False budgets

allthingsgjd · ‎03-02-2019

Projects being posted with false budgets.

I want to complain about buyers that are clearly mis-leading providers.

This happens on a fairly regular basis. Take this job as an example,
**edited for Community Guidelines**

This is clearly a made up budget, the clients previous projects have been for a total of $5,277 between 28 projects, that works out as an average project price of $188.

This post is for a simple requirement, as stated by the client, that may take 4 or 5 hours at most, but is advertised as $10,000, this is clearly false and just posted to attract peoples attention. Upwork should really clamp down on posting projects with false budgets. The buyers should be punished for posting misleading projects.

I would love to hear if Upwork actually takes any steps towards removing misleading and possibly illegal postings.

The easiest way to stop this type of thing is to not allow bids under the project budget amount, that would immediately stop people posting made up budgets.

Thanks Graham

ladyelexia · ‎03-02-2019

You can flag listing that breaks the rules or are unrealistic. I do believe that a certain number of flags by separate people cause such listings to get pulled. These types of listings are annoying a best, it is easier for you to just ignore them.

luce-neidert · ‎03-02-2019

Heather, I disagree with you. Flagging an offer doesn't take much time and at least you've done your bit to make this platform a better place for real freelancers.

allthingsgjd · ‎03-02-2019

Quite right Luce

I have gone the extra step with this one, I have flagged it, reported directly to customer services, and added it here.

luce-neidert · ‎03-02-2019

Graham J wrote:
Quite right Luce

I have gone the extra step with this one, I have flagged it, reported directly to customer services, and added it here.

Reporting to customer services! Brilliant! Please let me know if it works.

ladyelexia · ‎03-02-2019

@Luce, My very first sentence stated that you can flag such listings. So you disagree with that but go on to say that listings should be flagged? Okay.

luce-neidert · ‎03-03-2019

Heather H wrote:
@Luce, My very first sentence stated that you can flag such listings. So you disagree with that but go on to say that listings should be flagged? Okay.

My mistake, Heather, I was probably answering someoene on another post that had said it took too much time to flag. Of course it's good to flag offers that we think are wrong and let "the team" deal with it.

allthingsgjd · ‎03-02-2019

Hi Heather, that is the problem, I keep reporting them and they keep appearing, perhaps most poeple ignore them, but that is not how the world works, if you want to fix a problem you need to be part of the solution.

prestonhunter · ‎03-02-2019

The "budget" field is confusing and nebulous. I can assure you that it frustrates clients more than it frustrates freelancers.

You CAN NOT KNOW if a client's budget is "false."

What does "budget" mean anyway? Is it for this task? This job? This project? This year?

I am sorry if this bothers you. But you must not flag jobs based on the posted "budget."

luce-neidert · ‎03-02-2019

Preston H wrote:
The "budget" field is confusing and nebulous. I can assure you that it frustrates clients more than it frustrates freelancers.

You CAN NOT KNOW if a client's budget is "false."

What does "budget" mean anyway? Is it for this task? This job? This project? This year?

I am sorry if this bothers you. But you must not flag jobs based on the posted "budget."

Well, if you can't tell if the budget is for a task, a job, a project, a year, you might flag it because it's confusing and needs clarification.

wlyonsatl · ‎03-02-2019

I doubt Upwork wlll take any action on a job posting only because it's so poorly or confusingly written that only the client knows what the job is, how much the client is willing to pay, etc.

If I don't understand at least in a general way what work a client wants done or intends to pay, I don't even respond to their ad.

The whole "budget" element of posting jobs must be confusing to clients - it definitely used to be for me until I realized the $, $$ and $$$ signs are so inconsistently interpreted by clients that they mean nothing. I only screen for $$$ projects when looking for new projects. It means I probably don't see projects ideal for me, but it keeps the number of projects screened down to a manageable number.

And the fact that I see so many fixed price projects have a $500 budget that I pay no attention at all to that number if I do respond to a request for proposal from a client.

allthingsgjd · ‎03-02-2019

I understand that some clients might find the budget frustrating, that said, Upwork requires it so I then expect the client to post an honest budget.

Clearly the budget is for the completion of the posted project and to suggest otherwise is not helping the issue.

I believe it is very clear when a client posts a false budget, $10,000 for 2 to 3 hours work, when previous projects have paid out $188 on average.

I wonder what the posted budget would be if freelancers were not allowed to bid under the budget price and the client was contracted to award the project, it would most certainly not be $10,000, why… because it never was $10,000, it is made up.

wlyonsatl · ‎03-02-2019

The clarity and realistic approach a client takes to posting their job on Upwork is part of my screening process when looking for new clients.

I don't want to work for idiots.

If a prospective client is dumb enough to believe I am dumb enough to respond to a job that promises to pay US$10,000 for a few hours work, I already know I wouldn't want to work them.

allthingsgjd · ‎03-02-2019

Completely agree, the only time this becomes an issue is when – as in this case – the project appears in my saved project search, then it is directly affecting my daily work search. Besides that, I am just completely against the misleading and dishonest practice.

ladyelexia · ‎03-02-2019

@Graham, if they keep appearing it is because it is a different client, or the client keeps reposting them. If they are closed that means your reporting is working. The fact that you keep seeing the same type of jobs posted might have something to do with your settings.

lysis10 · ‎03-02-2019

Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off. Let them have their false budgets and lulz.

As an asside, look at the client history and he only hires the same dev so there is a low chance of getting that gig anyway.

vittoria82 · ‎09-04-2019

I completely agree on this and will start flagging unethical job postings.

There should also be a mechanism to claim our connects back, as well. I recently applied for a ghostwriting project with budget 1000 USD, paid 6 connects, and after wasting my time answering the client's questions, he told me the budget was 300.