Idle Contract

[alijehanzaib]

Hi everyone,

I just received notice from UpWork about a contract that has been idle, and is about to be closed if the client doesn't take action.

I had delivered my work about 65 days before. My client asked me to make changes 14 days after I delivered the work to him. I asked him to provide me the instructions for changes but he didn't respond. After many days, he replied. According to him, he was busy and that's why he was unable to provide me instructions. Anyways, he requested me to give him 2 days to draft instructions for changes and strictly forbid me to make any revisions until the instructions are finalized. I agreed to him. From that point onwards, I did several messages to him but he didn't respond and finally, I got the above message from Upwork 2 days before.

I want to ask whether I shall receive the amount or it will be reverted back to the client? What should I do?

Solution need. Thanking you in advance.

[wlyonsatl · Accepted solution]

If you have not received payment on this project and this is a fixed price project, formally submit your work to the client from the Upwork project page and add notes to clarify for the client what you think remains to be done, if anything.

[alijehanzaib]

Hello Will,

Thank you for your message.
It means that I have to make changes to the best of my knowledge and re-submit it for payment before the closure of the job. In either case, the payment will be suspended and credited back to the client. 
Have I got your point right?

Regards

[petra_r]

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Jehanzaib A wrote:

It means that I have to make changes to the best of my knowledge and re-submit it for payment before the closure of the job. 

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Yes.

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Jehanzaib A wrote:

 In either case, the payment will be suspended and credited back to the client. 

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Only if you do nothing

[alijehanzaib]

Hello Petra, 

Thank you so much for providing me guidance on this.

Regards

[wlyonsatl]

Jehanzaib A.,

Have you ever formally submitted your work to the client under a funded mllestone? If so, when?

It is my understanding that after you properly submit work for payment on a fixed price project, the client can't just cancel the project and not pay you. If you submitted your work via email or even as an attachment to a message on the project message board, the client can cancel the project at any time without being obliged to pay you.

Others here who frequently work under the fixed price arrangement might have additional insights for you..

[petra_r]

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Will L wrote:

It is my understanding that after you properly submit work for payment on a fixed price project, the client can't just cancel the project and not pay you. If you submitted your work via email or even as an attachment to a message on the project message board, the client can cancel the project at any time without being obliged to pay you.

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It does not matter. The client's "obligation to pay" is the same in both cases. If a client is unwilling to pay, the process is exactly the same. The freelancer will be asked to agree to or to dispute the return of the escrow funds. In either case, if the freelancer agrees to the return of the escrow funds, the money goes back to the client. If the freelancer disputes, the dispute process kicks in.

There is no way a client can "just cancel the project and not pay" without the freelancer having the opportunity to dispute.

In Jehanzaib's case it is important that he submits trough the official "submit for payment" function to stop the milestone from timing out and the contract being automatically closed.

If the client has abandoned the project (it sounds like this could be the case, as coming up to 3 months of silence don't say "deeply invested"), then Jehanzaib will just get paid 14 days after submitting and can quietly close the contract. If he lets it time out, he'd have to dispute which is best avoided.

Jehanzaib A wrote:

I have revised the work to the best of my knowledge and delivered it.  

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For the reason outlined above I hope you delivered it using the "submit for payment" function on the contract?

[alijehanzaib]

Thank you Petra, 

Yes, I have submitted the work by clicking the "re-submit the work" option. Now, funds are under-review for 14 days. After the first submission, the client was inactive and suddenly appear on the 14th day to prevent the job contract from closing. It was 30 paged literature review on a topic and literally, he replied I have read it out in 10 mins and I don't think it's according to my specifications. He also acknowledged the fact that 10 mins are not enough to review this high-quality work. Anyways, I hope this wont happen again.

[alijehanzaib]

Hello Mr. Will,

My first submission was made through the funded milestone on December 14th, 2020.

[alijehanzaib]

I have revised the work to the best of my knowledge and delivered it. Thank you all for your guidance.