Sending Direct Contract request to a client who had an account once but deleted that.

[tahmidulkarim]

Hello,

I was told from Upwork support that if a client already opened an account at some point and later on deletes the account then he/she is not eligible to have a direct contract with a freelancer even though the client doesn't have an account at the moment. 

In that case, is it possible that I can still have a direct contract with that client, maybe using a different email to send the contract request? I am not sure if this is something that Upwork allows or if it's against Upwork Terms and conditions. I would appreciate it if anyone can provide me some insights about this situation. 

[BojanS]

Hi Tahmid,

Direct Contracts allow the client to work with freelancers on Upwork when the client doesn't have an Upwork account. If they have an account on Upwork, they can hire the freelancer by sending them a fixed-price or hourly offer and setting up a regular contract. I checked and see that your support ticket is still open and the team will be assisting you and your client with your specific situation.

[tahmidulkarim]

Hi Bojan,

Yes, I understand that and also suggested the client to start a fixed price contract as she already had an account but for some reason, she isn't interested in the fixed-price contract (maybe because of the extra fees) and as she already ended her account so it is a bit of hassle for her to go back and set it up again, she was having trouble posting a job and hiring me before when she had an account.

So, I was just hoping if I could send another direct contract request to her in a different email that she didn't use for the Upwork account. I know it sounds a bit weird but as her account is closed so I was thinking if this is something that is permissible by Upwork.  If it's against Upwork's terms than I guess I would have to convenience her somehow to get back to Upwork or give up the project.