Mar 14, 2024 08:15:58 AM by David B
About three weeks ago, in high spirits, I accepted my first job contract on Upwork after being on the platform for over 3 years and submitting over 80 proposals.
I eagerly began working on this project after accepting the contract. Before I started working on the project, I ensured I read up about the requirements for Upwork Hourly Protection and that I met them and continued to meet them throughout the job contract.
Furthermore, in 6.1 of the TOS, the following points were stated:
I fulfilled all the requirements in 6.1 of the TOS for freelancers. Regarding this (6.1 of TOS), "...and must agree to automatically pay for hours billed by Freelancer through Work Diaries", I believe the client agreed because the client got billed automatically for them.
After about 10 hours on the contract (6 hours + 4 hours of another offer), I got an email that my client's account had been blocked for fraudulent activity. The following is a snippet of the mail Upwork sent to me.:
Unfortunately, we had to block the client you were working with, XXXXXXX, from Upwork due to Terms of Service violations. While we cannot disclose the details for privacy reasons, know that we took this action as part of our efforts to keep the Upwork platform safe
Since a ticket was created for this, I replied to the ticket to inquire about the funds for the hours I already worked and this was Upwork's reply:
Our initial email stated that: "This does not affect your Upwork account, or any time logged while the contract was active."
If your client pays the invoice, you should not worry about the tracked hours. But, if this client won't be paying these invoices, Upwork Payment Protection will review your logged hours.
Also, while this client has pending issues on his account, please stop working with them or sending them any files or work.
This reply implied that if the client pays, I have no issue; Upwork Payment Protection will review my logged hours if the client does not pay. This allayed my fears a bit.
Now, I kept checking my balance and it kept showing the actual balance (after tax) in review. After the required 5 days, the payment status changed to pending. I was expecting to get paid through my payment method on a Wednesday when, strangely and sadly, today, I got these emails from Upwork:
Additionally, your client's unsuccessful payment for the week of 2024-02-25, will not be covered under Upwork's Hourly Payment Protection plan as you do not meet the criteria to be covered. We have returned the following amount to your client:
Contract ID#: XXXXXXXX
Client Name: XXXX XXXXXXXX
Amount Reversed: $ XXXAnd the second one:
Additionally, your client's unsuccessful payment for the week of 2024-02-25, will not be covered under Upwork's Hourly Payment Protection plan as you do not meet the criteria to be covered. We have returned the following amount to your client:
Contract ID#: XXXXXXXX
Client Name: XXXX XXXXXXXX
Amount Reversed: $ XXX
Consequently, I got this email from Upwork a few hours after the emails mentioned above:
You refunded $XXX.00 to XX XXXX. Thanks,
The Upwork TeamAnd the second one:
You refunded $XXX.00 to XX XXXX. Thanks,
The Upwork Team
First, why is it that the money showed as "in review", and then "pending" (implying that the client already got billed and paid for it); suddenly, Upwork sends an email saying "Your client's unsuccessful payment ..." In that same paragraph, Upwork has this to say: We have returned the following amount to your client: This is contradictory and confusing. If the client did not pay, why say the money is pending and have it shown in my earnings and invoices, etc? If the client did not pay, how come you are initiating a refund on my behalf to the client for that same money? This is quite sad. All I did was accept a contract from a client that Upwork has made me believe they are legit because they check all the marks: Phone Number verified and Payment verified. Upwork has to review how they vet clients because this has been a prevalent issue and nothing seems to be done by Upwork to protect its freelancers. Even the Upwork Hourly Protection, when you check all the boxes, it is not guaranteed that you get your money. The Upwork Hourly Protection seems to be a scam! Upwork is telling me that I should avoid scam jobs. How will I know that when the job passes all the marks I could see? Upwork should be the one to protect its clients from fraudsters. This was my first experience with Upwork, and it was terrible! This has made me rethink wanting to continue on Upwork because it does little to protect its freelancers. I want to continue to try to earn through Upwork but I may need to recover from this first. Since this incident, I have decided not to send any proposal for the time being!!! |
In their reply to my Support Request, Upwork had this to say:
"""
Reviewing your work diary and contract showed Terms of Use Violation, as your contract with the client is fraudulent. Because of this and the fact that the charges remain unpaid by the client, you are not eligible for payment protection under the Terms of Service.
To clarify, your client is currently restricted for fraudulent activity and non-payment of your contract. There is no issue on your end, however, we cannot cover any of the client's contracts for Payment Protection.
You may ask them for a one-time bonus payment for the refunded invoice once they resolve the payment issue and restriction on their account.
"""
This is funny. How will I ask a blocked client for a one-time bonus payment?
What then is the purpose of the Hourly Payment Protection if Upwork is not going to repay for payments not made by clients.
This is sad and annoying.
I hope Upwork becomes better and treats its freelancers with better protection.
Mar 14, 2024 06:57:07 PM by Will L
This may give us some idea of how Upwork was able to so significantly reduce its costs of payments under Hourly Payment Protection.
Mar 15, 2024 07:05:55 AM by David B
Certainly. From my experience, Upwork can decide not to protect you even when you check all the marks.
Mar 14, 2024 11:14:58 PM Edited Mar 14, 2024 11:15:41 PM by Misgana B
Hi David ,
I'm sorry to hear about your frustrating experience with Upwork. It's disheartening to encounter such challenges, especially after diligently meeting all the platform's requirements.
From your detailed explanation, it's evident that you took every precaution to ensure compliance with Upwork's Terms of Service (TOS). It's indeed perplexing how despite fulfilling all the necessary criteria, you faced such difficulties due to your client's fraudulent activities.
The contradictory communications from Upwork regarding payment status and subsequent refund notifications understandably added to your confusion and disappointment. It's disappointing to hear that even after diligently following the platform's guidelines, you're left in this precarious situation.
Upwork's response, suggesting you ask the blocked client for a one-time bonus payment, seems impractical given the circumstances. It highlights a gap in the platform's support system, leaving freelancers vulnerable to fraudulent clients.
Your frustration with Upwork's lack of effective protection for freelancers is entirely understandable. It's crucial for platforms like Upwork to prioritize the safety and well-being of their users, particularly freelancers who rely on them for income.
I empathize with your decision to pause sending proposals on Upwork until this issue is resolved. Taking time to recover from this unfortunate incident is a prudent step.
I hope Upwork takes your feedback seriously and implements measures to enhance freelancer protection. Your experience underscores the importance of continuous improvement in platforms like Upwork to foster a safe and supportive environment for all users.
Please know that you're not alone in facing such challenges, and I'm here to offer any support or assistance you may need.
Best regards,
Misgana Belete
Mar 15, 2024 07:35:24 AM by David B
Thank you for your comments, Misgana. It is wonderful to know that people empathise with me in this situation.
I sincerely hope they take my feedback seriously, just as you said because as it stands, scammers have almost no restraint on the platform and in my opinion, very little is done by Upwork to restrain scammers and protect freelancers.
Mar 15, 2024 12:05:19 AM by Christine A
Despite following the payment protection rules, you don't qualify for payment protection if you participate in a job that's against Upwork's ToS. This would include things like being paid to write a review, falsely advertise properties on Facebook, and academic fraud. There's a full list here. What kind of a job did you do for this client?
Mar 15, 2024 07:03:24 AM Edited Mar 15, 2024 08:06:01 AM by Luiggi R
Thanks for your reply, Christine.
This was the job title: Python Developer for Geographic Data Script ( script for Profile/Activity Assigning )
And here is the job posting:
"""
I am seeking a proficient Python developer to create a script that will assign user profiles to activities. Check the city and country in a db, use api to look up the lat / lon assign each profile to closest matching city that is within a given radial distance script must populate and read from a DB provided,. See example here**Edited for Community Guidelines**
"""
This job does not fall into the categories listed in the link you posted.
Mar 15, 2024 10:26:52 AM by Anthony J
No chance. Upwork doesn't care at all about the freelancers in so much as how much money they can extract from them.
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