Not paid for work

[#1]

Weird that I have not managed to find this in the community.

A client sent me a deal that I agreed to and sent him work files of voice recordings, repliued to Upwork that "the time to accept the 'contract' is runinng low", etc and submitted to him.
Then I got ghosted.
I do not believe I submitted with manual hours.
I have not been paid.
I wish to at least file a complaint but would rather get paid.
There doesn't seem to be a way to do this.
If there is, I don't see it.

[#2]

re: "Not paid for work"

If you were not paid for your work, then it means that you made a mistake.

The key thing to do is to figure out what you did wrong.

So that you don't make the same mistake again in the future.

re: "Then I got ghosted."

No.

You were not ghosted.

You used Upwork incorrectly.

re: "I wish to at least file a complaint but would rather get paid. There doesn't seem to be a way to do this."

There is nowhere to file a complaint.

You can't file a complaint about yourself using Upwork incorrectly.

Based on your description, the client did not violate any Upwork rules or do anything that Upwork can sanction him for.

If you were never hired with an official Upwork contract, then there is no way for the client to pay you.

If you wern't hired, then you should not have done any work.

If you were hired, but you did not log your time, then that is your fault.

If you have any remaining questions, then feel free to ask here in this thread.

[#3]

Half a dozen helpful replies from good-faith members of the community....and the bile from Preston blaming me.

Guess who I will focus on?
The obvious question is, why did you bother writing at all?

My sincerest wish is for you to encounter a problem with payment of a large contract and then be shunned by the community.

[#4]

I think you misunderstand Preston. He would like you to learn how to use Upwork properly so this doesn't happen again.

[#5]

Already apologized to Preston. Looks like the contract is valid but apparently the client can ghost me for two weeks and not pay me before any action is taken. This is unlike any other opportunity I have had. There are two other clients to whom I have sent samples, but not actual work, neither of whom have yet responded. I am extremely discouraged by the lack of responses (over 40 applications and two completed low-paying jobs).

[#6]

Sounds like you did work without a contract in place and the client took it. There is very little Upwork can do. Next time don't begin or give anything without the contract in place and if it was Fixed rate make sure they put the money in escrow.

[#7]

Thta's possible. I have done other work and thought I was taking the same steps but you could be right. The contract may not have been in place and I was taken advantage of.

[#8]

Would've been great if you'd read the terms of service and best practices before you started sending out proposals.

[#9]

I assume that you think that was helpful.
It wasn't.

[#10]

It's not very clear to me exactly what happened.

Did the client send you an offer through Upwork, that you were asked to click to accept?

If so, did you accept that contract? (It sounds like maybe not based on the language about time running out)

If you did not accept the contract, is it still available to accept? (If not, there's no way for you to get paid unless the client decides to send another offer so they can pay you)

If you did accept the contract, was it fixed price or hourly? 

If it was fixed price, did the client create a milestone and escrow the funds?

If it was hourly, did you use the time tracker?

How long has it been since you sent the work? 

[#11]

In order:

Did the client send you an offer through Upwork, that you were asked to click to accept? Yes.

If so, did you accept that contract? (It sounds like maybe not based on the language about time running out) I thought I had. Perhaps not.

If you did not accept the contract, is it still available to accept? (If not, there's no way for you to get paid unless the client decides to send another offer so they can pay you) When Upwork sent me an update saying the contract will be running out, I "reapplied" a second time.

If you did accept the contract, was it fixed price or hourly?  I believe iot was flat, with 25% in  exscrow. I should point out that I rejected this client earlier on the basis of vague instructions. THis was at least his second attempt.

If it was fixed price, did the client create a milestone and escrow the funds? Yes. Confirmed.

If it was hourly, did you use the time tracker? No

How long has it been since you sent the work? I sent the last segment March 16.

I hope that helps. I apologize for the vagueness of my previous message.

[#12]

Lou:

Thank you for answering those questions and providing more detail.

If you go here:

Upwork -> My Jobs -> My Jobs

You will either see the contract listed there, or not.

Based on what you have told us, I think that you will NOT see a contract there.

In which case, this is a very simple matter:

Next time: Make sure you accept the contract and don't work until a contract is in place.

[#13]

Thank you Preston, for deciding to be helpful.
Under My Jobs> My Jobs, this guy IS listed as a contract

so that should be encouraging but not sure what to do now.

[#14]

Do nothing. If the client doesn't approve a milestone but also doesn't ask for revisions or dispute, it auto-approves in 14 days. But, if you click "resubmit," the 14 days will start over.

Know, though,that it will only approve for the amount in escrow. If only 25% is in escrow, you should only do 25% of the work, then wait until the client escrows funds for the next milestone to move forward.

[#15]

I'm sorry to hear that you've had trouble with a client on Upwork. Here are some steps you can take:

1. Contact the client: Reach out to the client via Upwork messages and ask for an update on the project status and payment. If you don't receive a response after a few days, send a follow-up message.

2. Request payment: If the client doesn't respond to your messages or doesn't pay you, you can use Upwork's dispute resolution process to request payment. Go to the contract page, click on the "Get Help" button, and select "Request Payment" from the dropdown menu. Upwork will then contact the client to request payment.

3. File a complaint: If you feel that the client has violated Upwork's terms of service or engaged in fraudulent activity, you can file a complaint with Upwork. To do this, go to the "Help" section of your Upwork account, click on "Contact Support," and select "File a Complaint."

4. Leave feedback: After the contract has ended, you can leave feedback for the client. This can help other freelancers make informed decisions about whether or not to work with the client in the future.

It's important to note that Upwork's dispute resolution process can take some time, and there's no guarantee that you'll receive payment. However, taking these steps can help you to assert your rights as a freelancer and increase the chances of a positive outcome.

[#16]

Thank you Azeem. In order:

1. Contact the client: Reach out to the client via Upwork messages and ask for an update on the project status and payment. If you don't receive a response after a few days, send a follow-up message.
   (I  reached out to him late March 15 with "And done! let me know if you are satisfied." Followed up with messages Friday the 17 and Sunday the 19th.)
   
   

2. Request payment: If the client doesn't respond to your messages or doesn't pay you, you can use Upwork's dispute resolution process to request payment. Go to the contract page, click on the "Get Help" button, and select "Request Payment" from the dropdown menu. Upwork will then contact the client to request payment.
   (I haven't seen this yet but will look again. Thank you.)

3. File a complaint: If you feel that the client has violated Upwork's terms of service or engaged in fraudulent activity, you can file a complaint with Upwork. To do this, go to the "Help" section of your Upwork account, click on "Contact Support," and select "File a Complaint." (I hope it doesn't come to this.)

4. Leave feedback: After the contract has ended, you can leave feedback for the client. This can help other freelancers make informed decisions about whether or not to work with the client in the future. (I believe the contract has to be concluded for me to do this, but would appreciate instructions as to how.)

It's important to note that Upwork's dispute resolution process can take some time, and there's no guarantee that you'll receive payment. However, taking these steps can help you to assert your rights as a freelancer and increase the chances of a positive outcome. (I understand. It wasn't a huge contract, but I still feel ripped off for a couple of hours of my time.

[#17]

There is no reason to contact the client. The client has 14 days to review your submission and it has been 6. Just wait.

[#18]

Hi Lou,

It's crucial to understand that manual hours don't come with the Upwork Payment Protection, so if you didn't log your hours using the Upwork Desktop App, you might face difficulties in getting paid.

Try contacting the client once again and politely ask them about the payment status. They might have missed your message or have been busy, so it's always good to give them the benefit of the doubt. Check the contract details to make sure everything is in order, such as the agreed-upon terms, milestones, and hourly rates. Ensure that the contract is still active and has not been closed.

If you don't receive a response from the client or the issue remains unresolved, you can contact Upwork's customer support by submitting a help request. Go to the "Help Center" in your account, click "Get Help," and fill out the form to describe your issue. Provide all relevant details, such as the contract ID and any correspondence with the client. If your contract was set up as a fixed-price contract with funded milestones, you might be eligible to file a dispute. To do this, go to your "My Jobs" page, find the contract, and click "File a Dispute." Note that the dispute process can be time-consuming and may not guarantee a favorable outcome.

Keep in mind that it's always best to log hours using the Upwork Desktop App for hourly contracts or ensure that milestones are funded for fixed-price contracts. This way, you'll have better protection under the Upwork Payment Protection program.

[#19]

I reached out a couple of times on the 19th, but you think I should try again? I could. Maybe I'll wait until Monday.

" Check the contract details to make sure everything is in order, such as the agreed-upon terms, milestones, and hourly rates. Ensure that the contract is still active and has not been closed." I am not 100% sure how to do that. As indicated, it's possible I may have misread something.
I appreciate your advice and will see what they say, if anything, next week.

[#20]

Lou,

I understand that you're facing some challenges with your contract and payment. It's a good idea to reach out to your client again on Monday, just in case they missed your previous messages or were occupied.

To check the contract details, please follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Upwork account.

2. Go to the "My Jobs" tab at the top of the page.

3. Locate the contract you're concerned about and click on it. This will take you to the contract's specific page, where you can review the terms, milestones, and hourly rates.

If you're unsure about any aspect of the contract or its status, here's how to verify if it's still active:

1. On the contract's specific page, look for the "Contract Status" section. If it says "In Progress," the contract is still active. If it says "Ended" or "Closed," the contract has been completed or terminated.

If you find any discrepancies or still have questions about the contract, I recommend reaching out to Upwork's customer support for further assistance. To do this:

1. Go to the "Help Center" in your account.

2. Click "Get Help" and fill out the form to describe your issue.

3. Provide all relevant details, such as the contract ID and any correspondence with the client.

Remember, for hourly contracts, always use the Upwork Desktop App to log your hours to be covered under the Upwork Payment Protection program. For fixed-price contracts, make sure milestones are funded before beginning work.

I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck in resolving your payment issue. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.

[#21]

LATEST update:

[#22]

Why do you think it would be a good idea to harass the client when he still has 8 days to review the content?