🐈
» Forums » Freelancers » I have some troubles with my client.
Page options
misha_sovkin
Community Member

I have some troubles with my client.

I had a very bad client and he paused his hourly job, so I can't log any time and he won't pay. I've reported to the support, they write me back, but I had few more questions and it's already passed more than 24 hours and I didn't get any response. How to deal with it?

Regards,

Misha.

ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Misha:

Clients have the right to pause a contract at any time, for any reason.

 

This is 100% fair. Because you are paid for all the time that you log. And you don't need to work when you aren't getting paid.

 

Clients can close a contract at any time, for any reason. They don't need to give warning.

 

As a freelancer, you may close a contract any time, for any reason.


These are Upwork's rules. There may be times when it is necessary to contact Customer Support, but please do not contact them or use up their time for something like this, which is not a support issue at all.

View solution in original post

8 REPLIES 8
petra_r
Community Member


Misha S wrote:

I had a very bad client and he paused his hourly job, so I can't log any time and he won't pay. I've reported to the support, they write me back, but I had few more questions and it's already passed more than 24 hours and I didn't get any response. How to deal with it?

 


Not sure what you expect Support to do?

While the contract is  paused you can't track time, so you shouldn't do any work (unless it is to correct mistakes you made while tracking time)

 

There is nothing "to report" - you need to sort it out with the client.

 

Very bad client who refuses to pay, but I won't end contract, because I'm afraid of bad feedback. He payed $15 of $200 we agreed, and this feedback should be public available now. Hovewer almost all work was done.


Misha S wrote:

Very bad client who refuses to pay, but I won't end contract, because I'm afraid of bad feedback. He payed $15 of $200 we agreed, and this feedback should be public available now. Hovewer almost all work was done.


Why do you say "$15 of $200 we agreed," - I thought it was an hourly contract?  Why do you agree budgets when it's hourly?

 

Yes, the feedback won't be great if you can't sort it out with the client and your already poor JSS will take another hit.

 

Still not sure what you expect Support to do about any of that.

Misha:

Clients have the right to pause a contract at any time, for any reason.

 

This is 100% fair. Because you are paid for all the time that you log. And you don't need to work when you aren't getting paid.

 

Clients can close a contract at any time, for any reason. They don't need to give warning.

 

As a freelancer, you may close a contract any time, for any reason.


These are Upwork's rules. There may be times when it is necessary to contact Customer Support, but please do not contact them or use up their time for something like this, which is not a support issue at all.


Misha S wrote:

Very bad client who refuses to pay, but I won't end contract, because I'm afraid of bad feedback. He payed $15 of $200 we agreed, and this feedback should be public available now. Hovewer almost all work was done.


---------------

Do you have an hourly contract or a fixed rate contract. Depending on what kind, will determine what you can/should do. Each is different. 

Hourly - you are paid for the HOURS you worked, not for the work you produce. The client doesn't deposit anything into escrow for hourly jobs. Upwork bills them automatically each week (I'm not sure what day.) As long as you used Tracker, wrote memos on the screen shots it took and had reasonable keystroke activity, you'll be paid either by the client or by Upwork if the client doesn't pay, but only for the amount of each hour. For example, if your hourly rate is $8.00 an hour and you only worked for 2 hours you'll be paid $16.00

 

Fixed rate  - The client must FULLY fund escrow either for the entire job or for each milestone as they come up BEFORE you start work. On fixed rate contracts you're paid for the work you do not for how many hours it takes you. The tracker is not used for fixed rate jobs. If the job is short and quick the full amount of the job is deposited into escrow and paid to you when you finish the entire job. If the job is long and complicated, it's divided into milestones with the scope of work to be done defined for each milestone plus a percentage of the total amount assigned to that milestone. For example, if for the entire job, you agreed on $400 and the job was set for 4 milestones, then $100 would be assigned to each milestone. No matter what total amount was negotiated and agreed on, you will Only get what the client deposits in escrow. 

 

I take it to be that this job was fixed rate and the client only deposited $15 into escrow. If that's correct then that's all you'll get - $15. 

 

As for feedback, so, how long will you leave the contract open because of your fear of negative feedback. And what will you do if the Client closes the contract? You can't prevent that. And unless I'm mistaken, (and correct me if I'm wrong) you'll only receive feedback if the Client closes the contract so if you've already received feedback, the client already closed the contract. 

petra_r
Community Member


Kathy T wrote:

Misha S wrote:

Very bad client who refuses to pay, but I won't end contract, because I'm afraid of bad feedback. He payed $15 of $200 we agreed,

I take it to be that this job was fixed rate and the client only deposited $15 into escrow. If that's correct then that's all you'll get - $15. 

 


It is an hourly contract.

Clearly one of those situations where the contract was set up as hourly but the agreement was for fixed rate at $200.

The client had a previous contract go pearshaped with what the client clearly thought was excessive logging of hours. This may be at the root of the problem.

 

 

 

kat303
Community Member


Petra R wrote:

Kathy T wrote:

Misha S wrote:

Very bad client who refuses to pay, but I won't end contract, because I'm afraid of bad feedback. He payed $15 of $200 we agreed,

I take it to be that this job was fixed rate and the client only deposited $15 into escrow. If that's correct then that's all you'll get - $15. 

 


It is an hourly contract.

Clearly one of those situations where the contract was set up as hourly but the agreement was for fixed rate at $200.

The client had a previous contract go pearshaped with what the client clearly thought was excessive logging of hours. This may be at the root of the problem.

 

 

-----------------

So how does, or would that work. Does a freelancer (or this OP) log in hours until he reaches $200.?


 

petra_r
Community Member


Kathy T wrote:

Petra R wrote:

Kathy T wrote:

Misha S wrote:

Very bad client who refuses to pay, but I won't end contract, because I'm afraid of bad feedback. He payed $15 of $200 we agreed,

I take it to be that this job was fixed rate and the client only deposited $15 into escrow. If that's correct then that's all you'll get - $15. 

 


It is an hourly contract.

Clearly one of those situations where the contract was set up as hourly but the agreement was for fixed rate at $200.

The client had a previous contract go pearshaped with what the client clearly thought was excessive logging of hours. This may be at the root of the problem.

 

 

-----------------

So how does, or would that work. Does a freelancer (or this OP) log in hours until he reaches $200.?


 


LOL, clearly it isn't working hence this thread in the first place...

I assume (always a dangerous thing to do) that the client and the freelancer agreed that the job should cost $ 200 and the client set up an hourly contract which he paused (so no time can be logged) and paid $ 15 as a bonus (as it isn't possible to get to $ 15 @ $ 20 / hour by logging time as there is no way to log 45 minutes, it would have to be 40 or 50 minutes.)

 

I guess the idea was to pay bonuses until the job is done and $ 200 paid.

Of course it then all went topsy-turvy.

Latest Articles
Featured Topics
Learning Paths