Refund affect JSS

[3bafc3a0]

I was hired on long-term basis on a  job with $300. Client give me one job for $30 and paid full $300 saying that she need me for long term relationship. Now she said that she does not need my services any longer and ask for the refund on remaining amount. I did make the refund. Will it affect my JSS score?

[00fd7a51]

Unless the client left a bad private and public review, I don't think so.

[3bafc3a0]

Client said to refund outside the site, as refund will not credit in this card automatically or else she will leave a bad review. I am afraid she will leave a bad review. Any way I can prevent that. 

[pgiambalvo · Accepted solution]

Don't refund it outside the site. Report her to Upwork. Because she is violating the ToS, Upwork SHOULDN'T let her leave you feedback, but they still might.

[3bafc3a0]

I begged her not to leave a negative feedback.. She left a 5 star on public feedback .. I guess I has to wait and see in 2 weeks if she left a bad private feedback . I hope she didn't

[3bafc3a0]

I am extremely worried. Can anyone share their experience regarding how positive public feedback and negative private feedback affect JSS?

[the-right-writer]

I can tell you this; worrying about it won't help a bit and will drive you crazy. I still believe the client should not be able to post feedback if they violated the TOS, but I haven't been able to find this specific issue. If you closed the contract, there might not be any feedback. I'll keep looking. Hopefully, a moderator will post.

Clients can post a 5-star review and then leave a 1-star review in private if they wish or any other combination. Negative private feedback will drop the JSS.

You can do nothing at this point other than talk to support. Try not to worry about this and move forward with other jobs.

[3bafc3a0]

Thanks alot Jeanne .. Thanks for showing me your support. That's is what I am going to do. I have many jobs and clients are happy with my work already. I believe this does come to Upwork knowledge with the involvement of Moderator, because I do not know how to reach support properly. They direct me here. 

I sure be careful in accepting an offer (avoiding all scams as I would).

[the-right-writer]

So, you went off-platform and gave her $300.00? Did you communicate outside of Upwork before the contract was in place? Did you have a contract?

I'm not sure how Upwork will handle your going off-platform to submit to blackmail to get a good review.

If you had a contract, and if Upwork does not take action, and if the client lied about being paid for a good review and leaves a bad one, there isn't anything you can do.

Never beg a client for anything. If you have to go that far, you are not going to get a good review.

[3bafc3a0]

No I send the work on Upwork and via email. She just reply back on that email and asked to pay through paypal or payoneer. I never paid her outside the website. I quickly ended the contract and refund the remaining amount. She was not happy about it. 

[the-right-writer]

OK, now I understand. As soon as something like this happens, contact support immediately. Asking for payment outside of Upwork is a violation of the TOS. I don't believe she can leave feedback after violating the TOS, but I'll notify a moderator.

Why did you refund the money then? Because you were afraid of a negative review? I can understand, but you can't let clients abuse you. 

[AndreaG]

Hi Jeanne, 

We understand that some projects have bad outcomes because the client is difficult to work with. We track freelancer feedback of clients and flag those clients with a history of poor collaboration. If a client has been previously flagged (or has been suspended for Terms of Service violations), their feedback will not count against the freelancer's JSS.

That said, I would not be able to confirm any specific actions that might be taken in a case like this, for privacy and security reasons. Though it is important to flag to the team any TOS violations in the first place, so the account can be reviewed.

[jared_k]

Never beg for anything from a client, Mahum, especially one like this. Yeah, take screen shots of the message and send them to Upwork.

[3bafc3a0]

Please help me out here. 

[ArjayM]

Hi Mahum,

I'm sorry to hear about this unpleasant experience you had with a client. I have escalated this to our Trust  & Safety team for further review. They will surely look into this and keep you posted on any updates. We seek your patience and utmost understanding while sorting this out for you. Thank you!

[3bafc3a0]

I am sorry I am new here. I did not know.. as Fatima mentioned "Unless the client left a bad private and public review, I don't think so." So I begged not to destroy my profile. I can share the email if Upwork want me to.