Rate clients publicly

[debi-f]

Upwork

Rate the Clients and publish their rate as you do with the freelancers. 

We can see the clients' Profile and feedbacks, but Upwork should rate them as they rate us, and publish the rating.

If a client doesn't read the proposals or doesn't hire after 1 week, or hires a 10% of the jobs he posts, his rate should be affected and published.

Even when we check the client's profile and history, publishing their Rate maybe, will encourage them to post real jobs, to post and to hire, or not posting if it is just a trial. 

And it will help freelancers not to waste connects. Or they will send their proposals, knowing the risks. 

Freelancers: please, when you complete a job, leave a real Feedback about the client. This will help other freelancers to know if this client is serious. 

[the-right-writer]

Upwork has plenty to do. I do not want them spending time and money on their idea of a good or bad client. We have freelancer reviews and ratings. The freelancers know more about the client than Upwork. A random rating system from the business will not improve the platform, and it's duplication of the freelancer ratings.

Freelancers: please, when you complete a job, leave a real Feedback about the client. This will help other freelancers to know if this client is serious.

Agreed.

[luce-neidert]

Jeanne, when I'm not happy about a client, I rarely leave more than a hint about it, as many clients are freelancers too and could read what I really think about them. They might have another job to offer later on. So I just leave a very vague Feedback.

Usually, the client was decent enough, but the communication was terrible. However, I can understand that they had other things to do and I try to forget about it as soon as the job is over. Also, chances are they were very badly organised - and who am I to tell them about being organised 🙂

Most of the time I really enjoyed working with the client and say so. I only leave negative Feedback to the few clients I would refuse to work with again.

[the-right-writer]

I've never had a client I would leave a bad review for, because I haven't had a client deserving of a poor review.

However, if I did, you bet they would receive a professional but a definitely negative  review. If other clients see it, good. I don't want crappy clients. If they think I am not interested in just any job that is listed, and that I have criteria for clients, that works in my favor.

Why not be honest? It hurts other freelancers to not know the truth. Too many freelancers give a good rating, thinking it is somehow going to make them look cooperative, or they will get another job. Why would you want to work with anyone who has poor communication?

Not only is it unfair to all the other freelancers to not have honesty, it also tells the client they should continue poor habits. If they know, some clients will change their behavior - I have witnessed it.

You should be telling other freelancers and the clients the truth. If they are poor communicators and disorganized, then say so. You don't have to be cruel and nasty, just be honest.

If freelancers don't help each other, no one else will.

[luce-neidert]

Well, I once did say that one client was completely disorganised, and that the document she wanted me to translate was a mess. Besides, she was terrible at communication.

I had decided to refuse to work for her again even if she begged me to, which, thank God she never did!

Maybe we could ask for private ratings that would affect their status.

[the-right-writer]

We do have private ratings. They are part of feedback.

[luce-neidert]

I know, but I guess it doesn't affect the client much. Besides, a few times I wanted to add my "private commentary" about the client but the place to add it didn't show.

[tlsanders]

I left one very negative review, because the manipulation the client attempted with me would likely have allowed him to hold a newer freelancer hostage. I even left his scathing (and entirely fabricated) review on my profile for a while, because I thought removing it would remove my feedback to him. Fortunately, someone on Reddit tipped me off that wasn't true and I removed it--the impact of that one negative review was stunning. I went from four straight years of 100% JSS to 91 based on the review of a client with one hire in his history who had only paid me about $400 before I pulled the plug on the project. 

[debi-f]

If a client doesn't read the proposals or doesn't hire after 1 week, or hires a 10% of the jobs he posts, his rate should be affected, rated accordingly, and this rate published, as our rate is published.

[kfarnell]

Almost every project I've done here has taken longer than a week to be awarded - sometimes substantially longer, especially larger projects. Not everyone is permanently in a mad rush. Penalising people for taking their time could make working here unviable for me.

[tlsanders]

I think part of the issue in these discussions is that there are very different markets on Upwork. There are projects that anyone with a certain skill set can do more or less equally, and projects that require a little more discernment, and projects that clients treat (with reason) like they're making a full time hire. It seems like most freelancers frequent one lane, which means their expectations for things like hiring time and what's required before a hire are radically different--and not everyone recognizes that other fields or levels may be different.

[25005175]

Second this. I suspect that the difference is most stark when the service is for regular business fare versus investment projects.

[debi-f]

Upwork should ask clients to write clear and professional post jobs. 

You read job offers that are ridiculous, not professional, not serious! 

[wlyonsatl]

I'd be happy if Upwork just told us more about clients' history on Upwork, such as:

1) What is their average rating of their previous freelancers

2) What percentage of each client's jobs have included:

a) Client's request for refund

b) Client closing job before it's completed/all milestones have been paid and released

c) Client participating in arbitration

d) Client refusing to go to arbitration

e) Multiple instances of client's payment method not working

[luce-neidert]

Another freelance platform gives information on the percentage of projects which were awarded, which I find useful.

[tlsanders]

I don't see a benefit in forcing clients to read proposals they know they are not interested in based on the emailed information.