No longer want to work with a client?

14c5ed40 · ‎03-17-2020

Hi all,

This may be common knowledge here but I'm new to Upwork and need help.

Basically, I have a client with a fixed-price rate who has been rude to me and is not happy with any sort of work I provide and keeps asking for more and more. I have over-worked for him and done way more than I should, and everytime he keeps asking for more creativity and more templates and whatnot...at this point, I dont care about the money and I just want to be done with him without affecting my feedback if thats possible? I dont see this going anywhere and honestly my dignitiy comes before money. FYI I just joined Upwork this month and have had a bunch of clients already, all with good experiences and happy with the work I provide.

prestonhunter · ‎03-17-2020

If you don't want to work with a client any longer, then you don't have to.

The Upwork user interface allows freelancers to close a contract at any time.

If you close a contract without receiving any payment at all, then it is a zero-pay contract, and that is likely to have a negative impact on JSS.

But this is sometimes the best choice for a freelancer.

pudingstudio · ‎03-17-2020

Preston H wrote:
If you don't want to work with a client any longer, then you don't have to.

The Upwork user interface allows freelancers to close a contract at any time.

If you close a contract without receiving any payment at all, then it is a zero-pay contract, and that is likely to have a negative impact on JSS.

But this is sometimes the best choice for a freelancer.

I'd even argue that it's always the best choice.

We are not afraid of the clients, we are not JSS hostages.

prestonhunter · ‎03-17-2020

re: "I have a client with a fixed-price rate who... is not happy with any sort of work I provide and keeps asking for more and more"

Yazan:
You DO NOT know this.

You do NOT know if the client is "not happy" with your work.

Your know that your client CLAIMS to not be happy with your work.

How do we know he is telling the truth?

Maybe he is dishonest and manipulative, and he tells you that he is not happy as part of a schema to get free work from you.

One problem I have with what he is saying.... He claims to be unhappy with your work. And yet he keeps asking for more work from you.

[Just to clarify one thing: If a client on Upwork hires a freelancer to do a task, and the freelancer does a task, then the client is required to pay for that work EVEN IF the client does not like the work. If the client does not do so, the client is violating Upwork ToS which prohibit clients from asking freelancers to work for free. If a client does not like the freelancer's work, then the client has the option to leave appropriate feedback when the contract ends, and the client has the option to not hire that freelancer again. But "not paying" a freelancer for the work that he completed is not an option.]

It's like the dishonest customer at a restaurant:

"I didn't like the salad at all! I am not paying for that! Bring me a steak!"

"Hmm... No I didn't like that steak either. I'm not paying for that! Bring me the fish dish!"

"No, didn't like that either! I'm not paying for that. Bring me the chicken dish!"

[and so on]

If this customer really doesn't like ANY of this restaurant's food... then does he keep cleaning his plates and ordering more??

petra_r · ‎03-17-2020

Preston H wrote:

[Just to clarify one thing: If a client on Upwork hires a freelancer to do a task, and the freelancer does a task, then the client is required to pay for that work EVEN IF the client does not like the work.

Not that simple. You know it's not that simple.

Preston H wrote:

If the client does not do so, the client is violating Upwork ToS which prohibit clients from asking freelancers to work for free. If a client does not like the freelancer's work, then the client has the option to leave appropriate feedback when the contract ends, and the client has the option to not hire that freelancer again. But "not paying" a freelancer for the work that he completed is not an option.].

Preston, that simply isn't true. You know this isn't true. I know that isn't true.

It is most unfortunate that freelancers end up confused because they are being told things that are not true and are lead by such things into bad situations with poor outcomes. Maybe use words like "should" or whatever. When a client does not like work, that client has options. You believe clients should not have such options,fine, but the client does have options.

Ther whole "asking for free work" thing is designed for the application / proposal stage. Or asking for additional work (at a push) Clients asking for changes is not a violation of the terms of service. Nor is declining to pay and going for a dispute.

And the restaurant analogies are getting real old.