Contract placed on hold and refund to the client

[marcolazzarini]

Hi everyone, 

I am Marco and I am new here! I have a question, hope you could help.

I was working at my first job as illustrator, I should have been paid hourly, adding manual time (I knew the risk, but at moment I just have an Ipad to work).

The client just disappered on the 26 January (the last messages are mine) and after few days the contract is placed on hold. At the moment I had recordered 2 hours of work (half an hour had been already paid and received)

I read that the problem could be linked to his payment method, so I just accepted that probably I would not ever see the money. 

But the thing I cannot understand is the fact that today I go to my Upwork account and it results I gave a refund to this person, thing that of course I have not done, whit the exact amount HE owes me. Is it something like automatic when Upwork cannot take money from the client? It seems quite strange, cause it is like I am closing the issue giving him a refund, while he desappered owing me money. 

Thanks everyone 

have a nice day!

[BojanS]

Hi Marco,

Unfortunately, when the client fails to pay for hours logged by the freelancer, any hours that aren't covered by Upwork Hourly Protection may be reversed. 

Our team will reach out to you directly via email with more information about your concern.

Thank you!

[marcolazzarini]

Thanks for your answer,

yeah I came to terms with the idea that probably or surely I will lose this money.

But what I find strange is that "for the record" it seems like I gave my client a refund and not that he didn't pay me: of course I have not allowed a refund, I have not even received that money, so I can't understand why today I found the communication of a refund given of the money he owes me.    

[petra_r · Accepted solution]

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Marco L wrote:

But the thing I cannot understand is the fact that today I go to my Upwork account and it results I gave a refund to this person, thing that of course I have not done, whit the exact amount HE owes me. Is it something like automatic when Upwork cannot take money from the client?

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The client failed to pay for your hours last Monday. They were manual time, so there was no protection.

It wasn't "a refund" as such, it was a reversal of a transaction that never actually happened. You didn't refund, as there was never anything to refund. The client plain never paid in the first place.

[marcolazzarini]

Thank you