Upwork has became a thieves nest

[lucioric]

Last week I worked in an hourly contract, and while I was updating the memo at Sunday night, the contract was suspended due a payment failing of the client. Then I couldn't update the memo, and the staff has just said me that then the contract doesn't qualify for hourly protection. BUT NOT AT MY JUNKY FAULTTT, because I couldn't update the memo. In the ticket I raised, I told the client which work was done for which day, and anyways they don't consider that the hourly protection is met. I just complained about that in the ticket; if they credit me the hours worked, I delete this message, but now I am too angry and desperate. That is not the first time that I find a scammer client. From some clients wanting to do non legit things to those that want to abuse the payment method, Upwork has became a burglars cave. Ah, and I think that you should warn "if your client fays to pay before the week ends, the work diary will be locked, and you won't be able to update the memo as of to be covered by the hourly protection".

What can be rescued from a best regard.

[billy-ombima]

Thanks for the heads up.

This has not happened to me. But I can see how easily one can fall for this. I hope you get your issue resolved soon. 

[lucioric]

Heads up. You don't know when you will come across a dishonest client. They have flooded this platform.

[PradeepH]

Hi Lucio,

Thank you for your message. I am sorry to hear about your experience with the client. I can see that you've raised a support ticket regarding your concern and one of our team members is already assisting you. You can access your support tickets here. Please don't hesitate to follow up with them on the same support ticket if you have additional questions regarding your concern. 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.

Thank you,
Pradeep

[sajal36]

Just curious this happend on verified payment method or unverfied payment method. 

[lucioric]

He shows 'verified payment'. I am not sure what it means, if after a week the payment of the client has failed, it still is being shown as 'payment method verified'!. Should it be that the client did a 10 USD payment to show that the payment method was verified, intentionally to try to abuse the Upwork system?.

[the-right-writer]

Verified payment means nothing. Upwork runs three tiny, reversible charges on the card to verifiy it's legitimate. You do the "work" and then there is no money in some situations.

Verified payment has nothing to do with getting paid. Scammers steal the number, and it's still verified - until the card owner and the issuing bank find out and cancel the card.

What is important, is making sure the job is funded through hourly or milestones contract before any talking, texting, or any communication outside the platform.

If this is a stolen card, and you did not have a pre-funded contract for hourly tracking, you won't receive any money. You need to go to the Academy and learn how to establish yourself here and how to use contracts. Learn the Terms of Service and follow Upwork's rules.

[sajal36]

Billing method verified by upwork is to ensure to protect freelancer on upwork Unverified billing method I believe as this client have verfied payment method than it can happen that his payment method might have expired.

 However, it is always recommended to follow upwork hourly protection through Upwork Desktop App. I believe as you are following the manual hour logging so you are not covered under upwork hourly protection. 

The best can be done in this situaiton is that freelancer to message the client on his contract suspension and let him know that there are unlogged hours due to same. This is is to ensure that client is aware that there are unlogged hours from your side. I believe once clietn return than he will have an obligation to clear his dues. At the same time you have already raise the issue to upwork so I hope this issue close in your favour and you get paid for your effort.

[lucioric]

No, that are hours billed using the desktop time tracker, only that I didn't update the memo in time, but in the while, the contract got suspended. I told the client that a week ago. i don't know if she abandoned the contract, or simply she had not been able to respond. She has another active contract, so if I don't get an answer prompty I will warn the other freelancer.
My most expensive error here, probably. With that money, I would take a react full stack development course. But not precisely now, the hell, with the credit card, tax and accountant debts over me!.

[lucioric]

Perhaps cross, cross to me. maybe until I am 40 I have not fulfilled some basic milestones then. Or the scammer population has grown as grass under rain them. But that means that hourly contracts are rubbish then. I vomit fixed-price projects because they use to mean to me late, low payment. They are more like tips than incomes for a living, that is what I am trying to make here, a living. But now, it seems that fixed-price projects are the only sure. Perhaps there should be hybrid contracts, when we get some amount in escrow and it is debited with each hour that one bill.
But what I am not liking is that I am being treated as if I was scamming Upwork. ¡By God!. Oh yes, surely I am waiting my time trying to scam Upwork instead of earning 22 USD an hour. And am treated as I didn't know the rules, when my (most expensive, $400) error is to delay the work diary edition until Sunday night. My lesson, most expensive that if I bought a course at Coursera, unintentionally, is to edit the memo on time, for hourly protection; idle time removal can be set to Sunday night, if the client wants to swallow that by letting the contract get suspended without telling me, anyway the hourly protection rules remove inactive time segments.
About the academy, if I am in Upwork from before the academy was created like in 2019. But I will probably get tips there to ensure I can get paid, and to establish relationships with clients. I hope that Academy is in blog format, not to having to skim a half an hour video now because my client in turn didn't want, or didn't care, or I don't know, to pay.

[feed_my_eyes]

Unfortunately, you did make a mistake by waiting until Sunday night to update your work diary. You're supposed to update the memos as you're working, or at the very least, right after you finish a session. A contract can be closed or suspended at any time, and any hours that aren't properly recorded won't be covered by Upwork's payment protection. 

[spectralua]

You are right. Realtime memos update is a must. Yep, it is annoying but required to do it before contract stopped\ended\weekcycled.

[lucioric]

Or paused. Apparently, we should be pickpicky about the work diary, all because the clients that are miserable. Yes, that is the one word statement for the situation. People that don't have anythng and don't give anything.

[the-right-writer]

Your situation is precisely why I tell freelancers to not jump into jobs before learning all the rules. Hourly is not guaranteed if you don't follow all the rules. There is no replacement for vetting the client and following every rule. It is the freelancer's responsibility to track correctly, including memos and timely submission. Whether fixed price or hourly, don't start working until you understand everything about the process and the job. Your client didn't make the error, you did. Take this as a lesson learned and study how contract are supposed to be used. There are plenty of freelancers like me, who have never been scammed, and always get paid. How do we do it? Check out your client and most importantly, follow the rules! No one, including Upwork, will protect you. We are all self-employed and in charge of every decision we make.

[lucioric]

Ostensibly we are the responsible 😞

[lucioric]

Yes, great lesson. Only that I still don't know how to pay my bank debts nor my taxes with 'lessons'. **Edited for Community Guidelines**

[lucioric]

The ability of editing the work diary is also in benefit of the client and Upwork. Once, I was unable to delete junk 40 minutes because the client paused the contract, and the client had to pay me for that time. I think that I retributed the client with work next week, but I am really stupid to do so, because when the issue is in the other sense, people don't touch the heart for me. But I will stop being so stupid. I am awaiting, to see if i am really not paid, if I am not, i will go with all against the client, and against Upwork that lets that happen. For example I can post a new TrustPilot review, and use Twitter...

[tlsanders]

Sounds like you're saying you neglected to make memos in real time and you're angry that Upwork operated exactly the way we've always been told it would? 

[lucioric]

I "delayed" that to sunday, because I am not the great fan to put the explain the things. And on sunday, I couldn't longer edit the the memos because the contract got suspended.

[prestonhunter]

If Upwrok is a "thieves nest", it is duie to bad behavior by the freelancers.

Scammers who try to steal from freelancers would not be here if there were not so many freelancers violating Upwork ToS and doing the wrong thing.

[lucioric]

so, probably then to get to tensions at home, due to a bad actor joined with my mistakes. Which month on earth am I getting out of debts again?.

[a64cb8e1]

 I hope you get your issue resolved soon.