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adris21
Community Member

Refund request, but my work is done

Hi! I've got a messages from the client refund request by inactivity. But I finished my work, and the client liked it, just forgot to close the contract. I sent a message him about the refund request, and he just close the contract and give me feedback quickly. But nothing changed on my site. The contract is still cancelled. What should I do? Can help somebody for me?

6 REPLIES 6
prestonhunter
Community Member

Adrienn:

I'm not completely clear about what happened based on your post. But here are some tips, one of which (or none) may apply to your situation:

 

If you did the work, and a client asks for a refund, you don't need to give the client a refund. Sometimes clients find a "Request Refund" button and they click it for no valid reason just because they think it might mean "free money."

 

If you have been hired to do a fixed-price contract in the past and that contract has gone idle... if you have not done anything with a milestone and the escrow money is just sitting there for a long time, then the money will automatically be refunded back to the client after a few months. But that would not be money that you care about anyway, so it is not a problem.

 

If you finished work on a fixed-price milestone and you didn't click the "Submit Work / Request Payment" button, then it means you made a mistake and you need to learn how to use Upwork better.

 

Clients have the right to close ("cancel") a contract at any time. So do freelancers.

 

When a client likes your work, and closes a contract and gives you feedback quickly, that is a GOOD thing. Sometimes it takes a day or two or a week for feedback to show up on your Profile page. Just be patient.

 

You asked: "What should I do?"

 

Probably you should do nothing.

 

If you still have questions, then go ahead and explain your situation more clearly and ask your questions here in this thread.

 

Presumably it was a fixed rate contract and there were funds in Escrow which were coming close to 90 days since they were funded.

 

If there is any work that was done but not yet paid - dispute.

If you were paid for all work done - approve.

I finished this job, and the client liked it. But jeah, I didn't use the "Submit Work / Request Payment" button, so I made this mistake. I'm not using too much Upwork for my jobs. So I'm a beginner here. Also until now, always my clients closed the contracts immediately when they got the work what they liked. I didn't needed to use that button. In this case after a few weeks (when my job has done), I asked the client if he liked the work, close the contract. He sad "yes, no problem", and more weeks later I just got a message about the refund request, and my contract closed by inactivity. 

petra_r
Community Member


Adrienn W wrote:

I finished this job, and the client liked it. But jeah, I didn't use the "Submit Work / Request Payment" button, so I made this mistake.


So you worked for free.

The way to send a client the work is to use the "Submit work for payment" button. That is what it is there for.

 

Ask the client to pay you as a bonus, but there is no guarantee.

 

 

adris21
Community Member

I have to learn from my mistakes... Thank you for your help!


Adrienn W wrote:

I finished this job, and the client liked it. But jeah, I didn't use the "Submit Work / Request Payment" button, so I made this mistake. I'm not using too much Upwork for my jobs. So I'm a beginner here. Also until now, always my clients closed the contracts immediately when they got the work what they liked. I didn't needed to use that button. In this case after a few weeks (when my job has done), I asked the client if he liked the work, close the contract. He sad "yes, no problem", and more weeks later I just got a message about the refund request, and my contract closed by inactivity. 


In that case you have been very lucky until now.

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