Unauthorized refund

[cecilia_marquez]

Hi, I recently finished a contract with a client on upwork. Things went ok, client got what they asked and finished my contract. Today, a week after the contract was closed I receive an email stating “I refunded” the client money. I haven’t authorized such thing, all hours were under the terms of the contract and logged using the time tracker... I have no idea what just happened.

Please do excuse any possible mistakes, I am currently on mobile.

[759e32fa]

Hi Jimwell,

Unfortunately, when the client fails to pay for hours logged by the freelancer, any hours that aren't covered by Upwork Hourly Protection may be reversed. Please check out this help article for more information. When this happens, first an automatic notification is sent but the team will also be reaching out to you directly via email with more information about your specific account.

If your client agreed with your work and wants to pay you for the hours that were recersed, they can issue a bonus payment. 

[jimwell_cuerdo]

I have the memos, DON'T USE MANUAL TRACKING and AUTO-CLICKER, USE UPWORK TRACKER and it all can see in my work diary. I have the spreadsheet of the work I've done. I was confident that Upwork hourly contract is protected, unfortunately it's not. Upwork should give me back my hard-earned money. It's  60 hours of work! 

[32632f36]

Greetings to all

I am a new freelancer in upwork, recently my earnings refunded to my client account showing a cause that is "auto clicker detection" but I never installed any auto clicker apps and and never use it. So why upwork did this. The contact was hourly and I regularly provided update about my works and time to my client. He was totally satisfied with my works and gave me 5 start review. My earnings status was in "pending " and at the end of the day, upwork mailed me that payment refunded to client. And then I went to message my client But  I found, he blocked me as soon as he got refunded.

What should I do now? I really disappointed and feeling depression as i work 25 hours for that client.

Please help me 

[759e32fa]

Hi Md Rasel,

Unfortunately, when the client fails to pay for hours logged by the freelancer, any hours that aren't covered by Upwork Hourly Protection may be reversed. Please check out this help article for more information. When this happens, first an automatic notification is sent but the team will also be reaching out to you directly via email with more information about your specific account.

If your client agreed with your work and approves your hours, they can issue a bonus payment. 

[32632f36]

Hello Annie Jane B
I got your point. But my question is that when I did not use any auto clicker even though I never install any auto clicker in my desktop then where they found an auto clicker in my desktop?

By showing these reasons, they suspended my account as well as denied to pay my hourly payments. I was really shocked by that. Although I did not violate any TOS, I got the punishment.

Another point is when my client was worried about time and asked me how much it will take. I replied to him with an estimated time that was (1.2-1.5*26) which means 31.5 -39 hours. He had no complaints against that estimated time.And I finished his job within 31 hours ( in the lowest time). But in the end, he did not pay me and as soon as he got a refund he blocked me. 
On the other side, Upwork denied my payment as well as suspended my account by showing auto-clicker detection.
please let me know what was my fault. I really want to know my fault. 

[759e32fa]

Hi Md Rasel,

I’m sorry but I won’t be able to assist you here further. Your ticket is assigned to the correct team, and they should be able to answer your concerns. I would recommend adding these to the same ticket thread so that the team has the correct information to assist you more efficiently. Please don’t hesitate to update the same ticket thread if you have further questions or concerns. 

[32632f36]

Hello Annie Jane B

I know none can give the answer to my question. When they mailed me the second time they said that I manipulated my keywords ( they notified some unusual in my keywords) I explained to them why it was unusual. They did not reply to me regarding this issue instead they are asking me to leave feedback about their support.

the summary is I lost my money and the client got free services. 

[wlyonsatl]

Md Rasel H. - Did you manually enter your work time on the TimeTracker app?

[32632f36]

Will L
No, I did not add any manual time. All time was added automatically by the Upwork Time tracker. I added the memo also

[jimwell_cuerdo]

I can see in these thread that same issues is happening. We don't used auto clicker and yet our supposedly payment automatically refunded by Upwork. What's happening in Upwork? Is the freelancer no longer safe to work here? All the hard-earned money will be loss instantly and Upwork will not help freelancer to get it back! This is so frustrating! 

[adhanet_]

.

[jimwell_cuerdo]

I lose $2000 for that projects. It seems that scammer is really flocking on Upwork now and they are not siding or protecting the freelancer but those scammer clients.

Maybe you're right, those client not just stealing the identify of the freelancer but also their funds. So sad right? 

Hope Upwork will be better and not getting worse every updates.

[adhanet_]

$2k that's too much. Is it possible to set up an additional contract? I don't know how this applies internationally.

[vadimtorbakov]

I've been working on UpWork for the last 5 years and never was in such a situation: I was absolutely shocked, when I saw an email from UpWork today, telling me that I have to return the money for the perfectly completed work. (Email attached below)

And this contract was SUCCESSFULLY finished 1 month ago, my client was satisfied and he paid all the amount, then we closed the contract. Now after a month Upwork tells me that I have to return the full amount (550$) because my client made some kind of a bank reversal. What is the point of the "Upwork Fixed Price contracts protection" ? Where is the protection, where are the guarantees? HOW can a freelancer be charged to return the money that he earned for successfully finishing a job? What if my every client will make a "payment reversal" ? How is it even possible... Why doesn't UpWork compensate this and contact the client, but instead, contacts the freelancer and asks the freelancer to return all the money for the completed work?

I have all screenshots of a dialogue with the client while working, all Work-In-Progress steps. I have no idea what happened with my client, I'm writing him right now too. But it is a nonsense that freelancer is responsible for the CLIENT'S card reversals, while UpWork gave all the guarantees. For real?

I'm looking forward to solving this issue.

Hi Vadim,
 
We are writing today to let you know that a payment made to your account has been reversed by your client’s bank.
 
This reversal (chargeback) is a result of your client contacting their bank and asking them to reverse the payment for the following transaction(s):
 

Milestone 1 - 550$ 

 
As a result, we do need the above amount returned to us.
 
As a first step to resolving this issue, you may wish to speak to your client about why they filed the chargeback, or ask them to contact us to discuss. 
 
We can try to help too, by submitting a rebuttal to your client’s bank on your behalf. If you’d like us to do that, timing is critical. Please reply to this email within 48 hours and attach proof of the work or deliverables you completed for the client.
 
Keep in mind that while we are happy to submit this rebuttal for you, the client’s bank will have the final say and we have no control over the outcome.
 
In the meantime, you won’t be able to withdraw any funds until the amount above is returned to us. If funds are available in your Upwork account, we will pull the amount due from that balance. If not, let us know when you have enough funds in your Upwork account so that we can collect the past due amount. Once this amount is returned to us, you’ll be able to withdraw funds again.

We are sorry to have to take this step, but this matter is a result of your client going off platform and filing a dispute with their financial institution. 

[9d40957b]

Could be a new way of scam maybe? Stolen card ?

[ArjayM]

Hi Vadim,

I'm sorry to hear about the unexpected refund/reversal that's been processed on your account. Please note that when the client fails to pay for hours logged by the freelancer, any hours that aren't covered by Upwork Hourly Protection may be reversed.

It looks like the team has reached out with more information about the issue and further instructions on how to resolve the issue. Please don't hesitate to coordinate with the team through your email or this page with your support ticket if you have concerns or still need further assistance.

[sadafnoreen30]

Hello sir,
How are you? I hope you are well. I need your help. Can you see my contract details?

Contract ID   31915120

You can see why I am getting this contract money back at my work but, I have successfully completed my work. My client was happy with my work and approved the mailstone after my work submission. But, why would I pay you my payment? I requested your refund. Upwork Let me know that we send you the final reduction in 90 days and 90 days have been completed, please help me look forward to your kind response. I don't want this money. Please help me.

[AveryO]

Hi Sadaf, 

This is a difficult situation, and I understand your frustration. Some reversals (chargebacks) result from the client contacting their bank and asking them to reverse the payment.

In these cases, we look to our Terms of Service (TOS) for guidance and follow it by taking two steps:

1. We seek reimbursement from freelancers/agencies in cases where their client makes a payment, asks their bank to reverse it, and the bank does. (see more detail in sections 6.3-6.5 in our TOS).

2. We review the client’s Upwork account because reversing a payment, in most cases, is against our TOS and can result in us permanently suspending their Upwork account.
Aside from these steps, the Upwork team also helps the freelancer or agency challenge the reversal.

Our team can submit a rebuttal to the client’s bank on the freelancer’s behalf if they provide proof of the work or deliverables. They would need to move quickly, so please provide the requested evidence within 48 hours of being notified of the reversal if you’d like us to proceed. Remember that it can take the bank up to 90 days to review and provide their final decision. The client’s bank will have the final say regarding the rebuttal, and we have no control over the outcome.

Since you already have an open ticket regarding this concern, you can post additional questions on your support ticket so that the team handling your case can assist you further. 

[junaidshahs]

Upwork never helps any Freelancer in a chargeback. Their self-made TOs are
good for nothing. At least they have to see the job completion's
competency, but they don't.

[designclub]

Hello,

I applied for a job in 2016, at that time when I was applying on the Job. The Client profile was showing "Payment Method Verified". The client hired me and I started my work. I worked "10:50 hrs" in a week. When it's time to get paid on Sunday. There was an error while charging his account. So there could be a couple of options that the client used, he removed his payment method before Sunday, or he blocked his card from the bank before Sunday. That's why Upwork gets an error while charging the payment.
So what is my fault? I completed my work, Spent my time. I applied for his job, while Upwork showed his "Payment method Verified". What is the benefit and guarantee of Upwork?
The client sent me a message in my inbox as well. You can check below:

"""Hi sorry sir, I've just realized the situation - it seems our assistant had to suspend all contracts due to a legal issue with another freelancer. I have just been notified now of the situation. It is an issue regarding adding manual time that was not tracked so currently contracts are suspended until our team goes through work diaries to make sure everything is clear."""

So what is my fault? It is your guarantee to Pay me because it was an Hourly contract and when I applied for the Job, the client profile showed "Payment Method Verified".
Also, a client can't hire on an hourly contract, until his payment method is verified. Why my contract started with him if the payment method was not verified?

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[759e32fa]

Hi Umair,

Thank you for reaching out. I can see that you've already raised a support ticket regarding your concern. You can access your support tickets here. Note that support requests are responded to in the order they are received. Kindly allow 24-48 hours for the team to follow up with you and assist you further.

[designclub]

Hi AJ,

On the support Ticket, they are not accepting my request. I don't know Why Upwork is not paying my money.

[ArjayM]

Hi Umair,

We certainly understand how you want this issue resolved. However, since you've been in contact with the appropriate team, we highly suggest you continue communicating with them through a single ticket so that they can assist accordingly and more efficiently. This ticket is still on hold and teams are working collaboratively to resolve the issue. We seek your patience and utmost understanding while sorting this out for you. Thank you!

[88149654]

I worked continuously for about 16 hours for a client on an hourly contract. My payment was pending and tomorrow I was going to get that. But now I have received an email from Upwork that they have to refund the payment back to the client because of a few memos. The screenshots are there and the client did not say anything during this time period.
My question is why the client does not dispute and why this thing did not happen when the payment was in review.
It was 1200$ and I spend a long period on that.
Please help me

[spectralua]

16 x $10\hr = $1200?

Ahmad, it was scammer. Noone will help you, sorry.

Yep, for $160 protection may cover you, but not in this case.

If you bought crypto for scamer or paid via Payoneer then you lost that money too.

[88149654]

Brother the rate was 75$/hour.

[ArjayM]

Hi Ahmad,

I'm sorry to hear about the unexpected refund that's been processed on your account. Please note that when the client fails to pay for hours logged by the freelancer, any hours that aren't covered by Upwork Hourly Protection may be reversed.

I can also see that you've been in contact with the team handling your case and raised a support ticket about your concern. We highly suggest you continue coordinating with the team so that they can assist you accordingly and more efficiently. You may access your tickets on this page to keep you updated.

[1584458e]

I didn't refund the funds i was about to recive them what's going on! 

[spectralua]

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/Unauthorized-refund/td-p/873154

[1584458e]

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

But it showed in my earnings??

[1584458e]

How I earned funds i did not receive?!

[yofazza]

The thread Mykola posted explains everything in detail, but here's a quick summary:

Client (credit card owner) could file a chargeback through their bank, anytime.

I happened to see your screenshot before it's gone. It's an hourly work. Upwork has "payment protection" for hourly work where they will pay you out from their own pocket if there are problems with client's cards, but you need to follow a set of rules to have it.

[1584458e]

I talked to a supporter after a long time of wating and chating and finally i saw that the client paid from his account, funds was in review then one of the supporters sent me to appropriate team and finally got in pending and i waited 5 days more then minutes before it should become available it refunded can someone please explain? 
thanks

[yofazza]

it explained in your first thread (that got merged now).

[JoanneP]

Hi Shahd,

It seems like you already posted about this and Arjay has replied to your post. You should be able to access the response by following this link. Please know that this post will also be merged. Thank you!

[ArjayM]

Hi Shahd,

I'm sorry to hear about the unexpected refund that's been processed on your account. Please note that when the client fails to pay for hours logged by the freelancer, any hours that aren't covered by Upwork Hourly Protection may be reversed.

I can see that you've raised a ticket about your concern. The team will also be reaching out to you directly via email with more information on how to proceed. You may access and coordinate with the team on this page. We seek your patience and utmost understanding while we take care of this for you.

[1584458e]

So I talked to a supporter about my paymend cause it was in review a long time ago and told cause the client didn't pay so I talked to the client and checked on his profile and showed the he had some payments, so i talked to the supporter again and told that i'll be sent to appropriate team. I checked my earnings and the funds are there can someone explain how? Cause if the client didn't pay it should not be in my earnings

[salmannaseer78]

Hi, 
One of my client committed fraud that He has released the payments in milestone but after 3 to 4 milestone he has created disputed and asked for reversal one by one payments on upwork after work done. Upwork has reserved his payments from some my account and some disputes resolved by itself. 
But, my reserved payments are not showing in payment reports view. Please help me to resolve as soon as possible. So, I can indentify the payment which is mine and remaining. Thank you.
Regards,

Salman Naseer

[759e32fa]

Hi Salman,

Thank you for reaching out to us. I can see that you opened a support ticket regarding this issue and are now being assisted by one of our agents. Please feel free to update the ticket should you have further questions or concerns.

[salmannaseer78]

yes please @annie please me to fix the balance status. I want to know about the balance status