If this is a FIXED-PRICE CONTRACT:
As a freelancer, I get paid AUTOMATICALLY if a client is unresponsive.
re: "I did some work for a client about 2 weeks ago now. My client decided to not continue working with me, after I completed the work and sent it back to her. She requested a refund saying that she never asked for the work completed."
There are:
- unresponsive clients
- clients who ask for a refund
By definition, these are not the same thing.
If I submit my work for a fixed-price contract and the client is UNRESPONSIVE, then I get paid AUTOMATICALLY.
Upwork will release ALL the money in escrow to me.
If a client asks for a refund, the client is not "unresponsive." The client DID something.
If the client FORMALLY asks for a refund, then the client's request BLOCKS payment from being released to the me.
If I do nothing, then all escrow money will go back to the client.
But I can DECLINE the refund request. That creates a "dispute."
The matter then goes to "mediation."
An Upwork mediator will ask the freelancer and the client questions. I the client is "unresponsive," then the matter will be decided in favor of the freelancer, and all money will go to the freelancer.
As you can see: It is GOOD if a client is unresponsive. When a client is unresponsive, that helps ensure that I get paid.
If a client did not FORMALLY click the buttons to request a refund, then I don’t need to do anything to officially decline the refund request. I can simply send a brief polite message asking about that, or saying that I can’t do that. Or I can even ignore it. It depends on the precise situation and it depends on what the client actually said.
An informal message asking for a refund is not the same thing as a formal/official refund request.
re: “I ended the contract, though have not heard back from her in almost a week. How do I get paid for this contract?”
If this is a fixed-price contract, and the freelancer ended the contract, then all remaining escrow money is automatically returned to the client.
