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roomy-f
Community Member

Clients sent me an urgent work suddenly without any contract or offer, what should I cope with it?

Hello, everyone.

 

I'm new here. From time to time, I often get an urgent request without any offer or contract from the clients who already have my proposals although they never accept them. They usually say that I have yet another job but it is urgent like within 24h. Even though I ask them to leave a message for further information, they just send me the document file. I always told them that you should make a contract or accept my proposal before work. They don't accept my proposals however, the various clients tend to send me an illegal offer several times. Is it better for me to just ignore these uncomfortable offers? Because I feel like I'm tired of responding to these frauds.

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kirnazdogan
Community Member

If you do their work without any contract, you can't get your money then. 

Don't waste your valuable time with fraud clients. Just tell them you can't work without any contract.

You can also block them if they continuously offer you to work without a contract.

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9 REPLIES 9
kirnazdogan
Community Member

If you do their work without any contract, you can't get your money then. 

Don't waste your valuable time with fraud clients. Just tell them you can't work without any contract.

You can also block them if they continuously offer you to work without a contract.

m_sharman
Community Member

If you don't have a contract..they aren't a client.
tlsanders
Community Member

If the work is something you want to do, I would just respond once and say, "I will be happy to complete this project for you. Given your tight deadline, I will need to receive an offer with a (fully funded milestone or verified payment method, depending on which type of job it is) by (whatever will allow you enough time to complete). If you aren't able to take care of that before that time, I will not be able to complete the project within your timeline and will have to decline"

 

Then, there's no reason to respond any further. They will create a contract or they won't. If they don't, ignore any further messaging. If they create a contract and it's too late based on the deadline you gave them, you are free to decline the offer and it won't do you any harm.

roomy-f
Community Member

Thank you so much. I'm relieved that I'm not alone. That helped me a lot.

martina_plaschka
Community Member


Rumi F wrote:

Hello, everyone.

 

I'm new here. From time to time, I often get an urgent request without any offer or contract from the clients who already have my proposals although they never accept them. They usually say that I have yet another job but it is urgent like within 24h. Even though I ask them to leave a message for further information, they just send me the document file. I always told them that you should make a contract or accept my proposal before work. They don't accept my proposals however, the various clients tend to send me an illegal offer several times. Is it better for me to just ignore these uncomfortable offers? Because I feel like I'm tired of responding to these frauds.


When you say they send you offers, do you mean an offer within upwork that you accept and therefore have a contract with this client? Clients don't accept proposals, they send offers. 

Hi there

Usually, they ask me via UpWork message function whether I can do an urgent task which seems similar to the task that I bid although they neither accept nor decline my proposal. Then after I ask them further information, they send me their task without any contract or job offer.

petra_r
Community Member


Rumi F wrote:

Hi there

Usually, they ask me via UpWork message function whether I can do an urgent task which seems similar to the task that I bid although they neither accept nor decline my proposal. Then after I ask them further information, they send me their task without any contract or job offer.


Simply say "Thanks and I look forward to working with you as soon as I've accepted the contract."

 

wlyonsatl
Community Member

I'd be wary of working with such clients even if they did set up a contract via Upwork's system.

 

And I'd only work for them initially on an hourly basis. There is too much risk for my taste using fixed price with new clients who neither know nor care how Upwork works.

This is the type of situation in which we keep a client "on a short leash."

 

Meaning: A client or potential client has done something that deviates from the norm in a way that invites reasonable skepticism, and additional restrictions.

 

That doesn't mean that I refuse to work for the client completely. But I maintain a cautious outlook and I make additional requirements in order for the client to be able to secure my services.

 

Will's precaution - only using an hourly contract with such clients - is very wise.

 

As a freelancer, I could consider other conditions, such as requiring the client to close a contract after one week and opening a new one, even if the project is not done yet.

 

For any client to describe a project as "urgent", but NOT immediately send a "Hire" offer... That is an extraordinary situation, and almost certainly the sign of a scammer. So that definitely is one of the things that would put me on alert and cause me to keep a client on a short leash.

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