Un-Professional behavior or Threatening by the client for refund the money

[juliawriter]

Hello Community,

I have successfully completed the work given by the client on Guest Posting (on Harvard.edu). But soon I gave the live link of his featured article on the above site, he was denying to approve the payment (though it was paid in advance) and threatning me to raise the issue to the Upwork and will snatch the money from me and give a bad feed back to my work profile. I have done the work abide by the rules and regulations of Upwork platform, paid the Upwork fees also, now what I should do with? Should anyone help me to resolve the issue.

Manas

Note: I have given some options to the client also if he is willing to choose some other site in replacement. He has selected some sites also, but suddenly he message me with the threats as stated above.

[BojanS]

Hi Manas,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. I was able to locate the contract you're referring to and I'll file a retort for our team's review.

Please, check this help article for more information on how to use the flag option found on each job post or message to report any suspicious or inappropriate content. Also, check out this post for more tips on how to avoid questionable jobs.

Thank you!

[juliawriter]

Hi Bojan,

Your words are something very comfortable to me. Now I feel that there are the really good people who are always helping the needy people or in aqute trouble. Thanks . I will wait for your reply ahead.

Regards,

Manas

[petra_r]

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Manas D wrote:

I have successfully completed the work given by the client on Guest Posting (on Harvard.edu). But soon I gave the live link of his featured article on the above site, he was denying to approve the payment (though it was paid in advance) and threatning me to raise the issue to the Upwork and will snatch the money from me and give a bad feed back to my work profile.

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That client wanted to get published on the likes of Entrepreneur, Forbes, etc, (as clearly stated on the job post) - not on a student organisation's blockchain blog, when what they (client) do has nothing to do with blockchain...

I am, frankly, not surprised the client is in shock, having read the "article."

[juliawriter]

You can check the conversation. If he has not given me the permission... how do I proceed for publishing it on that site where it was posted? He sourced the article also. For the said site. He has given the permision and then only I did the work. In fact he has made the contarct for that. See once please. 

[juliawriter]

I have shown him Forbes and Entrepreneur also. He has selected this site (Harvard.edu) in his own selection. I didn't force him to do here. Check the contract and discussion. Even I can offer the same now also, but he is denying to take the post or proceed for the orders next.

[petra_r]

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Manas D wrote:

He has selected this site (Harvard.edu) in his own selection

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The client paid you $ 700 to get that article onto a student blog for blockchain???"

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Manas D wrote:

I have shown him Forbes and Entrepreneur also. He has selected this site (Harvard.edu) in his own selection.

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You were paid. What "orders next?"

[juliawriter]

Helle Petra,

It was paid for harvard.edu post (amongst my other sites like Forbes, entreprenuer etc.). "Blockchain" is a page where the Featured article was posted. It is a secured domain on Harvard.edu. Hope you know. Now he was not happy with the post. Okay. I have accepeted (though it was not my part of consideration). I have given him the option to select the other sites, from my list of sites and pay the difference (if there is any) for that new site. And "Blockchain on Harvard.edu" is a domain where all the featured posts are made. But it is on Harvard.edu, where he wanted. I have been paid, that's right...but now he is asking for payment refund otherwise give me a bad feedback. Where is my fault?? 

[yitwail]

Given the client makes “nearly $2,000,000 a month”, as stated in the job post, I’m a bit surprised they’re quibbling over $700. They probably should have adopted Preston’s strategy by hiring multiple freelancers.

[kat303]

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Manas D wrote:

Helle Petra,

It was paid for harvard.edu post (amongst my other sites like Forbes, entreprenuer etc.). "Blockchain" is a page where the Featured article was posted. It is a secured domain on Harvard.edu. Hope you know. Now he was not happy with the post. Okay. I have accepeted (though it was not my part of consideration). I have given him the option to select the other sites, from my list of sites and pay the difference (if there is any) for that new site. And "Blockchain on Harvard.edu" is a domain where all the featured posts are made. But it is on Harvard.edu, where he wanted. I have been paid, that's right...but now he is asking for payment refund otherwise give me a bad feedback. Where is my fault?? 

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If this client gave you his list of sites to publish his article, and one of the choices on that list was Harvard (specifically blockchain) and you have concrete proof of that then you should be paid. 

But if that choice was somehow conceived by you convincing the client in any way to choose that site then you have not delivered the requirements of the job and should refund the money or publish that article in the EXACT site that the client tells you to. But from your own statement above, you are giving the client an option to pick from YOUR list of sites and also to pay the difference for doing that.

Unless we can see the CLIENTS list of choices and/or see the conversations between both of you I'm not totally convienced that you fullfilled your end of the deal. .

[juliawriter]

Hi Kathy,

This is not the question of refund. I have the following points for him and you too to consider:

1. If he has allowed me to post the article for harvard.edu and I am posting it on any site other than harvard.edu then I may be accused. Now what I did, is clear to him, is it a offense?

2. "Blockchain" or any other page is not important. The important part was is it on any other site than Harvard.edu? Blogs.harvard.edu is their official blog page for content promotion.

3. Why should I refund? Or get bad feedback from him as he has made the contract with me?

4. What are the grounds on which he can threaten me by telling of "bad feedback"? Is not a offense?

5. While I have given him other options how he can raise an issue against me on Upwork platform which may hamper my almost 6+ year's reputation on Upwork? I am here when this platform was elance and then odesk. 

6. He has posted his job as asking for posts on Forbes or Entreprenuer, I have given him the opportunity. But after seeing the price for those he has selected the site like harvard.edu which is less costed. Then how he can get the other options (though I have given him) from me?

7. He has given me the article which I have published on harvard.edu through some contributor there as I don't have the access. But he should ask for the sample post from me before making the contract. Am I right or wrong? I thought he knows everything about harvard.edu site and after knowing everything he has selected the site. Was it my fault?

Everytime "client is right" and the Freelancers are "wrong", should not be the solution. Some of the freelancers like me working hard to get one client and try more hard to make him or her satisfied. But ultimately we have to face the bad consequences. If this will run then after a few years the Robots will do the work and then there will be no question of satisfaction or grievance.

Please rectify me if I am wrong.

Regards,

Manas

N.B.-Thanks to all my colleagues for their precious time for me.

[prestonhunter]

Manas:

You said you don't have a question about a refund.

You were already paid $700 for this work.

So is your only concern at this time about feedback?

It sounds like this client is being a jerk.

You are asking if you should give a refund? Or get bad feedback?

That's up to you.

If you did the work, you should get paid.

If the client is complaining, and if want to appease him, you could try asking him what he thinks is fair. Would a refund of $100 make him more satisifed? Probably not. Maybe you will simply need to accept that his feedback will not be perfect. But if he gives you a one-star average feedback or something like that, any client seeing it will simply know that you were dealing with an unreasonable client.

Maybe if you leave the contract open and stop communicating with you, he'll leave you alone and eventually you can close the contract yourself without getting any bad feedback.

[tlsanders]

Isn't the larger issue here that most if not all of these high-profile sites and high authority domains explicitly prohibit their contributors from selling links or mentions? It's not clear why these "jobs" are even allowed on Upwork.

[versailles]

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Tiffany S wrote:

Isn't the larger issue here that most if not all of these high-profile sites and high authority domains explicitly prohibit their contributors from selling links or mentions? It's not clear why these "jobs" are even allowed on Upwork.

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Genuine question: how do you become a contributor with these sites when you write in half-English?

I want to be a Forbes contributor.

[researchediting]

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Rene K wrote:

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Genuine question: how do you become a contributor with these sites when you write in half-English?

I want to be a Forbes contributor.

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Apparently it's not that hard anymore. Forbes has some kind of amateur-hour online presence. I'm surprised they are willing to risk their journalistic reputaton on whatever revenue it produces for them.

[yitwail]

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Douglas Michael M wrote:

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Rene K wrote:

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Genuine question: how do you become a contributor with these sites when you write in half-English?

I want to be a Forbes contributor.

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Apparently it's not that hard anymore. Forbes has some kind of amateur-hour online presence. I'm surprised they are willing to risk their journalistic reputaton on whatever revenue it produces for them.

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I'm sure it's a piece of cake if you have an MBA.