I am writing this post as a last resort to seek assistance from the Upwork Community and Upwork Customer Service. Let me provide some context about myself. From the summer of 2019 until mid-December last year, I was a part of the Top Wikipedia Freelancers list on Upwork (https://www.upwork.com/hire/wikipedia-freelancers/). During that time, I completed over 500 projects, achieved Top Rated Plus Status, and maintained an average rating of 99-100, which I still have. It took me years of hard work, resilience, and determination to earn that status. If you check my profile, you will see that almost all of my clients' reviews are 5-stars, with many praising my dedication.
Over time, my reputation and brand were established, and clients approached me based on my reviews and rating, as well as the Upwork algorithms that noted my success and kept me in the top ratings. On December 14, I was in the second place of the first row, climbing the top ladder each month. Upwork was an excellent platform for me, and I paid over 100k in commissions to the platform, making our collaboration very beneficial for both of us.
Furthermore, I've been a dedicated partner of Upwork for years and I literally helped hundreds of clients with how Upwork's system works (many clients were very disoriented at the beginning.
However, on December 15, my account was suspended, with the reason being that my Upwork profile contained statements against another person, business, or entity that were considered defamatory, which is against Upwork's Terms of Service. All I did was place a warning on my profile not to deal with the clones of Wikipedia, while I NEVER PUT ANY PARTICULAR NAME OF ANY WEBSITE OR PERSON ON MY PROFILE. Upwork could have simply notified me to remove the note, and I would have complied. But instead, they punished me severely. I didn't attack any website or name, yet the consequences of the suspension, which lasted only 3-4 days, were disastrous for my career and reputation.
Here are the consequences of the suspension:
- I lost my status on the list of the "Top Wikipedia Freelancers," which resulted in a 90% decrease in clients. It's as if I had just started here three years ago. My profile statistics DO NOT SHOW any suspension in the last 90 days, so I believe there was a terrible mistake.
- I have been honoring old contracts, with a few exceptions of new ones, but I have become irrelevant on Upwork. All of my work here seems to have been in vain.
When I tried to explain the situation to Upwork Customer Service, they didn't give me a clear explanation. It seems like I'm at the mercy of the Upwork Automatic Algorithms. I feel like a small man against the SYSTEM. No one wants to help me. I believe that a great injustice was done to me and my hard work, and I am frustrated and desperate. I have lost all motivation to work because it seems that my hard work for many years is not being rewarded. I feel like a small cog in a huge machine, where no one wants to understand my situation or help me. I am considering whether to continue on Upwork or look for another venue in my career.
If anyone can help me with my situation, I would greatly appreciate it. I do not want to demotivate people here on Upwork, but this is a terrible situation that brought me to write this post. I have a few questions:
- For how long will I be kept away by the Upwork algorithms?
- Is there anyone who can help me with that?
- How do I appeal, as I believe I was punished inadequately and without good cause, where the representative could have just warned me to remove a general note?
- In a nutshell:
For the last 3 and half years I've been literally living on Upwork, working 80-90 hours a week, including the weekends to build my reputation and brand and climb on the Top List of Wikipedia Freelancers.
And that all been erased for what? A small notice to clients with a very general warning to be cautious? Does it sound fair to anyone?
Thank you for your time and consideration.
