End Contract Without Giving Client Right to Leave Feedback

[gropps]

Hello,

I have accepted a contract wherein I have been asked to use a beta smartphone application to report city maintenance needs. However, only after accepting the job I learned that this app does not report, rather it asks me to email (using my personal email and name) a local elected city official an email that I would categorize as spam. This was not listed or mentioned in the original job description nor was it made known to me during any of the preliminary discussions with the client. I am not comfortable sending spam emails to the mayor of my city. I am worried that ending the contract as prescribed by Upwork would result in poor feedback and a very negative impact on my Job Success score.

I am asking for help in terminating this contract without offering the client (or myself) the ability to leave feedback.

[petra_r]

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@Greg G wrote:

I am asking for help in terminating this contract without offering the client (or myself) the ability to leave feedback.

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 No such thing, no way to do that. If nothing was paid, and you end the contract, the client can (but does not have to) leave (private ) feedback. Nothing will show on your profile but contracts without any earnings and no feedback (or poor private feedback) affect your Job Success Score negatively either way.

As you are not top rated and tethering right on the edge at 90%, you are between a rock and a hard place, as both a "nothing paid, no feedback" and a "nothing paid, poor private feedback" outcomes will, for certain, knock you below the 90% mark.

 PS - for future reference - Amazon reviews for payment are strictly forbidden by Amazon and Upwork.  Such jobs are not allowed, nor is doing them via Upwork.

[tlbp]

If you can convince Upwork that the job somehow violates its TOS, you may have better luck at avoiding feedback. 

[petra_r]

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@Tonya P wrote:

If you can convince Upwork that the job somehow violates its TOS, you may have better luck at avoiding feedback. 

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... only if the client is actually kicked off the site... Not gonna happen any time soon.

[gropps]

Thank you, Tonya. Upwork has asked for screen shots of the issue and seems to be interested in digging a bit further. Requiring freelancers to contact elected officials in this way may be a violation. I will update the thread further as I hear more.

[kat303]

So Greg - I have to ask, Did you use ANY of the products that you reviewed? Did you know, that these jobs that you participated in, IF you didn't actually use these products - constitutes Fraud and Deception. And did you know that Amazon is cracking down on both the person who recruited the "reviewer" and the reviewer themselves? Of course, if you did actually receive and use these products then disregard this message. But if you didn't receive these products you should think long and hard about accepting any other such jobs.

[gropps]

Hi Kathy,
The jobs you are referencing from my profile (product reviews) are irrelevant for this particular thread. I’m asking a question about the testing of an iPhone application in beta. However, I can humor you as I can see your passionate about the issue.

I do not write phony Amazon reviews. I encourage you to visit Amazon and purchase any of the fine products I’ve written or recorded video reviews for and see for yourself. Also, if dig a bit deeper, you would see that not all of my product reviews are five star reviews (despite the fact that I received five star feedback from the client). Communication and honesty is key on Upwork. Something I did not receive from the current Upwork client who is currently being questioned in this thread.

[petra_r]

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@Greg G wrote:

I do not write phony Amazon reviews.

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 I did not say you wrote *phony* Amazon reviews. I pointed out that ANY paid reviews AT ALL are forbidden by Amazon and because of that are not allowed on Upwork.

Amazon went as far as taking over a thousand freelancers from another platform (the one starting with an "F" and ending with an "r") to court over this, so that is taken seriously and you'd do well not to  dismiss it. Whether your "reviews" were honest or not doesn't make one iota of difference to the fact that it is not allowed (free (!!) books can have paid reviews, but this must be disclosed on the review - everything else is a complete No-No)  and that is all there is too it.

This has been the case for years.

[browersr]

You also cannot provide off Upwork contact details in your profile.