Contract Ended!

iamchlrslopez · ‎01-22-2021

Hi,

I started working on to this client. I logged in to the tracker for I will start reading the manual, the files he sent me, what my task is, all task related to the job. He then sent me a message, why would I logged in wherein fact I did not do anything? He said that reading and training is not the JOB. He said I would only logged in when I am doing the JOB. He added, he's not being paid for trainings and such so he expect me to logged in only during working hours and not during training. In short, it is Unpaid Training.

Now, there is less than $10 that will be billed to the client, I said he can file a dispute if he wants. He said it's okay. Then Ended the contract. My question is, are all trainings unpaid? Is it not part of the work? Should I really just logged in when it comes to work? Please help. Thank you.

prestonhunter · ‎01-22-2021

Well... you did NOT KNOW ahead of time that the client would be unreasonable.

If it was me, I would probably just thank him for his time, close the contract, and be done with it.

I guess.... thinking back.... if you had been more careful, you could have made sure you knew beforehand more details what the job would involve and verified that the training would all be paid time.

re: "My question is, are all trainings unpaid?"

No. Of course not.

Any training should be paid.

If the client needs you to be trained, he needs to pay you for the training. Otherwise, he needs to hire somebody who ALREADY HAS the expertise that he requires.

re: "Is it not part of the work?"

Training that a client asks you to do is part of the work,

re: "Should I really just logged in when it comes to work?"

You did the right thing by logging time.

The mistake you made was a tactical mistake. You should have verified that the training would be paid before you accepted the job.

iamchlrslopez · ‎01-22-2021

Thank you. The client message me again on whats app and apologize for there seems to be miscommunication. He ask if I still wanted to get the job. Since he already ended the contract, I'm worried that he might leave a negative feedback about me. If it happens, can I request to delete the feedback even if I don't have any rising star or jss yet?

gina-herrera · ‎01-22-2021

Chlarise L wrote:
I'm worried that he might leave a negative feedback about me. If it happens, can I request to delete the feedback even if I don't have any rising star or jss yet?

He has only 2 weeks after the date of the contract to leave feedback - but you cannot ask to delete feedback if you aren't top rated.

Personally, I would not work with him again. Also, is he messaging you on WhatsApp to try and work with you off the platform to pay you through a method that's not Upwork? That's very much against the rules so make sure that he plans to open a new contract through Upwork. But again... I wouldn't trust him. You should not have to explain such a common sense thing to someone.

petra_r · ‎01-22-2021

Gina wrote:
Chlarise L wrote:
I'm worried that he might leave a negative feedback about me.
He has only 2 weeks after the date of the contract to leave feedback -

The client ended the contract so the feedback has already been left and that ship has sailed

Also, is he messaging you on WhatsApp to try and work with you off the platform to pay you through a method that's not Upwork?

Where are you getting that idea from? Nowhere did she indicate that the client wanted to pay outside the platform... Once a contrract was started, people can communicate any which way they like.

gina-herrera · ‎01-22-2021

Petra R wrote:

The client ended the contract so the feedback has already been left and that ship has sailed

I missed that, but upon reading back it says "Since he already ended the contract, I'm worried that he might leave a negative feedback about me."

So... why don't you (the original poster) leave him feedback as well, so you can see what he says before deciding to work with him again? I'm confused as to why you're worried when all you need to do is leave him feedback and then youll be able to read what he left you.

Or if you wait two weeks then you'll be able to see it by default, but you won't be able to leave him any.

gina-herrera · ‎01-22-2021

Chlarise L wrote:
My question is, are all trainings unpaid? Is it not part of the work? Should I really just logged in when it comes to work?

I charge people for almost everything, and I am not cheap either - my time comes out to more than $1 per minute. The only thing I don't charge for is any email response which takes under a minute, and for "thinking" because as a creative my jobs are deeply conceptual and sometimes before I fall asleep I'm just thinking about their project, haha. This is because sometimes I am too lazy to turn on the tracker for a quick email, and because it can put clients off if you type in "thinking" in the tracker to describe what you're doing, I find it easier to just let it go. But you SHOULD charge for all of this - literally even ten minutes of time that you spend thinking about their project / training is ten minutes you could be thinking about / training for something else, or just time to yourself that they are taking away from you - therefore, you must be paid for it.

Try to clarify this with clients from the beginning, people who expect you NOT to charge for this give off huge red flags. You didn't want to work with this guy anyways, he would have been difficult for sure. And if they have questions, you can always direct them here - https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211062278-Check-your-Freelancer-s-Work-Diary

All the way at the bottom, it says:
* Note: Activity levels during a stretch of logged time will fluctuate depending on the task. Some tasks, such as phoning, reading, and thinking will show low activity. For this reason, it's possible that you'll see 0 mouse clicks and 0 keystrokes, but other activity will still be recorded. If you are concerned about significant portions of the Work Diary with low activity, please discuss them with your freelancer.

Which means even Upwork knows you should be charging for this.

richard_wein · ‎01-23-2021

Gina H wrote:

I charge people for almost everything, and I am not cheap either - my time comes out to more than $1 per minute. The only thing I don't charge for is any email response which takes under a minute, and for "thinking" because as a creative my jobs are deeply conceptual and sometimes before I fall asleep I'm just thinking about their project, haha.

I have some of my best work ideas after waking up in the middle of the night or while sitting on the toilet. Perhaps I should start charging for that time. 😉

kinector · ‎01-23-2021

I have some of my best work ideas after waking up in the middle of the night or while sitting on the toilet. Perhaps I should start charging for that time. 😉

Me too! 😜

Alternatively, when running through jungle paths or eating coconuts. 😋