I am going to lose money on this job

[faliwerd]

I accepted a job to review a product and leave feedback. I would buy the product with my own funds and then I would be paid to leave feedback. I only found out after I accepted the job that the product is $30 and I would only receive $20 reimbursement. I would be out $10. How should I go about handling this situation?

[pudingstudio]

Learn from it.
You've made a mistake by accepting the job you're unhappy with.

Other options:

- You can always convey your concerns to your client and try to reach another solution with them.

- You can always end the contract. You're not obligated to work, you're doing this (freelancing) so that you can you can be your own boss. Though, when employee (you) makes a mistake, boss (you) is accountable.

[kat303]

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Falisity W wrote:
I accepted a job to review a product and leave feedback. I would buy the product with my own funds and then I would be paid to leave feedback. I only found out after I accepted the job that the product is $30 and I would only receive $20 reimbursement. I would be out $10. How should I go about handling this situation?

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If this review is for a product on Amazon, you better cancel the contract because Amazon does not allow 3rd parties to give a review especially and even if they are paid to purchase the product.

I want to ask you honestly, Even though you've been paid, would you give a negative review or would you feel obligated to give a glowing, positive review. 

You could ask the client to purchase the product and ship it to you. Or ask the client to give a bonus payment for the amount that's needed. Remember, bonus payments are not guaranteed AND Upwork will take it's service fee percentage out of any bonus payment as well as what's in escrow. 

[prestonhunter]

You have accepted a contract for a job for which you hope to earn $20, but it would cost you $30 to buy the item necessary to do the job.

You have many options:

(a) Close the contract yourself. Just be done with it.

(b) Go through with the contract without complaint. Eat the loss. Learn from your mistake.

(c) Message the client and ask him to send you the product or pay your expenses using Upwork's "Reimburse Expenses" tool. Provide him with your mailing address.

You already understand that this is not good business, and that normal freelancers do not do jobs which cause them to LOSE money. If you were the client, YOU would not ask a freelancer to do this. You would, of course, expect to pay for a freelancer's expenses, or you would send the freelancer the needed product directly.

As you are a new freelancer, having a zero-pay contract because you close this contract yourself would probably be bad for your JSS. On the other hand, you are not here to lose money.

If it was me, personally, I would try option c. It won't cost you anything to message the client and ask him to send you the product or pay for it. You can write a short message that makes it clear that of course you assume he will do so. That is to be expected.

[tlsanders]

Now that you've learned that paid reviews aren't allowed here, you could report the job to Upwork. If Upwork cancels the contract as a TOS violation, then you won't have to deal with the negative feedback that will likely come from backing out of the job.

[prestonhunter]

re: "Now that you've learned that paid reviews aren't allowed here..."

Upwork does not prohibit "paid reviews."

I believe that you are thinking of this section of the Terms of Use (ToS):

https://www.upwork.com/legal#examplesof

"The following are examples of uses that are prohibited on the Site or when using the Site Services:

....would violate... (b) the terms of service of another website or any similar contractual obligations..."

You are familiar with the fact that Amazon.com prohibits paid reviews of non-book products. This is a very specific prohibition. Upwork supports Amazon.com's ToS.

There are many examples of paid reviews which are not prohibited. A person could be paid (for example) to write a review of a book or movie for a magazine. I am often paid to review databases, to provide another example.

[versailles]

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Falisity W wrote:
I accepted a job to review a product and leave feedback. I would buy the product with my own funds and then I would be paid to leave feedback. I only found out after I accepted the job that the product is $30 and I would only receive $20 reimbursement. I would be out $10. How should I go about handling this situation?

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You accepted knowingly a job that entail leaving bogus positive feedback on Amazon, helping your client to deceive customers on Amazon. And you got scammed by the client. Because, you know, that's what scammers do, right?

Is it something that this community can do for you Falisity?