Solved: One of my clients is starting to act flaky.

1d06fb1a · ‎03-11-2022

I wrote 10 blog posts for this client exactly 2 weeks ago. When I finished, he told me he'd review them on the weekend. Well, the weekend passed. Then he told me he'd talk to me on Monday and also "requested changes," on the milestone. Then I heard "sometime this week." Well, now it's Friday.

"Hey, you got time today for that phone call?"
"Yep! Call me anytime after 4 P.M and we'll discuss."

"Good to go."

I called him up. No answer.

I figured a phone call with him would get the project back on track and he would tell me what he needed fixed... But now my spidey senses are telling me there won't be a phone call and he requested the changes to spoof the escrow. This is particularly frustrating because my JSS is horrendous at the moment and if I don't get this job squared away, it'll only get much worse as this is supposed to be a rather pricey job.

At this point, I don't care about the money. It definitely looks like this guy doesn't have it. I just don't want my JSS to fall further down the toilet than it already has. Is there a way I can safely get rid of this client without impacting my score? I've honored all agreed work and deadlines, it's just looking like he can't honor his side of the bargain which is unfortunate. I know what the warning signs are now. I just want this monkey off my back.

roberty1y · ‎03-11-2022

Unresponsive clients are more common than you think, and it's not because they're trying to avoid talking to you. They just drop out of contact for whatever reason. Some get back in touch later, others you never hear from again. I'd say at least one in five of mine is like that.

All you need do is ignore him, let him get back to you if and when he wants to. Above all else, don't pester a client. One message is enough.

As for payment, I don't see how he can avoid it if you've used the site properly. As it appears to be a fixed price job, you should have ensured he put the full amount in escrow before you started.

If you've done everything right, you're going to get paid anyway, even if you never hear from him again. If it's a fixed price job, you can click on "Submit work for payment" and the money will come through in 14 days even if the client doesn't release it.

If he wants some changes made, let him get in touch and tell you. If you don't hear from him, you'll get your money anyway if you've ensured the milestone(s) is/are funded. If he doesn't message you again, he's almost certainly not going to leave any feedback when the contract is closed either, so it won't affect your JSS either way.

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roberty1y · ‎03-11-2022

Unresponsive clients are more common than you think, and it's not because they're trying to avoid talking to you. They just drop out of contact for whatever reason. Some get back in touch later, others you never hear from again. I'd say at least one in five of mine is like that.

All you need do is ignore him, let him get back to you if and when he wants to. Above all else, don't pester a client. One message is enough.

As for payment, I don't see how he can avoid it if you've used the site properly. As it appears to be a fixed price job, you should have ensured he put the full amount in escrow before you started.

If you've done everything right, you're going to get paid anyway, even if you never hear from him again. If it's a fixed price job, you can click on "Submit work for payment" and the money will come through in 14 days even if the client doesn't release it.

If he wants some changes made, let him get in touch and tell you. If you don't hear from him, you'll get your money anyway if you've ensured the milestone(s) is/are funded. If he doesn't message you again, he's almost certainly not going to leave any feedback when the contract is closed either, so it won't affect your JSS either way.

1d06fb1a · ‎03-12-2022

He's avoiding it by denying the milestones. "Requesting changes," without actually requesting changes. This delays the escrow release by two weeks.

pgiambalvo · ‎03-11-2022

Just one of them?

feed_my_eyes · ‎03-12-2022

Why does it say in your profile, "If you're not satisfied with my copy, I will not charge you"? You're setting yourself up to not get paid, and to attract clients who'll take advantage of you.

Anyway, if you don't care about the money, then just stop messaging the client. After a few months go by, close the project yourself. He'll still get a notification that he can leave feedback, but he might have forgotten all about the project by then, and not bother.

1d06fb1a · ‎03-12-2022

Oh wow. I forgot that was in there as no one seems to ever take me up on that. That could explain it maybe. Nowadays my offer is just unlimited revisions.

prestonhunter · ‎03-12-2022

re: "Nowadays my offer is just unlimited revisions."

This means two things:

a) you are not a professional

b) you are not to be taken seriously

re: "If you're not satisfied with my copy, I will not charge you"

This means two things:

a) You are not a professional

b) You are not to be taken seriously

Your post refers to a "flaky" client.

There is no such thing as a flaky client.

What you are referring to is "a client you are supposed to switch to hourly-only."

The problems you are having are caused by the freelancer.

The freelancer has not done what he is supposed to, which is stop using fixed-price contracts with this client and work with the client only using hourly contracts.

If you do this, then the time-wasting actions of the client are no longer "flaky"; they are "lucrative."

martina_plaschka · ‎03-12-2022

Franklin C wrote:
Oh wow. I forgot that was in there as no one seems to ever take me up on that. That could explain it maybe. Nowadays my offer is just unlimited revisions.

That will have the same effect. Maybe go for something more professional.

feed_my_eyes · ‎03-12-2022

Franklin C wrote:
Oh wow. I forgot that was in there as no one seems to ever take me up on that. That could explain it maybe. Nowadays my offer is just unlimited revisions.

So you're happy to do 100 revisions? 200? 300? Then don't be surprised if a client keeps clicking on "request changes" and never pays you.

tlbp · ‎03-12-2022

Franklin C wrote:
I wrote 10 blog posts for this client exactly 2 weeks ago. When I finished, he told me he'd review them on the weekend. Well, the weekend passed. Then he told me he'd talk to me on Monday and also "requested changes," on the milestone. Then I heard "sometime this week." Well, now it's Friday.

"Hey, you got time today for that phone call?"
"Yep! Call me anytime after 4 P.M and we'll discuss."
"Good to go."

I called him up. No answer.

I figured a phone call with him would get the project back on track and he would tell me what he needed fixed... But now my spidey senses are telling me there won't be a phone call and he requested the changes to spoof the escrow. This is particularly frustrating because my JSS is horrendous at the moment and if I don't get this job squared away, it'll only get much worse as this is supposed to be a rather pricey job.

At this point, I don't care about the money. It definitely looks like this guy doesn't have it. I just don't want my JSS to fall further down the toilet than it already has. Is there a way I can safely get rid of this client without impacting my score? I've honored all agreed work and deadlines, it's just looking like he can't honor his side of the bargain which is unfortunate. I know what the warning signs are now. I just want this monkey off my back.

If the client continues to request changes to avoid payment, your next steps are to

-close the contract and give up on the idea of getting paid, or

-initiate a dispute in hopes of getting paid.

It seems like you would prefer to just walk away. To do that, just close the contract. Remember that the content you created belong to you. I recommend publishing it on your blog (or another public site such as Medium or LinkedIn) and/or using the work as writing samples on your Upwork profile.

The client may be planning to use the content despite not paying for it. If you find your work 'in the wild,' send a takedown notice to the website where it has been published.

If money is no longer the goal, the only benefit of initiating a dispute would be to create some kind of record of the client's behavior (IMO). But, the personal benefit to you is limited.

ETA: In your Upwork portfolio, I suggest adding a text verision (or closer screenshots) of your published articles so that clients can view them easily. Use the full article image for the display image but offer something more accessible as well.