Ending a Contract After I've Been Paid

[jrossg]

Good morning, everyone.

I've been paid for an hour of work from a client, but I'm starting to see signs that it won't be a good ongoing relationship.

If I cancel the contract on my end, will they still be able to leave a testimonial bc of the one hour of work for which they've already paid?

I want to keep things as amicable as possible and really don't want a potentially bad review, but I'm not sure what my options are.

Thanks for any help you can give. I really appreciate it 🙂 

[petra_r · Accepted solution]

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John G wrote:

I've been paid for an hour of work from a client, but I'm starting to see signs that it won't be a good ongoing relationship.

If I cancel the contract on my end, will they still be able to leave a testimonial bc of the one hour of work for which they've already paid

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Yes, they will, which is why it is important to get out as professionally and amicably as possible.

[jrossg]

Thanks so much, Petra! 

Just out of curiosity, what would happen if I refunded their money? Would that effectively reset things, so reviews wouldn't be a concern?

Thanks again!

[petra_r]

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John G wrote:

Just out of curiosity, what would happen if I refunded their money? Would that effectively reset things, so reviews wouldn't be a concern?

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If you fully refund the client can't leave public feedback, but your JSS may take a little hit.

That said, you are top rated, so you can use your top rated perk to remove the effect if you like.

But do wait until the update after you do it to see if it's worth wasting the perk on it.

[jrossg]

You're the best, Petra. Thanks so much for your help! 

[prestonhunter]

If a freelancer ends a contract on his end, there is a chance that the client will leave NO FEEDBACK at all.

This is more likely if the contract is "not active"... the freelancer has not heard from the client in a long time.

But if the contract is active and current, the client is more likely to notice that the contract was closed, and more likely to leave feedback.

Ending a contract is normal. Upwork contracts are not meant to last forever.

You can indeed end a contract in a way that is helpful to the client, and that will of course be more likely to yield positive feedback.

I routinely work on projects where I provide services based on my skills and knowledge, and then we get into other things and i explain that other freelancers will be able to provide a better service and a better price. For example, somebody might hire me to design a database schema, and then after that they want some graphic design. I simply tell them that I'm not the right person for that task, and I recommend working with specialists who can provide them what they need.