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Bala's avatar
Bala K Community Member

Pending Bonus

My recent upwork job
**Edited for Community Guidelines**

The client: 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

He asked me urgent work , need to finish the job quickly. and said i will pay any cost.

I worked and completed that job with in a day. I spend around 13 hours

When i asked payment, He changed project hourly rate to 250 usd and gave me payment as Bonus.  350 usd. Contract Ended Same time

Bonus paid on Aug 2 2019 10.30 pm

Still I am seeing Bonus State as pending

Normal Bonus will take 24 hours. But I couldn't get it.

Seems this client new to upwork. I couldn't trust him. Becauase stop to reply me. 

Pls help me regarding this. I hope and wish this will not happen to others. Pls take efforts for this cases

Thanks

BALA

17 REPLIES 17
Petra's avatar
Petra R Community Member


Bala K wrote:


He asked me urgent work , need to finish the job quickly. and said i will pay any cost.


Red flag number one...

 


Bala K wrote:


When i asked payment, He changed project hourly rate to 250 usd and gave me payment as Bonus. 350 usd.


Red flag 2

Why did you not use the tracker while working?? If it was an hourly contract you should have tracked your time for your payment to be protected.

 


Bala K wrote:


Still I am seeing Bonus State as pending


There is no date in the left hand column?

That means the client has not paid yet. You won't get that money unless the client returns and pays.

 

Bala's avatar
Bala K Community Member

He hired me after completed a job. I wasn't get offer before it. So I couldn't track it. He is not replying me now. I am seeing him online but not replying. he said that payment done it will reach you after 24 hours. He fwd upwork mail also. I mentioned him about old pending bonus cases. "There is no date in the left hand column? That means the client has not paid yet. You won't get that money unless the client returns and pays." Pls help me regarding this.
Petra's avatar
Petra R Community Member


Bala K wrote:
He hired me after completed a job. I wasn't get offer before it. So I couldn't track it.

Why would you complete a job before you were hired?

 


 Pls help me regarding this.

Nobody other than the client can help you. Unless the client fixes it, you worked for nothing.

Bala's avatar
Bala K Community Member

Why would you complete a job before you were hired?
i asked him to hire mutiple times but he said to complete job. he is new to upwork. I hope this will not to happen to others. If there is no option on getting my payment fine. Other freelancer will not affected client like this.

Kathy's avatar
Kathy T Community Member


Bala K wrote:

Why would you complete a job before you were hired?
i asked him to hire mutiple times but he said to complete job. he is new to upwork. I hope this will not to happen to others. If there is no option on getting my payment fine. Other freelancer will not affected client like this.


---------------

After completing 63 jobs here it would be assumed that you knew how to work correctly on this site. - unless this is how you worked with all of your clients, (completing work before being hired.)

 

This client wasn't new, he's done this numerous times, and has surprisingly found an established freelancer who fell for this tactic. Unless you've worked with this client for a long period of time, don't trust strangers on the internet. That's common sense. And it doesn't matter how urgent the job is, not hired, no work. Funds not deposited into escrow, no work. Plain and simple. 

 

Upwork has procedures to safeguard freelancers. Follow them correctly, work smart and this wouldn't have happened to you. 

Petra's avatar
Petra R Community Member


Kathy T wrote:

 

This client wasn't new, he's done this numerous times,


The client was new.

 

client was new.png

 


Tiffany S wrote:

Petra R wrote:


There is no date in the left hand column?

That means the client has not paid yet. You won't get that money unless the client returns and pays.

 


I've seen you say this before and I know you're nearly always right about this sort of thing, but I've been on both ends of this type of transaction and seen, at times, the "pending" designation stay for up to two days after the payment is made. 


That means the first attempt to charge the client's payment method was not successful. This happens all the time and for all sorts of reasons (My card declined in a supermarket at the first attempt the other day, and went through just fine the second time) and Upwork simply try again the next day, automatically, and mostly it goes through then before anyone notices that there is any issue.

 

But once it goes beyond a couple of days it means there is an issue, as there is a limit to the auto-retries Upwork will do before stopping and suspending the client's account.

 

 

Bala's avatar
Bala K Community Member

here enclosed the screenshot of his fwd email

 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

Bala's avatar
Bala K Community Member

After getting payment end contract. i trusted him and gave postive comments. but he is not follow his words.

Cheryl's avatar
Cheryl K Community Member

Bala

I am so sorry, but your complete Bonus and payment were consumed by what we here in the United States call the Stupid Tax.

 

The Stupid Tax is the price you pay when you do something stupid. In this case, you did work without having a contract in place. You probably won't get that bonus, because the client never intended to pay you. They took advantage of your trusting nature.

 

The good thing about the Stupid Tax is that is always teaches you a lesson. Especially when the tax is levied at a high rate. In this case, you should learn to NEVER work without a contract in place. Whether client is new to Upwork or not, you just don't do it. If you do, be prepared to pay the Stupid Tax time and again.

 

Bala's avatar
Bala K Community Member

@Cheryl K

Thanks for your feedback and comments. i will take this as personal note for my future work. This will not happen again.

Robin's avatar
Robin H Community Member


Bala K wrote:

After getting payment end contract. i trusted him and gave postive comments. but he is not follow his words.


I trust NO ONE.  This is a business, not your doctor's office.  Never work for free.  Even if he pinky-swore you.  Now you've learned a very valuable lesson.  The client probably won't return to Upwork and you won't get paid the bonus.    

 

As I've read on these forums before, work smart!  

 

Sorry this happened to you.  

Bala's avatar
Bala K Community Member

@robin
Thanks for your response. yes this is valueable lesson to me.

Tiffany's avatar
Tiffany S Community Member


Robin H wrote:


I trust NO ONE.  This is a business, not your doctor's office. 

 

FWIW, your doctor's office is a business--and no less likely to be shady than any other business.

Robin's avatar
Robin H Community Member


Tiffany S wrote:

Robin H wrote:


I trust NO ONE.  This is a business, not your doctor's office. 

 

FWIW, your doctor's office is a business--and no less likely to be shady than any other business.


Very true, but hopefully you trust your doctor's opinion (or get a second one). 

Tiffany's avatar
Tiffany S Community Member


Robin H wrote:

Tiffany S wrote:

Robin H wrote:


I trust NO ONE.  This is a business, not your doctor's office. 

 

FWIW, your doctor's office is a business--and no less likely to be shady than any other business.


Very true, but hopefully you trust your doctor's opinion (or get a second one). 


Unfortunately, in my line of work you come to know a bit too much to have much faith in anybody in the medical profession. It's an unsettling place to be, when in need of medical care.

Tiffany's avatar
Tiffany S Community Member


Petra R wrote:


There is no date in the left hand column?

That means the client has not paid yet. You won't get that money unless the client returns and pays.

 


I've seen you say this before and I know you're nearly always right about this sort of thing, but I've been on both ends of this type of transaction and seen, at times, the "pending" designation stay for up to two days after the payment is made. 

Preston's avatar
Preston H Community Member

Going to the doctor is better than dying.

But just barely.