Withdrew Proposal -- Did I do the right thing?

[Erica M]

I'm not feeling 100% sure I did the right thing here (about 95%, ha), but I wanted to see if others may agree:

I had a perspective client reach out to me about a proposal I submitted, and he asked (before job offer), if we could speak via Skype. I immediately agreed. He said he would call "in 15 minutes" to which I said, "Great!" (I immediately sent him a Skype request.)

Then ... I waited around for an hour and he never called. It even appeared he went offline. I am OK with being 5-10 minutes late -- even longer if they message me saying they are delayed -- but I didn't get so much as "hold on, I'm so sorry ...."

I didn't want to set a precedent off the bat with this client that I would allow my time to be ... uh, disrespected.

So, I withdrew my proposal.

It was a $135 job (after Upwork fees), so that kind of irritates me, but I put myself in his shoes, and if I requested a call with a freelancer and made them wait around, how would that make me look?

I did the right thing, no?

(For the record, the guy's reviews are mixed, everything from 1 star to 5 stars, so maybe I saved myself some headaches?)

[Jennifer M]

Yep. I've done it myself. Waste my time? See ya. I'd be less hard on a current client and cut them some slack if they came back and apologized, but a new one? Nope. He didn't even respect you enough to send a note to say that he can't make it.

Expletive him.

[Nichola L]

You have answered your own questions!

I am glad you didn't go any further with this person. A client who has no respect for the person he/she is hiring - a client who does not understand what freelancing is about - a client who thinks he/she is an employer which is not the case . . .

For under $200 - you did the right thing.

[#4]

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@Erica M wrote:

I'm not feeling 100% sure I did the right thing here (about 95%, ha), but I wanted to see if others may agree:

I had a perspective client reach out to me about a proposal I submitted, and he asked (before job offer), if we could speak via Skype. I immediately agreed. He said he would call "in 15 minutes" to which I said, "Great!" (I immediately sent him a Skype request.)

Then ... I waited around for an hour and he never called. It even appeared he went offline. I am OK with being 5-10 minutes late -- even longer if they message me saying they are delayed -- but I didn't get so much as "hold on, I'm so sorry ...."

I didn't want to set a precedent off the bat with this client that I would allow my time to be ... uh, disrespected.

So, I withdrew my proposal.

It was a $135 job (after Upwork fees), so that kind of irritates me, but I put myself in his shoes, and if I requested a call with a freelancer and made them wait around, how would that make me look?

I did the right thing, no?

(For the record, the guy's reviews are mixed, everything from 1 star to 5 stars, so maybe I saved myself some headaches?)

---

I had a similar experience some time ago. A potential client wanted to communicate about the project via Skype. It happened twice that he promised a call at a specific time. I prepared, waited, nothing happened. Later we had to chat over the project and he explained that he could not call because he had something important to do (without any excuse). When it happened the second time I was really angry because he was so disrespectful and in combination with the fact he also tried to hire me offside (one of those clients who hire on Upwork but also try to hire outside) I told him that I am no longer interested in his project and I think this was a wise decision. 

[Natacha R]

I did the right thing, no?

I think you were too fast to withdraw. Maybe something unexpected came up?.

What I would never do is wait for an hour, I wait 10 minutes and then log out from Skype, but I don’t withdraw my proposal, I send them a message.

[Erica M]

I agree to a point. 

I did assume something unexpected came up. But with the advent of things like the Upwork phone app, it's simple to take 5-10 seconds to alert of a delay.

But I get your point about NOT waiting an hour, just logging off and messaging. That would have been a better move.

I think --- overall --- I let his mixed reviews fuel my decision.

[Tonya P]

The mixed reviews would have put me off.

[Tiffany S]

I don't think there's any right or wrong thing here. You made a choice that you didn't want to risk trying to work with this client, and that's just personal preference.

[Kim W]

I would have (and have) done the exact same thing.  Part of a good client/freelance relationship is mutual respect.  If I am meeting someone for lunch, I would let them know I would be late.  Showing up an hour late would be totally disrespectful.

I had an instance where messages were exchanged.  Initially thoughts provided and a Skype call arranged for a specific time later in that morning.  Minutes before the Skype, I received the "Your Proposal Was Declined - Chose Another Freelancer" notification.

Unfortunately, there are people out there that act as they do.

[Maria A]

You did the right thing. If something feels "off" or rubs you the wrong way about a client, don't do it. That's one of the perks of freelancing!