Project without payments affects JSS

earl_grey · ‎10-14-2019

Hello everyone! I really need your help, I do not know what to do, my JSS is falling down quickly and I think it is because of the project without payments. I had 98% JSS and Top Rated badge until I got this project without payments. My client contacted me and he sent me an offer which I accepted. He asked me to wait for additional tasks before I start working on his project (hourly rate project). Then he disappeared and he does not reply for a few months now. I tried to contact him many times. Only silence. I've heard that long-term projects without payments affect JSS negatively. I've also heard that if I'll close this project by myself it will affect JSS negatively too. So I really don't know what to do with that. Please, someone, help me. Thank you very much.

tsawicki · ‎10-14-2019

Sergey -

This is crappy - but you're suffering from a seemingly silly 'rock' and 'hard place' issue.

Short answer is: 'the best advice I can give, is don't close the contract yourself if you don't have a number of other contracts with good feedback to offset the lack of feedback'.

Long Answer:

There's no good solution to this very-possibly-not-at-all-your-fault situation.

you're correct
- long-term projects without payments affect JSS negatively.
- if you close this project by yourself it will affect JSS negatively too.

also

- Jobs with no feedback given can affect your JSS - and will do so significantly when they reach an unknown percentage of the total. Upwork doesn't share that equation.

I was in the exact same situation, and canceling the contract myself made my issue worse by bringing the total of contracts without feedback up to a level where it tanked my score considerably. I don't know how to get out of the situation you're in. As far as I know - there is no way.

Be advised - if you -do- close your contract - even though your last contact with the client was months ago, the contract will count as ending on the date you close it. So it will affect your jss for (potentially) 2 years starting from that date you close it - not 2 years from the last activity or contact with the client.

I closed a number of non-responsive jobs in succession, and was at 60% for about two years. It didn't matter that the jobs were from before Upwork existed (carried over from odesk). No customer service support member would take that into consideration. They could not change (were 'unable') to change the date of the jobs conclusion.

rafsun_ug · ‎10-14-2019

Yes, if it is a fixed price contract and the client creates a milestone and if you or the client cancel the contract, it will affect your JSS. Also, you have to refund the money if there is no work on the contract! As he/she is not responding for few months, you can cancel the contract and refund the money but it must affect your JSS and probably you will down to 4% of JSS. Or you can still wait for the client. As long as you will not cancel the contract, it will not affect the JSS.

If it is an hourly based contract, it will affect after 1 or 2 months. But if you cancel within 1 or 2 (maybe one month is better), it will not affect your JSS.

And never accept any offer as long as you don't receive all the materials to start the job.

tsawicki · ‎10-14-2019

Rafsun - that's not true unfortunately. The contract can still negatively affect his JSS if it remains open without activity.