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zaman_alahi
Community Member

Unresponsive client!

Well it seems to me the new Paid connect system will bring some changes definitely! But there is problem like sometimes client became unresponsive!! I have seen many cases that the client open a job and get lot proposal, then they get vanished! They don't even reply in months or even in years! So my question is, now it is paid system. every single proposal will cost me money! Is there any gurantee that my connect will not be a waste??? And how you guys going to handle these unreponsive client???

13 REPLIES 13
prestonhunter
Community Member

re: "...there is problem like sometimes client became unresponsive!"

 

Clients are not obligated to respond to freelancers.

 

re: "I have seen many cases that the client open a job and get lot proposal, then they get vanished!"

 

If a client posts a job proposal and then "vanishes," then I'm sorry if that frustrates you. But they are allowed to do that. Clients are not required to hire somebody if they post a job posting.

 

Keep in mind that if this happens to you, then what you are referring to is NOT YOUR CLIENT. It is a "prospective client."

 

re: "So my question is, now it is paid system. every single proposal will cost me money?"

 

That is correct.

 

re: "Is there any gurantee that my connect will not be a waste?"

 

No. There is no guarantee.

 

re: "And how you guys going to handle these unresponsive clients?"

 

Upwork customer service representatives will flog unresponsive clients with leather straps.

 

No, not really.

 

Fakruzzaman: What do you WANT Upwork to do with clients who post jobs and then end up not hiring somebody?

In my opinion if the client doesn't respond within 15-30 days the job should be closed and the worker should get back his/her connects back!! 

Preston H , your sarcasm is out of place here.  is clear what Fakruzzaman meant. "Potential customer" opened the project. Freelancers spent on this project connection, that is their money. If the “Potential Client” does not select anyone and closes the project, then all connections should be returned to the freelancers. But often the "Potential Client" simply forgets about the project and disappears, and the project is, as it were, in an active state. Connections disappear too. There were many offers from freelancers that Upwork set a time limit for inactive projects and these projects were closed automatically after a certain time. But Upwork did not do this, because it is profitable for them. This is a serious question . This applies to our money.


Rafael M wrote:

Preston H , your sarcasm is out of place here.  is clear what Fakruzzaman meant. "Potential customer" opened the project. Freelancers spent on this project connection, that is their money. If the “Potential Client” does not select anyone and closes the project, then all connections should be returned to the freelancers. But often the "Potential Client" simply forgets about the project and disappears, and the project is, as it were, in an active state. Connections disappear too. There were many offers from freelancers that Upwork set a time limit for inactive projects and these projects were closed automatically after a certain time. But Upwork did not do this, because it is profitable for them. This is a serious question . This applies to our money.


I am sorry, who elected you the decider of what is allowed or not?  He can be sarcastic if he wants to just like you can pretend that you are the arbitrer of what is correct.

Preston please don't make fun of it! it's a serious issue, I don't know you can feel it or not. 


re: "And how you guys going to handle these unresponsive clients?"

 

Upwork customer service representatives will flog unresponsive clients with leather straps.

 

No, not really.


Preston I like that one. When do they get started? LOL!

aajijn
Community Member

I thought like you. Really its a big problem for a worker. I think upwork make a rule for the client. When they do not respond within 15 to30 days then the client gives money. 

aajijn
Community Member

I thought like you. Really its a big problem for a worker. I think upwork make a rule for the client. When they do not respond within 15 to30 days then the client must gives money. 

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Fakruzzaman, 

Thanks for reaching out. We know this is an issue and we are actively looking at ways to solve it. We already look for and remove job posts that violate our Terms of Service. But we understand, for example, that when a client forgets to close a job post and doesn’t hire it is frustrating for freelancers. Once we find a solution, we’ll be sure to announce it. Note: If you see a job that is suspicious or inappropriate, please click "Flag as inappropriate" in the job post so we can review it. Thank you!


~ Avery
Upwork

Well, it's good to know Upwork recognizes this is a problem and is actively looking at ways to solve it. I would say it's one of the largest problems on Upwork. So your not alone, Fakruzzaman...clients become unresponsive and then they don't hire anyone. It happens often. 

 

In the meantime, Fakruzzaman, what Freelancers can do, is look at the client's history. If they have a low percentage of hires this means it's very likely they will continue to follow the same pattern. If they have a very high hire rate, then it's very likely they will continue to follow the same pattern. If they have no client history, or very litte, try to determine if the client has "skin in the game"...meaning.... If they have invested their time crafting a well-written, accurate and complete job description...chances are pretty good they are not going to let their time go to waste...they are in this and are more serious about it. These are just a few things to look at when bidding on projects and decide if it's worth the risk for you or not. 

tlbp
Community Member

Clients are people who have hired you. Someone who lists a job in hopes of finding a qualified candidate to fill it is not a client, they are a prospect. You are paying for an opportunity to make your pitch to that prospect but that does not obligate the prospect to hire or respond to anyone. If you feel that is a bad deal, save your money and don't make the pitch. 

florydev
Community Member

In my opinion, you are looking at the problem backwards.   What you should be asking is why do these clients post a job, not get a response they want, and then leave...unsatisified.  You are running a business.  What happens to you if you have a significant number of your clients leave unsatisifed.  Would it not be something you want to solve?

 

Are there jobs that are fake, spam, scam, and a waste of time?  Surely.  If you spend as much time as, I am assuming most of us that want to be successful here do, looking at jobs you start to see a pattern.  When you see a job you think is a waste, don't apply to it.

 

But are there jobs out there that were serious and they are going away without hiring anyone or in some cases even interviewing anyone? 

Upwork surely believes that there is.  That is bad for business.  Bad for them.  Bad for us.  People coming here looking for help and not finding it.  In the e-mail I received about the change it says specifically:

we expect freelancers will submit fewer proposals, increasing your likelihood of winning projects and making it easier for clients to identify high-quality talent.

 

The connect system, in my opinion, was put in place to thin the herd.  To keep that same herd from blistering every proposal with massive amounts of the same, inffective reponses, and causing clients to throw up their hands and leave.

 

I can see this is a problem.  I cannot understand how anyone who uses Upwork does not see this as a problem.

 

With the new connect system you have to put something at risk in order to propose.  The idea is, hopefully, you have a better likleyhood of winning a proposal because there is less overall noise being thrown at the client.  If you have followed me this far then you have to see it makes no sense to refund the connects.  If you do that, the risk is not much of a risk.  With a refund you are almost rewarding spamming a client off the system.

 

kat303
Community Member

So, in the B&M world, when you see a job listing, how much does it cost you to send a cover letter/resume? If you're called for an interview how much does that cost you? (figure gas, bus or cab fare, ink toner, special resume paper. stamps etc) And when you don't hear back after the interview, or after you mail in your resume, how should anyone handle those unresponsive employers?

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