Problem with Direct Messaging from Prospective Clients

[elizabeth_samit]

The newly-offered Direct Messaging feature that enables prospective clients to contact a freelancer without an invitation to bid or a posted job is beginning to cause me major frustration. Recently, I have become deluged by these messages, and most are from clients who solely want to know what I charge to edit or ghostwrite anything. This leaves me responding with a question as to what the client is seeking (editing or ghostwriting) and such details as the topic plus word-count of the document. Most recently, I received a request from someone to write their memoir about their experience with being abducted by aliens from outer space, and a different client's request to explain how to circumvent copyright legal requirements so as to use someone else's published diagrams. [I do respond to all initial Direct Message queries, as I do not want to appear rude in case that person actually posts a job applicable to my qualifications, & I inadvertently decide to bid on it. For those who seem either mentally unbalanced or unethical, I do block them from emailing me again in future.] This "junk" message situation is now wasting my time to a ridiculous level. How do I block any prospective client (but not my past clients) from contacting me without either an invitation to bid on a posted job or a job offer? This new UpWork feature may be a terrific time-saver for clients, but it is awful for freelancers who have to deal with it. By the way, my minimum hourly rate is posted on my Profile, so a direct message to me asking the same question just shows me that the prospective client did not review my Profile page before contacting me. UpWork, please make this stop by re-configuring this Direct Messaging feature to at least require a posted job!

[kochubei_valeria]

Hi Elizabeth, 

Thanks for sharing your experience and concerns you have with the Direct Message feature. We already limit which clients have access to the feature as they need to meet certain eligibility criteria. There isn't currently a way for a freelancer to disable the feature (other than setting their profile to private) or selectively block clients from sending them Direct Messages before they send them. But I'll share your feedback with the team for consideration. 

[elizabeth_samit]

Valeria, thank you. Receiving two truly insane Direct Messages in the same day really upset me. I do hope that UpWork in future offers freelancers an option to "opt out" of receiving Direct Messages from people who are not actually that freelancer's clients and/or clients who have not actually received from that freelancer a submitted bid on a posted job. However, I do appreciate very much that you replied to my request for help, embedded in my post to this forum.

[kbadeau]

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Valeria K wrote:

Hi Elizabeth, 

Thanks for sharing your experience and concerns you have with the Direct Message feature. We already limit which clients have access to the feature as they need to meet certain eligibility criteria. There isn't currently a way for a freelancer to disable the feature (other than setting their profile to private) or selectively block clients from sending them Direct Messages before they send them. But I'll share your feedback with the team for consideration. 

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Is there no way to click on the client's profile if they send you a direct message? It seems like I should be able to see other jobs they've done and read any feedback before I decided whether or not to reply. Being able to see their rating without being able to read the reviews seems odd.

[spectralua]

+1

It will be very useful. For now i see no way to do it.

[ericaandrews · Accepted solution]

I have the same problem and I can confirm that Upwork does NOT appear to 'enforce' its rules on who can send these direct messages because I still have a support ticket open (and unresolved) with Upwork regarding a situation in which a client that did NOT meet the criteria was able to send me one of these 'direct messages'.  The client had been on the platform only a couple weeks, didn't meet the criteria Upwork says clients have to meet to be 'eligible' to send these messages. Specifically, the client that sent me that direct message didn't meet any of these criteria:

• Spent over $1,000 in the past 12 months
• Have been on the platform more than 90 days
• Made a payment over 90 days ago

In other words, there is a HUGE security hole in this 'feature' that is allowing any client to simply 'spam' messages into a freelancer's inbox.   My support ticket was simply declared 'complex' and then simply 'put on hold',  which is what they do when they don't know how to fix something or don't feel like fixing it right now.  I've also gotten irritating messages from idiots asking questions already answered on my profile  "What's your rate?", a message saying "Hi. Let's get on a call now", and a message asking only "Hey, how you doing?"  I don't have time for that foolishness.

I too have asked Upwork to give each freelancer a CHOICE in whether the button to 'message' them like this is enable or disabled on their profile, because I would like to DISABLE mine. I also alerted Upwork of the possible risks of abuse/misuse this new 'feature' would create when they first launched the feature months ago and weird messages started arriving in my Inbox, but nobody listened and nobody cared. If some freelancers want it, great, but I find it inappropriate, unprofessional, and I don't want random weirdos just 'jumping' into my messages like we're on some type of childish social media network just to say "wassup?" in my "DMs".  They only care about things that inconvenience the clients, not the freelancers.

[tomzilla1]

I don't get spammed but I do get these frequently - I can't say one way or the other but if you are getting spammed then yes there should be a preference you set. 

The direct message use to be only available to Enterprise clients, but nowadays I think anybody can DM you. The other issue is you can't even see their profile... I mean it could be an Enterprise, or a regular account with good track record. Or it could be just someone wanting free professional advice and sometimes free work.

[wlyonsatl]

Today I got a Direct Message from a potential client with a 3.15 rating (from 9 freelancer reviews) 70% hire rate and one open job. The client has spent more than $10,000 on 18 hires at an average hourly rate of $30.55 (about 1/3 of my standard rate).

Unfortunately, I see no way for me to review the client's poor rating from previous freelancers.  Upwork, what's the point of having freelancers rate a client if future potential freelancers for the same client cannot see the prior freelancers' feedback?

I REALLY wish Upwork would make a little more effort to provide useful information about clients' histories with previous freelancers.

[creativeerin]

I just received a Direct Message and I also would like to check out the person before I respond. I can see that she only has a one star rating and I'd like to know why! I looked her up on another site and she doesn't have a url for her company. Seems very strange. I hate to dismiss an opportunity but I'm afraid to go into something and have problems. If only I could do proper research on Upwork.