Refund of connects

samatb · ‎08-09-2019

When you spend connects to bid for a job and then the jobs expires without hiring any freelancer to do the job; I think, in this case, it would be fair those connects to be refunded. Many ghost jobs appear on the platform without any further action taken on them which just expire after a month or two, while you've spent up to 6 connects on them to bid.

hoyle_editing · ‎08-09-2019

I think you are the lucky 10 millionth poster to make this statement congratulations!

I have nothing useful to say though, sorry.

samatb · ‎08-09-2019

Instead of profiting with us, it appears as if they're trying to profit on us... It's a more of a moral issue.

Cause then I could develop a plausible assumption about an existence of a job-bot who posts those ghost jobs. The math for profit is simple.

florydev · ‎08-09-2019

Samat B wrote:
Instead of profiting with us, it appears as if they're trying to profit on us... It's a more of a moral issue.
Cause then I could develop a plausible assumption about an existence of a job-bot who posts those ghost jobs. The math for profit is simple.

Could be. No way to know for sure. If you believe Upwork is creating these jobs then the only sensible thing is to leave and never come back.

Otherwise, it could be that clients create ghost jobs for no reason.

A far more reasonable possiblitiy is that they didn't find anyone they liked (yes, including you) and found it somewhere else or gave up. This happened before the recent connect changes (there was, I believe always paid connects). I actually asked a shade of this question like a year ago and I am almost ashamed to admit it.

Paid connects are the reality, refunding them for nobody hiring doesn't seem likely to happen in that reality. Now what?

hoyle_editing · ‎08-09-2019

Samat B wrote:
Instead of profiting with us, it appears as if they're trying to profit on us... It's a more of a moral issue.
Cause then I could develop a plausible assumption about an existence of a job-bot who posts those ghost jobs. The math for profit is simple.

I dont mind the new system, i think it has its problems for sure - but any new system is going to take some mastering.

Job-bots???? really? if you genuinely belive that then the answer is obvious - dont use the system. However, i think that highly improbable.

Furthermore, use the new system to your advantage, research jobs before bidding. I now will only bid on certain jobs that have some client history, basically if the client has history and the jobs a good match then i will make a bid, no history? then im unlikely to bid (unless it particulary interests me).

Is this way of doing it going to be good for getting/retaining new clients? NO, but that is something Upwork will have to deal with and make adaptions for, IF it becomes a widespread problem (which i doubt very much)

samatb · ‎08-09-2019

Mark, part of your above comment "A far more reasonable question is that they didn't find anyone they liked (yes, including you) and found it somewhere else or gave up. " isn't reasonable. Take this as an example: Assume the client posts the job on June 1st; then you place a bid on June 3rd. However, a month later status check shows that it was last viewed by the client on June 1st. Then the job expires. Nobody's been hired.

The only refund I saw is when the job was cancelled by the client the next day after he posted it.

Jonathan, I'm not telling I believe in job-bots. That's why I explicitely mentioned: "I could develop a plausible assumption".

We now all pay to buy connects (I haven't expressed this opinion while there were monthly free 60 connects) and we pay our share from earnings; nothing is given to us for free, therefore, I believe we have the right to express our concerns and share our thoughts here.

florydev · ‎08-09-2019

Samat B wrote:
Mark, part of your above comment "A far more reasonable question is that they didn't find anyone they liked (yes, including you) and found it somewhere else or gave up. " isn't reasonable. Take this as an example: Assume the client posts the job on June 1st; then you place a bid on June 3rd. However, a month later status check shows that it was last viewed by the client on June 1st. Then the job expires. Nobody's been hired.
The only refund I saw is when the job was cancelled by the client the next day after he posted it.

Reasonable in that you can only control what YOU are going to do. It is all well and good to come on here and post and to feel however you feel but it does not change anything. Reasonable in that nobody is going to waste their time creating a job just for the fun of it.

I personally don't care that they never hired anybody, I only care that they didn't hire ME. And the only thing I can do about that is try to make sure the next person does.

If you want to stare at all your past proposals and imagine reasons why they didn't hire anyone go right ahead. Seems a waste of time to me. I would prefer to try and get better at winning the next one, and I would make sure the next job makes enough to cover the costs of my connects.

And maybe your complaints, and bunches of others like you will change things...but I wouldn't hold out hope. What are you going to do in the meantime?

hoyle_editing · ‎08-09-2019

Samat B wrote:

Jonathan, I'm not telling I believe in job-bots. That's why I explicitely mentioned: "I could develop a plausible assumption".
We now all pay to buy connects (I haven't expressed this opinion while there were monthly free 60 connects) and we pay our share from earnings; nothing is given to us for free, therefore, I believe we have the right to express our concerns and share our thoughts here.

Yes, you are correct, and as you posted this on a discussion forum i added my thoughts to!

root_graphics · ‎08-09-2019

Hi,

Wow, after reading everyone's comment, I agree, we should get refunded for connects if nothing happens after expired. It's only fair because we spend time and money on an investment plus if we get approved on a proposal, Upwork takes a percentage again. So, supposedly we should get refunded. I agree. I thought that's how it works anyways but now I'm very concern. Plus I'm new at Upwork so I'm learning. Keep me in the know...

Thanks,

- Brian S.