Unfair Client Action: Retroactive Negative Feedback and Violation of Feedback Policy

[#1]

Hello Upwork Community,

I'm reaching out because I'm facing an extremely frustrating situation with a client and need your advice/support. Here's what happened:

The Project:

• I was hired for a $5 editing catalog where I mention already everything that clients get.
• The client sent me a video that was already edited and required extensive rework, which was outside the scope of my catalog.
• Despite this, I went above and beyond to deliver high-quality work, and the client initially expressed satisfaction.
• The client then asked for another order but refused to pay a fair price for the increased complexity, so we agreed to discontinue working together.
• After some delays, the client finally approved the milestone and I received "no feedback given" on my profile.

The Issue:

            18 days later, I received a notification that the client left negative feedback, changing their initial "no feedback" status, Additionally, the client blocked me after leaving the feedback, preventing any further communication.

• This feedback is not only unfair given the circumstances but also appears to be retaliatory and submitted well beyond the 14-day feedback period.

My Concerns:

• This negative feedback violates Upwork's policy and misrepresents my work.
• The client's behavior seems manipulative and has caused me stress and potentially damaged my reputation.
• Upwork's chatbot has been unhelpful, providing generic responses and not allowing me to contact a live agent.

My Questions/Request for Help:

• Has anyone else experienced similar issues with retroactive negative feedback?
• What can I do to dispute this unfair feedback and protect my reputation?
• Is there a way to escalate this issue to a human agent at Upwork for proper investigation and resolution?

I would greatly appreciate any advice or support the community can offer. This situation has been incredibly discouraging, and I want to ensure fairness and prevent similar issues from happening to others.

[#2]

I will check your post to see if any mod can clarify for all of us what could have happened so that the client could have changed or added a comment out of time, if I have understood the problem correctly.

[#3 · Accepted solution]

Hello Muhammad,

Thank you for reaching out about this, and I'm very sorry to learn about your overall experience with the client. I checked the project you refer to and can confirm that the client did not change their feedback. As you mentioned, the client didn't leave public feedback on your contract, and they cannot change this unless you enable them to.

The notification you received was about the client replying to your original feedback, which both parties can do within 28 days of the contract ending. For clarity, responses to feedback do not impact your JSS.

[#4]

Hi Luiggi, 

Thank you very much for your prompt response and for clarifying the situation regarding the feedback.

I appreciate your support in this matter and will continue to focus on delivering quality work and building positive relationships with my clients on Upwork.