🐈
» Forums » Freelancers » Unverified clients and their absurd requests
Page options
farahzaki_k
Community Member

Unverified clients and their absurd requests

Hello,

A client recently sent me an invitation for a project of 600 dollars. I accepted it and had a small chat with him over text messages on Upwork. He said he wanted to interview me on zoom. I agreed to do so. He told me he was in Pakistan when I asked him if I should join the meeting according to UK’s time. Please know that he has mentioned UK on his Upwork profile so that’s what I assumed. I also noticed that he didn’t verify the payment method and was only interviewing freelancers through Upwork.

Long story short, I joined the zoom call but wasn’t comfortable in turning on the video. He didn’t like the idea of me NOT turning on the video and told me that it was recommended by Upwork. I sensed something shady and told him that Upwork doesn’t allow freelancers to turn on the video during the first meeting. He was constantly telling me that he had more interviews lined up. PLUS, he was not verified so I had to say something to just end it.

All in all, I asked him to shortlist the candidates and then perhaps have a proper video chat with me. He didn’t like the idea whatsoever.

Anyway, I completely forgot about all that as this happened on Sunday. However, he texted me today and quoted Upwork’s message which stated that clients and freelancers are encouraged to have video/audio calls before signing the contract. I pointed out that he isn’t a verified client and that questions his integrity.

PS: he also recorded the zoom meeting and told me that it’d be easy for him to get back to me.

Can a moderator tell me if forcing someone to turn on the video is allowed or not? Also, what should freelancers do when unverified clients request such things?

Farah
ACCEPTED SOLUTION
jr-translation
Community Member

Did the client ask for permission to record the meeting? This is the only thing that would really bug me.

 

An unverified payment method is not always a red flag, you just need to make sure that it is veryfied before you start on an hourly contract or that the entire amount has been funded.

Interviewing multiple freelancers and being open about it is not a red flag.

 

I have asked in another thread about clients using fake photos in their profiles but did not receive a reply from Upwork. The ToS requires users to enter their residence. But you need to keep in mind that the client could be travelling or be part of a company that is located in the UK while he as part of the company is living in Pakistan.

 

As a client, I might be frustrated if a freelancer refuses to use video, but you could always use an excuse like "broken camera" and offer to reschedule until you managed to get hold of a different computer. But from your description I am under the impression that you had decided right from the start to not trust the client. You lied to him when you claimed "that Upwork doesn’t allow freelancers to turn on the video during the first meeting."

 

It comes down to this, you are a FREElancer. You are FREE to decide to use the camera or not, no one can force you, but you might lose clients if you refuse to turn on the camera. No one can force you to work with a client or to continue working if you realise you are not a good match.

View solution in original post

5 REPLIES 5
tlbp
Community Member

You are a freelancer. You can't be forced to do anything. Don't speak to this person anymore. Block him. 

petra_r
Community Member


Farah Z wrote:
 I sensed something shady and told him that Upwork doesn’t allow freelancers to turn on the video during the first meeting. 

That's not true.

 

Was the Zoom meeting through Upwork? 

 


Farah Z wrote:
Can a moderator tell me if forcing someone to turn on the video is allowed or not?

The client didn't force you to turn on video. He requested it. That is allowed, You refused. That is also allowed. The client may or may not make a video-interview a condition to go ahead. They are allowed to do that. You are allowed to refuse to do any video interviews.

 


Farah Z wrote:
 Also, what should freelancers do when unverified clients request such things?

Decide whether they want to do a video interview or not. It is as simple as that. As long as you do the interviews on Upwork's own Zoom (NOT outside the platform), Upwork don't get involved with whether you do video or not. 

Clients with unverified payment methods just means that they have not verified their payment method YET. That doesn't mean there is anything wrong.

 

I know it’s not true, but I cannot trust someone who has zero Upwork history. He only shared a Zoom ID and password with me for the interview. Don’t think it was through Upwork.

I was okay with doing a video interview but he seemed shady when he told me that he was in Pakistan, not UK. Why did he mention UK in the first place?

Plus, he has been doing interviews on Upwork since a few days now. Over 9, 10 candidates are there. He should’ve verified his payment by now. 🙂


Farah Z wrote:
I know it’s not true, 

Don't lie to clients. If you don't want to do video interviews, simply say that you don't do video interviews. No need for really transparent lies which the client immediately found out to be a lie because Upwork actually ENCOURAGE clients to use video interviews.

 


Farah Z wrote:
I cannot trust someone who has zero Upwork history. 

You can't "trust" anyone  on the Internet at all.

 


Farah Z wrote:
 He only shared a Zoom ID and password with me for the interview. Don’t think it was through Upwork.

Then you violated Upwork's terms of service. You are no allowed to communicate outside the platform before you are hired.

 


Farah Z wrote:
Plus, he has been doing interviews on Upwork since a few days now. Over 9, 10 candidates are there. He should’ve verified his payment by now. 🙂


So? As long as the client verifies their payment method before the hired freelancer starts working, there is no problem. The client is absolutely entitled to interview freelancers before verifying his payment method.

jr-translation
Community Member

Did the client ask for permission to record the meeting? This is the only thing that would really bug me.

 

An unverified payment method is not always a red flag, you just need to make sure that it is veryfied before you start on an hourly contract or that the entire amount has been funded.

Interviewing multiple freelancers and being open about it is not a red flag.

 

I have asked in another thread about clients using fake photos in their profiles but did not receive a reply from Upwork. The ToS requires users to enter their residence. But you need to keep in mind that the client could be travelling or be part of a company that is located in the UK while he as part of the company is living in Pakistan.

 

As a client, I might be frustrated if a freelancer refuses to use video, but you could always use an excuse like "broken camera" and offer to reschedule until you managed to get hold of a different computer. But from your description I am under the impression that you had decided right from the start to not trust the client. You lied to him when you claimed "that Upwork doesn’t allow freelancers to turn on the video during the first meeting."

 

It comes down to this, you are a FREElancer. You are FREE to decide to use the camera or not, no one can force you, but you might lose clients if you refuse to turn on the camera. No one can force you to work with a client or to continue working if you realise you are not a good match.

Latest Articles
Featured Topics
Learning Paths