Contract suspended, and worried about the refund of the payment which is for a completed project

[itkysd]

I have been working with a client who gave me multiple tasks on one contract.
They didn't let me bill time until before the submission of the task.
Our contract was once suspended by Upwork system, therefore they made a new contract to pay for me.
That was yesterday, and they paid me the whole amount of money as a "Bonus"
The bonus was worth more than $1000 and was for all my works which I've done for them.
But this morning, I have received the notice from Upwork again saying that the new contract is also currently on hold.
The first time when the contract was suspended, my payment was refunded to the client by Upwork. So I am a bit worried that the bonus on the suspended contract will be refunded to the client once again, which I am supposed to be paid and the project is completed.
My question is:
1. Why the new contract was identified as a "suspicious" contract? Was it because of the bonus or the client's issue?
2. If the refund of bonus happens, how can I ask them to pay? What is the best way to get the amount paid through Upwork?
3. For a future reference, what would be the best way to make a "Safer" contract with clients, if you could tell me what was wrong with my contract and what could be better.
If anyone could answer my questions, I would be much appreciated.

[petra_r]

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Itsuki Y wrote:

They didn't let me bill time until before the submission of the task.

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Oh dear..... You made a monumental mess of this.... There is no such thing as "not letting you bill time" on an hourly contract. You track your time, you are covered and you are safe.

The only reason a client would insist on you not tracking time is to cheat you and/or Upwork. 

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Itsuki Y wrote:

That was yesterday, and they paid me the whole amount of money as a "Bonus"
The bonus was worth more than $1000 and was for all my works which I've done for them.
But this morning, I have received the notice from Upwork again saying that the new contract is also currently on hold.

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I would hazard a guess they used a new account to "pay you" that bonus. They could not have done so on the original account... It likely won't go through any more than the payment on the first contract. Go to "Reports Overview > Pending" and check if there is a date to the left of the Bonus payment.... 

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Itsuki Y wrote:

3. For a future reference, what would be the best way to make a "Safer" contract with clients

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On an hourly contract: You use the tracker for your work. You put meaningful work memos and have decent activity levels.

You get paid.

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Itsuki Y wrote:

2. If the refund of bonus happens, how can I ask them to pay? What is the best way to get the amount paid through Upwork?

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If the client is suspended they can't pay you through Upwork. They also can't pay you outside of Upwork. 

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Itsuki Y wrote:

1. Why the new contract was identified as a "suspicious" contract? Was it because of the bonus or the client's issue?.

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Likely non-payment or payment via fraudulent means. The fact that they made you NOT track time is a HUGE red flag.

[itkysd]

Thank you for your reply.

Itsuki Y wrote:

1. Why the new contract was identified as a "suspicious" contract? Was it because of the bonus or the client's issue?.

>Likely non-payment or payment via fraudulent means. The fact that they made you NOT track time is a HUGE red flag.

The new contract which they made - they let me bill time eventually because I insisted, and I even billed time for 1.5 hours yesterday using the Upwork app. So I thought we have done nothing suspicious... But I thought the bonus of $1000 was considered to be suspicious?
They are appearing to pay me... But I wasn't quite sure because I don't know how the payment system is working from clients' side.
And if you could advise me what to do with the client, It will be helpful.

[petra_r]

When you go to Reports > Pending -  Do you see a date to the left of the Bonus or does it just say "Pending?"

They "let you" track time yesterday, but because the client isn't charged until Monday that isn't very meaningful.

And the fact that the client seems to have created a second account is a policy violation. You had already been told to stop working with the client.

[itkysd]

Thanks, I have checked my payment, and their payment including the payment for yesterday’s work is stated as ”pending”.Does it mean something significant to you?
Thank you for another information... I actually started to understand more about the system.... It seems that I am scummed... But hopefully I will keep contacting them to fix the situation 😞

[petra_r]

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Itsuki Y wrote:
Thanks, I have checked my payment, and their payment including the payment for yesterday’s work is stated as ”pending”. Does it mean something significant to you?

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OK, just to double-check: You went to your actual PENDING TAB and there is no date to the left of the Bonus? It just says Pending where my screenshot shows the dates?

If the answer is "Yes", that means Upwork was NOT able to successfully charge the client's payment method. So it LOOKS like the client has paid, but Úpwork have been unable to get the money. That is almost certainly why your first contract was suspended.

[itkysd]

Hi Petra,
Okay, yes I have checked again and it does say that it is "pending"...
And according to your explanation, I understood as they pretended that they have paid but actually they didn't put money on their account etc, is that right?
In this situation, what is the right way to do? Is there no way I can report the issue?
Itsuki

[petra_r]

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Itsuki Y wrote:

In this situation, what is the right way to do? 

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Let this be a very expensive lesson to you. Hourly job = track your time.

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Itsuki Y wrote:

 Is there no way I can report the issue?

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There is nothing to report, unfortunately.

[BojanS]

Hi Itsuki,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience with this contract. While we can't share any details, please ask your client to follow up on the notification they recently received and communicate with our team in order to resolve the issue with their account and resume your payment. 

Please note that Bonus payments are not covered by Hourly Payment Protection. You should be using the Desktop app to record the time spent working on this contract.

Our team will follow up on your existing support ticket with more information regarding your concern.

Thank you!

[tlbp]

A few notes,

Manual hours and bonus payments are the two least "safe" forms of payment on Upwork. Neither has any protection from Upwork. And, in both cases, there is no proof of actual work to support the payments. There are legitimate reasons for legitimate clients to use these payment forms, but you should never trust a new client who offers or suggests these payment schemes.

Only accept manual hour or bonus-payment contracts if you can afford to and are willing to risk not receiving any payment.

Upwork's hourly payment protection is available only in very limited circumstances and will not pay more than your average hourly rate. Even though you have tracked your hours on the second contract, they won't qualify for protection because they were performed for a client with a known payment problem and you set your rate at more than 3x your previous rate. 

If you search through the forums for posts about "payment protection" "client suspended" or "manual hours," you should find several posts that explain the warning signs to watch out for when engaging with a new client. 

It is highly possible that your client, OP, is a scammer and is offering you new promises of payment to get you to complete the work and scam you out of more of your time. If they are legitimate and do plan to pay you eventually, wait until you actually receive payment and have been able to successfully withdraw it into your bank account. Then, after this proof of payment, you might consider working for them again.
**Keep in mind that if your scammer is using a stolen credit card, even getting the money into your bank account might not be enough for you to hang onto it. The true credit card owner can take it back.