Client with unclear requirements end contract and blocked me within 10hrs then affected my JSS

[mbunamalawi]

Hi Upwork Community,

I really have hated to lose my 100% JSS this way. I won a contract with a client that literally didn't know what he wanted. He wanted a website, didn't have the logo, and literally didn't have any write up content.

I advised him what we needed then, to succeed with the project that is to start with the Logo because that will define his whole brand. I also advised him to take a few professional pictures of himself because he said he is a Tech Consultant who helps Tech Startups start and run successfully. He accepted that he will look into it.

It was an hourly job and I started designing the logo. When I sent him a message that he should also set me up the Staging link for his website, he didn't respond. When I went to bed, the next morning, I found that he had ended the contract and even blocked me, Worse thing is, we never had to talk about any problem he found with my capacity to deliver him the job.

Upwork, do you really allow such clients to take away, Freelancers like me who work tirelessly on people's projects to deliver 100% successful and satisfactory projects.

I feel really cheated by this client that he coned me into a project he was not so sure of and with priceless advice and possible great work I should have given him, he pays me with ending a contract that destroys my JSS.

Is there something that can be done on this? I need my 100% JSS back. I will be fine losing it out of my own complacency but not in such a situation where someone has just been mean.

Hope to really be assisted on this one by Upwork Team.

Sincerely,

Dennis.

[prestonhunter]

Your JSS is 98.

That is excellent.

Your latest job received 4.5 star average feedback, which is very good score.

You have nothing to complain about.

I hope that you do not try to contact Upwork Customer Support about any of this. If you do manage to talk to them, I am certain they will do nothing.

A client ended a contract. The client did nothing wrong.

You said the client destroyed your JSS. That is not true. Your JSS has not been destroyed.

You said you need your 100% back.

That is factually incorrect.

You seem like you are a very good freelancer. You will be better off if you stop obsessing about 100% JSS. Just focus on providing the best service you can to clients. If a client decides to close a contract or leave a valid score that is less than perfect, you should respect that. I think most perfect 5 star averages are meaningless. When a client takes the time to leave complimentary written feedback and non-straight-five star feedback, then that really means something. That is more of a compliment than straight-five star feedback.

[mbunamalawi]

Hi Preston,

That's a great analysis but 98% isn't the perfect JSS that was there. The JSS was 100% and I needed to be like that for a while. I am sure you can understand that though I know you have lots of Freelancers here so you don't care that enough for one.

My concern is, I might meet such an ordeal of a client where I have done nothing wrong but they have chosen to close their contract in a matter of just 4hrs for a whole week job. Do you think that is fair?

Well, maybe I should contact Customer Support indeed they can have better advice.

[prestonhunter]

re: "My concern is... a client where I have done nothing wrong but they have chosen to close their contract in a matter of just 4hrs for a whole week job. Do you think that is fair?"

Yes. That is fair. The client has done nothing wrong.

I strongly believe that both clients and freelancers should be allowed to close a contract at any time.

A client who closes a contract earlier than a freelancer expects has done nothing wrong.

re: "maybe I should contact Customer Support indeed they can have better advice."

Why would you contact Customer Support?

They are not going to change anything on your profile. They are not going to do anything to punish that client. They will not tell you anything new.

[mbunamalawi]

Well, Preston,

Better to try I guess but I am sure you know that same Upwork has just recently updated its JSS scoring that contracts that end without feedback will no longer negatively affect Freelancer's JSS.

Why is that? Because to us Freelancers, JSS matters. It's not even about what prospective clients see. It's also totally personal to see that you try your best to do great work. I am not concerned about Upwork punishing the client. I have clearly said, I need to find out if this project can be skipped on the list of projects to affect my JSS. Does that make sense?

It's not even about my JSS being perfect at 98%. It's about working on this irregularity where a non-responsive and non-clear client closes the contract and it ends affecting your score.

By the way, I am so serious about it that I have already sent an email to Support.

Thanks for your blunt and helpful response nonetheless.

[petra_r]

---

Dennis H wrote:

I need to find out if this project can be skipped on the list of projects

---

Please don't waste Support's or your own time asking them.

If you have your top rated feedback removal perk available, use it.

Personally I wouldn't use it over something as pathetic as that, and save it for when something goes really wrong. You can't use it more than one every 3 months and 10 contracts.

[a_lipsey]

This is why you don't accept the offer until you have everything you need to get started on the job and can actually start billing. I learned that technique on this forum myself, and it's a smart one. The offer will be good for 4 days, I think. So you should be able to bug the client for everything you need and finalize all aspects between then and when you accept before it expires. 

The client is fully within his rights to cancel the contract at any point. You really should have vetted this better before you accepted the contract. He had no content, no logo, nothing, and you were to build a website. I would not have accepted the contract without having learned that first. Shift your process a bit with vetting to make sure you have verified all the assets you need and that the client has given you all the job requirements very specifically. 

There's nothing that Upwork is going to do. This happens to freelancers often. The onus was on you to vet the client and the job better before taking it on. 

[mbunamalawi]

That's more like it. Thanks, Amanda, I needed to hear that friendly and warm advice.

The other advice is someone too blunt, unfriendly and unhelpful.

Thanks once again, Amanda.

[a_lipsey]

It's an honest mistake that can happen to anyone. We all learn by making these mistakes. You'll be okay. Just shift your process a bit to protect yourself in the future.

[bsakariya · Accepted solution]

Hello Dennis,

As I can see you are a Top Rated freelancer on Upwork and Top-rated freelancers have the liberty to remove the freed back completely from his profile, if you do request to upwork support they will just immediately remove the bad feedback you want to delete and in the next cycle of JSS calculation, your score will be as same as before.

I hope this will help you.

Keep building the great things.

Best regards 

Bipin

[mbunamalawi]

Hello Bipin,

This exactly what was needed as a response yet the Community Gurus here seem to have tired responses.

Thanks so much and I will check this one.

Cheers

[criselenacris]

Hi, Dennis!

I do not want to discourage you, but you'd better get used to fluctuations of the JSS score. It happens sooner or later. It happened to me and I do not know why. After one year, it went from 100 to 99, then to 100, then to 97, then to 98 and now to 97 again. I have no inactive contracts or unsatisfied clients. At least no one complained about the work I provided (not even once in 2 years, but I had two small contracts canceled because the clients did not need that work anymore, and this was at least one year ago). But I still receive offers and get hired. I would not waste my right to remove a comment for a 3% dropping. I am keeping it in case smth worse might happen. 🙂  But this is your choice.

[lucioric]

Hi. Getting a JSS lower than 100% seems a tragedy, but it isn't. Everything above 90% is a good JSS. Do quality work, and your 100% JSS will be back in 6 months.