How Upwork makes me lose clients

[#1]

Last year in November and December several client contacted me outside Upwork seeking help after another client and friend of them had send them my way. It turned out that they all had hired the same  freelance translator. Some had hired that freelancer several times without problems but they all had received randomly edited machine translation the last time they hired this freelancer.

The clients that had hired this (back then top rated) freelancer through Upwork contacted CS and basically got told to "suck it up". The profile of said freelancer was on hold for a few days but since then it is back and the scam continues. Understandingly the scammed clients are unhappy and have no intention to continue to use Upwork.

How am I losing clients because of this?

I am working with several clients on long term projects and they are in contact with the scammed clients. Because of the way Upwork CS treated these clients some of their friends and colleagues that I am working for want to leave Upwork.
My options are:

• Let the client pay the opt-out fee (not really an option)
• Stop working on Upwork and close my account (erm, no)
• Wait after the two years from the initial contact have passed (and my clients have found someone else)
• Lose my clients (thanks for that CS)

[#2]

Hi Jennifer,

I`m sorry to hear for the inconvenience this has caused you. Could you reach out to me via PM with more details about this so that I can investigate it further? Thank you.

[#3]

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Jennifer R wrote:

Understandingly the scammed clients are unhappy and have no intention to continue to use Upwork.

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And, if it needs to be highlighted to anybody - these are paying clients putting money INTO the system. 

Overlooked for scammers who are contributing nothing. 

Baffling. 

[#4]

There should be a clear difference in your client's mind between using Upwork to search for new freelancers versus using it to work with people they already hired (you) an worked with over an extended period of time. By now your long term clients should understand that they are working with you personally not just 'using Upwork'. Otherwise they are either very confused or just testing your ethics to see if they's as low as their's. Some people may try and convince you to take the projects off the platform for all sorts of childish reasons, e.g. some freelancer you don't know scammed some of their friends you don't know, on some vague project etc... don't go for that! 

[#5]

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Andrei T wrote:

There should be a clear difference in your client's mind between using Upwork to search for new freelancers versus using it to work with people they already hired (you) an worked with over an extended period of time. By now your long term clients should understand that they are working with you personally not just 'using Upwork'. Otherwise they are either very confused or just testing your ethics to see if they's as low as their's. Some people may try and convince you to take the projects off the platform for all sorts of childish reasons, e.g. some freelancer you don't know scammed some of their friends you don't know, on some vague project etc... don't go for that! 

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I know the freelancer, I know the clients that got scammed and I know the projects, trust me.

My problem are clients that no longer want to do business through Upwork. It has nothing to do with my work or them behaving childish. They are neither "confused or just testing your ethics", they no longer trust Upwork because instead of removing a freelancer who was reported by several clients that got scammed the clients were told to "suck it up".

[#6]

I guess some people would like to know what happend next.

Upwork did nothing.

The freelancer continues working for scamming clients and is even back to be top rated.
Some of the clients are finishing the jobs they started with freelancers that did not scam them and hire new freelancers elsewhere, other just left and the freelancers are again left with the options I listed above.
Why is it so hard to apply the ToS on freelancers that have been caught scamming clients?

[#7]

I just got word from a client, the freelancer did it again and got several $k out of her. It would not have happend if someone would start applying it's own ToS.

[#8]

Hi Jennifer,

I understand your concern but would like to reiterate publicly that we do not allow accusations of misconduct, incompetence or other wrongdoing being posted in the Community forums. We won't be able to comment on the account or potential violations you mentioned. Please advise the clients in question to take appropriate steps, use the options available on Upwork on their end in case a collaboration has been unsuccessful and contact us if they need assistance on their contracts. Thank you.