Suspended Client, No communication now

[aships]

I've been working with a client for two weeks. I did my research on him and his company. We had an interview where I saw who he was, and that matched the online person of who he was. He hired me and 11 other freelancers all for different jobs, within one project. The first two weeks were fine. He was super responsive each time I had a question, and super reliable. I've done at least $1,000 worth of work for him.

Now, ever since last week Sunday, he has stopped responding to emails, and texts. He removed me from the Click-Up boards that we were working in, and all freelancer contracts have been suspended because of something on his end. 

There are clearly a lot of red flags, how do I go about this, now? My money from week 1 is in 'pending' status, so I believe I will be getting that, but now, believing this guy isn't any good, I want him to be reported. I've never had a 'suspended' client, so I'm not sure how this works on my end - how will it affect my success rate, etc?

Beyond this, I believe that he's also breaking other TOS  - he asked me during my interview if I wanted to be paid off-platform, which I told him no because it was against the rules. Yet, I believe he's doing that with others. 

[df602768]

Hi Ashley,

That is a fishy situation.

But to be honest with you, there's no point waiting for the client or trying to find out what happened to him/them.

Your job is to take your money and expand your client portfolio. Anything beyond is just you losing time that could turn into more money.

-Konstantinos

[aships]

Well, considering this client is scamming me out of $1,000...I can't really "take my money..." but...thanks?

[petra_r]

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Ashley S wrote:

My money from week 1 is in 'pending' status, so I believe I will be getting that,

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You won't know that for sure until Tusday evening UTC. Did you use the tracker with meaningful work memos and good activity levels? Was the hourly rate in line with your usual hourly rate? 

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Ashley S wrote:

I want him to be reported.

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Reported to whom? Upwork? They know or they wouldn't have suspended the client. 

I'd not worry about the client if I were you, I'd worry about the suspended freelancer accounts, which hints at Upwork suspecting that some or all were in on whatever the client was trying to do.

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Ashley S wrote:

I'm not sure how this works on my end - how will it affect my success rate, etc? 

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Again, if your Upwork account is suspended, your JSS is the least of your worries...

[aships]

Unfortunately, I did both manual and tracker entries. 

And, I apologize, I should clarify - I meant all contracts with the other freelancers are suspended, not their accounts. 

[prestonhunter]

Thank you for the clarification.

You are the freelancer.

It is not your responsibility to fix a problem with a client's payment method or account.

Unfortunately, you used manual time instead of qualifying for Upwork Payment Protection for all of the time that you logged. That means that a client problem may end up causing you to not get paid for some of your time.

[aships]

I understand, but I am feeling so upset by this. I am not trying to fix his problem, but I'm just wondering if this person will get some sort of ramifications from this? He's essentially getting thousands of free work now from me and the other freelancers he has done this to. 

I'm also wondering how this would affect my profile? Can I end a contract when it's suspended? Will it affect my JSS?

[petra_r · Accepted solution]

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Ashley S wrote:

 I'm just wondering if this person will get some sort of ramifications from this? He's essentially getting thousands of free work now from me and the other freelancers he has done this to. 

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The client will  have been suspended. You will be covered for the properly tracked time (with the tracker, with a meaningful work memo and good activity levels). You won't be covered for the manual time.

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Ashley S wrote:

Can I end a contract when it's suspended? Will it affect my JSS?

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Yes, you can close the contract. The client is unlikely to return and leave feedback. Just close the contract and leave appropriate feedback.

[aships]

Thanks! I appreciate the reply.

[df602768]

I presume your JSS will get affected. However, if you open a ticket and contact Upwork moderators, they may work their magic and not decrease your score, considering how fishy the client is.

[petra_r]

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Konstantinos A wrote:

I presume your JSS will get affected

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You presume wrong. There is no feedback, so nothing to HAVE any effect at this point. Even if there was poor feedback from the client, contracts with suspended clients have no effect on the JSS. They are excluded.

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Konstantinos A wrote:

However, if you open a ticket and contact Upwork moderators, they may work their magic and not decrease your score.

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No. That is not how it works.

[NikolaS]

Hi Ashley,

I am sorry to hear that your contract is paused. Our team is investigating this issue. Please do not resume work with this client until the contract is active again.

If there is a problem with your client’s Upwork account, your contracts with them will be paused and you cannot continue to bill that client through Upwork until the issue is resolved. There are many possible reasons this could occur, although we can’t share the specifics regarding your client’s account due to privacy concerns.

You can find more information about contracts on pause in this help article.