Why are we seeing jobs being posted even though these clients don't have a VERIFIED payment method?

Ludian II M · Jun 3, 2016 08:17:46 AM

Good day to all!

Just want to share my thoughts about working with clients.

Why do Upwork allow clients (w/ UNVERIFIED payment method) to create an account and post jobs? Wouldn't it be so much better to only allow those who have verified payment methods to create accounts and post jobs? For one, seeing those kinds of job postings seem to be "junk" for me. There's no point of looking at those or even attempting to apply to those jobs as Upwork itself strongly advises not to work on jobs "outside" the platform so we (freelancers) can be "protected" be it an hourly job or fixed-price ones.

I believe preventing "them" will somehow streamline the job lists as well.

Hoping to hear back from anyone in the community! Thanks so much in advance!

Kind regards,

Ludian

Jennifer M · Jun 3, 2016 08:26:59 AM

I've run across my first escrow with an unverified payment method and it's not looking too promising that they are gonna fix it. It sucks but no verification no work buddy!

But, tbf, this is the first time since I've been at Upwork that it's happened. I would not want to force people to enter a CC. You people who complain about this have 0 clue how inbound traffic, leads and sales work. If you don't want to bid on their projects, don't and let us sales people who know how to convert deal with them. I've sold tons of new clients. Just because you can't, doesn't mean there is a problem.

Ludian II M · Jun 3, 2016 08:35:58 AM

Thanks for the insight, Jen! :-)

Robert James R · Jun 3, 2016 08:41:07 AM

I get your point. I often avoid those clients unless they invited me for an interview.

It's entirely possible their CC expired or they had a little issue with their Paypal account or whatever bank they use.
It's also possible they don't know how to register their payment method.
Lastly, it's also possible they're scam clients who want to either rip you off of connects or go for free work.

A 1/3 chance of being scammed is big but if you know how to discern the right posts, you might land your dream job. I know I did around three times already. I just had to teach them how to fund

Ludian II M · Jun 3, 2016 08:58:55 AM

Maybe we can hear from someone from the in-house / in-office team.

Valeria K · Jun 3, 2016 09:21:52 AM

Hi Ludian,

Thanks for sharing your feedback. At this point we don't have any plans to prevent client's with unverified payment methods from posting jobs. However, the team is actively working on adding a way to filter jobs with verified payment methods. A lot of successful freelancers apply and discuss the terms with clients before they are verified, but make sure the verification is completed before they start working.

~ Valeria

Ludian II M · Jun 3, 2016 09:31:08 AM

Hello Valeria,

Glad to hear from someone in the office!

I see. Well, that sounds fairly reasonalbe to me. "Filtering" those would definitely help in streamlining the job lists.

Yes, I've been clearing everything out with my client(s) before proceeding with any contract(s) but for the new ones (freelancers), there'll be a very big possibilty that they'll encounter some "problems" like others reported. I did experience it before.

Anyways, looking forward for that improvement in the platform!

Kind regards,

Ludian

Iuliana U · Jun 3, 2016 10:42:41 PM

From my experience, I can see a few reasons why Upwork would allow job posts and hires without a verified payment method.
I had a client who hired me for a job that took me a few hours. I started to worry when I noticed that his payment was not verrified, but it turned out that he had to try several of his cards for Upwork to accept them. All the while I was annoyed at the thought that he was a potential scamer. Turns out the problem was with his bank and so his payment method took 2 weeks to verify.
Payment methods can get tangled and delayed, especialy during the hollidays. Rely on your gut and logic to figure out if someone is not worth taking the risk. After all, even verified clients can make your job a nightmare.

Suzi J · Jun 3, 2016 08:43:48 AM

I completely agree with you on this. What IS the point of posting jobs if there is no guarantee they will be paid?

Perhaps you should start a petition...

Best regards,

Suzi Jameson

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

Jennifer M · Jun 3, 2016 08:46:06 AM

@Suzi J wrote:

I completely agree with you on this. What IS the point of posting jobs if there is no guarantee they will be paid?

Perhaps you should start a petition...

Best regards,

Suzi Jameson

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

I've gotten paid on every contract I've worked for where the buyer had no CC verified when I bid. You are just doinitrong.