Nov 18, 2019 09:12:59 PM by Aileen C
Solved! Go to Solution.
Nov 18, 2019 09:52:42 PM Edited Nov 18, 2019 09:56:09 PM by Preston H
Aileen:
This client is being a bully and a bad person, in addition to clearly violating Upwork TOS. I am sorry that you are facing this situation and I really hope Upwork will intervene on your behalf.
The fact that this client either:
- is trying to get free work from you
or
- has no idea how to use Upwork properly
...should not become your problem.
Nov 18, 2019 09:37:05 PM by Amanda L
Threatening to leave you a bad review in return for a refund is against TOS. Report her and show the evidence she has said this.
Let her dispute the payment. If you were on an hourly contract, kept meaningful memos, and have proof of her emails assigning the work, then you are covered. Do not work for free and do not issue a refund.
How much money are we talking about? If you go to a dispute, you can hopefully come to an amicable solution or possibly she'll back off. Since she's threatened you and made a TOS violation, it's likely she could be suspended and then it's a moot question. Report her and go through the legitimate steps, I would not issue a refund, and I would tell her to open up an official dispute.
Also flagging for a moderator.
Nov 18, 2019 09:50:04 PM Edited Nov 19, 2019 12:23:02 AM by Avery O
Thank you so much for your response and help. Here are the words of the
client
**edited for Community Guidelines**
But upon looking at the email of the task it was for new hire and I’m the
new hire and it’s complete with instructions and links.
Nov 18, 2019 09:52:42 PM Edited Nov 18, 2019 09:56:09 PM by Preston H
Aileen:
This client is being a bully and a bad person, in addition to clearly violating Upwork TOS. I am sorry that you are facing this situation and I really hope Upwork will intervene on your behalf.
The fact that this client either:
- is trying to get free work from you
or
- has no idea how to use Upwork properly
...should not become your problem.
Nov 18, 2019 09:55:10 PM by Amanda L
Aileen C wrote:
Thank you so much for your response and help. Here are the words of the
client
We are giving a 1-star review and reporting to Upwork.
All refunds have been requested. If we do not receive the refunds for the
work we did not assign to you, we will leave a negative review and involve
Upwork.
But upon looking at the email of the task it was for new hire and I’m the
new hire and it’s complete with instructions and links.
Doesn't matter if she sent you the wrong email. She had time to dispute your hours and didn't. She's just trying to get free work out of you by threatening you. Stand your ground.
Nov 18, 2019 11:39:00 PM by Aileen C
based on my understanding the client wants a refund outside of upwork and if i don't give it within a week she'll then involve upwork...correct me if i'm wrong though...and thank you everyone for all the help
Nov 19, 2019 12:10:43 AM Edited Nov 19, 2019 12:24:56 AM by Petra R
Aileen C wrote:based on my understanding the client wants a refund outside of upwork and if i don't give it within a week she'll then involve upwork...correct me if i'm wrong though...and thank you everyone for all the help
That would be a violation of the terms of service... it actually also begins to sound like potentially a scam.
Personally, I would get proactive and involve Upwork right away.
Were your working hours logged properly (tracked, with meaningful memos and so on?)
Also, you are top rated, so unless you have used your top rated feedback removal perk in the last 3 months and 10 contracts, you can remove any bad feedback that client would give you anyway 😉
Nov 19, 2019 12:17:08 AM by Aileen C
Nov 18, 2019 10:15:15 PM by Petra R
It actually does not matter what is fair and what isn't. It also doesn't matter if the client is a bad person or a saint.
All that matters is what the client can actually DO about it and what you can do about it.
The client can request mediation for the last 30 days prior to the day she goes to Upwork.
If it is an hourly contract, all Upwork will look at is the following:
Demanding a refund by threatening bad feedback is actually a violation of Upwork's terms of service, so I'd at this point get pro-active and report the client.
I'd certainly NOT refund, neither in installments nor all at once.
Nov 19, 2019 12:31:53 AM by Avery O
Hi Aileen,
I'm sorry for the delay as I had to locate the contract, and conversation that you are referring to. It appears that this issue stemmed from miscommunication between you and your client, and I would like to recommend that if you are not clear on what part of the project you are meant to complete, it would be best to communicate further with the client so that disagreements like this can be avoided.
I will go ahead and check this with the team further, and I'll come back here once I have more information.
Nov 19, 2019 12:37:19 AM by Petra R
Avery O wrote:I would like to recommend that if you are not clear on what part of the project you are meant to complete, it would be best to communicate further with the client so that disagreements like this can be avoided.
Bit late for that now, wouldn't you say?
If the client has asked for money to be refunded outside of Upwork = Policy violation
If the client has threatened 1 star feedback if not refunded (outside the platform) = Policy violation.
Nov 19, 2019 12:43:53 AM Edited Nov 19, 2019 12:45:06 AM by Avery O
Petra,
I understand where you are coming from. However, I have based my reply on what the OP has shared on the thread, and so that other (silent) users who are reading this thread can learn from the experience.
I am unable to share more information about this case as per our privacy policy, but I would like to thank you for pointing out the policy violations that may have stemmed from this case. I will take note of this when escalating this case to the team.
Nov 19, 2019 12:58:41 AM by Petra R
Avery O wrote:t I would like to thank you for pointing out the policy violations that may have stemmed from this case. I will take note of this when escalating this case to the team.
Thank you 🙂
Nov 19, 2019 01:22:29 AM by Aileen C
Nov 19, 2019 01:24:25 AM Edited Nov 19, 2019 01:26:52 AM by Vladimir G
Hi Aileen,
I'm sorry about the issue that arose with your client on this contract. I won't be able to advise on any action you should take but would like to outline the options you have. In case the client is looking for a refund of hours logged solely working on a task they mentioned wasn't requested of you, and you agree with this request, you can proceed with refunding the hours. If you disagree and confirm you were asked to complete the task by the client or someone from their team, you can decline and in case the client files a dispute, have our dispute team review the task you were asked to complete and hours you logged.
If you were requested to complete the task by the client and logged hours in line with the requirements listed here, you're covered by Hourly Payment Protection.
Please send me a private message by clicking on my name in case the client is asking you to refund the hours outside the task in question and also for the refund to be processed off-Upwork, so I could check and advise you accordingly.
Nov 19, 2019 01:46:07 AM by Aileen C
Hi thank you. My client is asking for a refund of everything including those that I've worked for the past month I think. I told my client that Upwork will give her enough time to review the work I did before approving the payment and if she approved it then doesn't that mean that I am doing the right task? As far as I know Upwork will notify the client about the weekly log in review similar to what freelancers get on their emails. And the file was a shared one so any changes made there is visible to my client and her team. I'm just wondering why it took my client a month before calling me out about it since Upwork always sends reminders and notifications about weekly log ins.
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