how often I'd get paid, no real mention of the work or business itself and she included how I'd need to provide proof of the work done by taking photos of letters to submit.  

 

In my responce I asked if she had an issue with Upworks Time Tracking system and was she meaning to have me use another platform ( against terms of serice)

 

Her next responce was how she didn't know Upwork did that.  How would a client get Verified Payment status without knowing Upwork had a time tracking system that takes screen shots?  Is it possible clients are piggy backing on each others accounts so we freelancers really have no protection from Upwork ? 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

 


I see no connection between verified payment status and knowing about time tracking. Most likely you were talking to a scammer who needs to build trust with the people he wants to scam. Scams don't work without trust. Or hope, I guess. 

So you are saying a scammer has the ability to get to the status of verified payment, despite violating the terms of service by suggesting outside platforms?  What protection does Upwork offer from scammers then?  I've reported other jobs for violations and those jobs are still live so what would happen if I report this one ?

kochubei_valeria
Community Member

Hi Robyn,

 

We provide a lot of information, help articles and tool tips to educate clients about how the platform works. Still newer clients are sometimes not clear about all the details. Feel free to send this help article to the client in case they have questions about how hourly payments work on Upwork. If in their message they offered to pay outside of Upwork, please flag that message and the team will review.

 

Thanks!

~ Valeria
Upwork

I'm sorry but why would I communicate with the client about how YOUR platform works?  I've already paid connects to communicate with them, so it would seem you need to do some work here educating clients. 

 

And I'm still waiting for you to get back to me on something else that was flagged.  You Valeria asked me to send it to you for review, which I did days ago and have yet to hear back.  And that job which was flagged is still live. 

 

 

Robyn,

 

According to our Privacy Policy, we can't share details about another account status and specifics about what action we take regarding reported job postings and accounts. Rest assured, however, that when an evidence of ToS violation is found, the team takes appropriate action against the job/profile.

~ Valeria
Upwork
hodgesh
Community Member


Robyn H wrote:

I'm sorry but why would I communicate with the client about how YOUR platform works? 


Because you presumably want to get paid. New clients don't always know everything about Upwork, and linking them to an article doesn't take much effort. This particular client you are talking to might be a scammer, but I have helped legitimate clients hire and pay me by linking them to help articles.

 

Upwork has no control over whether clients understand the platform; anyone can sign up and set up a verified payment method.

robynch
Community Member

You do make a good point, but since I've already had to pay for the privledge to apply for the job the logic is flawed.  If I'm being charged for a service then I expect service.  Not DIY.  

petra_r
Community Member


Robyn H wrote:

You do make a good point, but since I've already had to pay for the privledge to apply for the job the logic is flawed.  If I'm being charged for a service then I expect service.  Not DIY.  


Wow.

What an attitude. Unbelievable.

 

Upwork (and freelancing) is not for everyone.

 

 


Robyn H wrote:

You do make a good point, but since I've already had to pay for the privledge to apply for the job the logic is flawed.  If I'm being charged for a service then I expect service.  Not DIY.  


If you are paying for connects already, that is your choice. It's certainly not a requirement. In any case, if you don't think you are in a DIY situation, then you fundamentally misunderstand the platform. UW provides a venue for FLs and clients to connect with each other, and expedites payment transactions. Each user of the platform has to take responsibility--nor not--for learning how it works and using it responsibly and professionally. As FLs, each of us can choose how much or how little handholding to provide for clients.

 

Payment verification is exactly what it says: a procedure to verify that a client has made a valid credit card available to be charged by UW. It has nothing to do with anything else about a client account.

 

In practical terms, there is only so much that UW can do to keep scammers off the platform. For the most part, the onus is on FLs to recognize them, report them, and avoid doing business with them--just like freelancing off the platform!

 

"Each user of the platform has to take responsibility--nor not--for learning how it works and using it responsibly and professionally. "

 

I agree, thus I shouldn't have to educate a client on how this system works, especaily one with a hiring history.  Nor one where the first responce on this thread to my concern was that client must be a scammer.  

Robyn,

 

"I agree, thus I shouldn't have to educate a client on how this system works, especaily one with a hiring history. Nor one where the first responce on this thread to my concern was that client must be a scammer."

 

Freelancing is a DIY business; it's your business. For not more than 20% of revenue UW gives you a business website (your profile), it brings leads to you, it handles invoicing and payment. That is very inexpensive, because it costs me far more to conduct business on my own than through UW. Of course, I charge more off these sites and get better clients, and you are free to do the same.

 

I see nothing indicating this is a scam, nor any indication that the person was trying to violate ToS. The last person to whom your prospective client spoke might have only had questions the client was attempting to head off with you, suspecting you might not know much about freelancing yourself. That's my suspicion, also,

 

I hire thru UW and another platform. I have never seen a screen shot and refuse to use anybody's time tracker. I tell hourly freelancers to use time tracker if they wish, or to use the work diary. Those with whom I contract directly are told to send me invoices and I pay them without question.

 

You are

Damned keyboard.

 

You are displaying a sense of entitlement that, were you an employee, would cost you your job. Don't respond to any of my job posts, you're wasting your "paid-for" connects. The sense of entitlement is disqualifying.

 

If you're going to freelance, it's OK to be arrogant. It's not OK to be arrogant on a job brokering board. I'm insufferably arrogant, as others will confirm. I just charge small businesses what I need, not what I can command in the marketplace. When I get responses on UW, I look through the community for the freelancer's posts. I'm not the only one. You should probably ask moderators to take this thread down, tell them you were in the throes of substance abuse or had traumatic brain injury when you posted it. This will cost you jobs.


Robyn H wrote:

I'm sorry but why would I communicate with the client about how YOUR platform works?  I've already paid connects to communicate with them, so it would seem you need to do some work here educating clients. 

 


Yep.. this is part of working on Upwork. I work with a lot of new clients and they have no idea how Upwork works. Many people don't want to spend the time to learn so I have to walk clients through "how to do things" all the time. I am not thrilled about that but it's part of the process and just being helpful in general. 

As an admin you may want to know that the word you are looking for is response, not responce.

 

There are many times when we need to be helpful to our clients, they have work they need done that's their priority, they might not know how everything works here and that's fine. 

But yes please look out for scammers, there seems to be a lot of them lately.

Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to post a response on this thread.  I have certainly learned a lot today.  

Latest Articles
Featured Topics
Learning Paths