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jojomo
Community Member

blackmail? and what should I do.

Hey everyone!

 

Hope you are all staying safe!

 

Anyway, I have a quick question. I'm top rated with 100% JSS and have recently been hired to design a quick PDF for a client. We agreed on a $75 fixed rate contract. He sent me the offer and I accepted and I turned it around that same day. This is what he sent me in return:

 

"Hi Joëlle, thanks for the PDF. Your work was great, but very similar to what the other designer submitted.
Her hourly rate is much lower and it fits our budget better.
Is it fair for you if I pay you $40 for what you've submitted to me and I can leave you a 5 star review?"

 

Isn't that against TOS and considered blackmail? How would you handle this?

I didn't want to do anything rash but should he be reported?

 

Thanks!

Joëlle

ACCEPTED SOLUTION
jr-translation
Community Member


Joëlle O wrote:

Hey everyone!

 

Hope you are all staying safe!

 

Anyway, I have a quick question. I'm top rated with 100% JSS and have recently been hired to design a quick PDF for a client. We agreed on a $75 fixed rate contract. He sent me the offer and I accepted and I turned it around that same day. This is what he sent me in return:

 

"Hi Joëlle, thanks for the PDF. Your work was great, but very similar to what the other designer submitted.
Her hourly rate is much lower and it fits our budget better.
Is it fair for you if I pay you $40 for what you've submitted to me and I can leave you a 5 star review?"

 

Isn't that against TOS and considered blackmail? How would you handle this?

I didn't want to do anything rash but should he be reported?

 

Thanks!

Joëlle


I think it qualified as feedback manipulation:
Screenshot_2020-04-22 Upwork Legal Center.png

View solution in original post

18 REPLIES 18
lysis10
Community Member

You're top rated and this is exactly what the perk is for. Tell him to pay up or it goes into dispute. His rating won't matter because you can use the perk to remove it.

jojomo
Community Member

Yeah I know I can use that perk but I feel like this is completely dishonest and he's using people. I don't want him to do this to someone else.

 

By the way, do you know how many times I can use that perk (once every 6 months or more?). Ive never had to use it.

lysis10
Community Member


Joëlle O wrote:

Yeah I know I can use that perk but I feel like this is completely dishonest and he's using people. I don't want him to do this to someone else.

 

By the way, do you know how many times I can use that perk (once every 6 months or more?). Ive never had to use it.


I wouldn't worry about others. They can handle it how they want to.

 

You can use the perk every 3 months and 10 contracts. 

dzadza
Community Member


Jennifer M wrote:

You're top rated and this is exactly what the perk is for. Tell him to pay up or it goes into dispute. His rating won't matter because you can use the perk to remove it.


how about his private rating? if he gives her (let's say) 3 on recommendation scale - she will no longer have 100% jss (I think). His public feedback will be removed - not sure about the private one... That's how UW managed to keep freelancers hostage to stupid private feedback...

lysis10
Community Member


Sanja D wrote:

Jennifer M wrote:

You're top rated and this is exactly what the perk is for. Tell him to pay up or it goes into dispute. His rating won't matter because you can use the perk to remove it.


how about his private rating? if he gives her (let's say) 3 on recommendation scale - she will no longer have 100% jss (I think). His public feedback will be removed - not sure about the private one... That's how UW managed to keep freelancers hostage to stupid private feedback...


The perk removes private feedback, so it's like it never happened. 🙂 AND you get some money out of it. w00t

dzadza
Community Member


Jennifer M wrote:


The perk removes private feedback, so it's like it never happened. 🙂 AND you get some money out of it. w00t


REALLY?
Stupid me - well, that sounds great! I thought that she'll be able to remove only public feedback -  great news! Well - not really news - but it's news to me, lol

lysis10
Community Member


Sanja D wrote:


REALLY?
Stupid me - well, that sounds great! I thought that she'll be able to remove only public feedback -  great news! Well - not really news - but it's news to me, lol


It's a beautiful thing lemme tell you, so clients can threaten, blackmail whatever it doesn't matter. They are quick about it too so it gets removed before it's ever factored into JSS or is seen on your profile if you do it right away.

dzadza
Community Member


Jennifer M wrote:

Sanja D wrote:


REALLY?
Stupid me - well, that sounds great! I thought that she'll be able to remove only public feedback -  great news! Well - not really news - but it's news to me, lol


It's a beautiful thing lemme tell you, so clients can threaten, blackmail whatever it doesn't matter. They are quick about it too so it gets removed before it's ever factored into JSS or is seen on your profile if you do it right away.


Heavenly 😉
Thanks so much for giving me one reason to like UW (still not happy about specialized profiles, though)

petra_r
Community Member


Joëlle O wrote:

"Hi Joëlle, thanks for the PDF. Your work was great, but very similar to what the other designer submitted.
Her hourly rate is much lower and it fits our budget better.
Is it fair for you if I pay you $40 for what you've submitted to me and I can leave you a 5 star review?"


That's ridiculous. What does the hourly rate have to do with a fixed rate contract for a mutually agreed amount?

jojomo
Community Member

Well this project was supposed to open up other opportunities similar to this one.... I believe thats what he meant. So not only is he not hiring me on (which is fine), but he's trying to swindle me out of what we agreed.

wlyonsatl
Community Member

If you did the agreed work, you should insist on being paid the agreed amount.

 

It's unfortunate that this sort of client can try to trade positive feedback for discounted pricing.

 

At the very least Upwork should remove such client's feedback from the freelancer's account  and JSS calculation without requiring the freelancer to use the Top Rated perk, but I have never seen anyone here confirm that has happened for them.

jojomo
Community Member


Will L wrote:

If you did the agreed work, you should insist on being paid the agreed amount.

 

It's unfortunate that this sort of client can try to trade positive feedback for discounted pricing.

 

At the very least Upwork should remove such client's feedback from the freelancer's account  and JSS calculation without requiring the freelancer to use the Top Rated perk, but I have never seen anyone here confirm that has happened for them.


Absolutely. Clients like this get on my last nerve. That's ok, I think I put him in his place. He has a pretty high feedback score himself... so mine will definitely hurt him and I don't believe he's got a perk to remove it.

The overwhelming majority of normal human beings would never do something like this. Obviously the client was out of line. Most people would know that it is wrong to hire a person and not pay the agreed-upon fee. Even clients who are fundamentally amoral or dishonest would typically be too embarrassed do something like this.


Preston H wrote:

The overwhelming majority of normal human beings would never do something like this. Obviously the client was out of line. Most people would know that it is wrong to hire a person and not pay the agreed-upon fee. Even clients who are fundamentally amoral or dishonest would typically be too embarrassed do something like this.


Thanks Preston. I agree and I am offended that he even went there! I could care less about the $35, it's really the principle... He has a real nerve.

 

I put him in his place and he didn't even acknowledge my response. He just asked for edits as if nothing happened. He will get a well-deserved feedback from me at the end of this.

 

Have you reported his behaviour to Upwork, if yes, what was the response/action taken?

jr-translation
Community Member


Joëlle O wrote:

Hey everyone!

 

Hope you are all staying safe!

 

Anyway, I have a quick question. I'm top rated with 100% JSS and have recently been hired to design a quick PDF for a client. We agreed on a $75 fixed rate contract. He sent me the offer and I accepted and I turned it around that same day. This is what he sent me in return:

 

"Hi Joëlle, thanks for the PDF. Your work was great, but very similar to what the other designer submitted.
Her hourly rate is much lower and it fits our budget better.
Is it fair for you if I pay you $40 for what you've submitted to me and I can leave you a 5 star review?"

 

Isn't that against TOS and considered blackmail? How would you handle this?

I didn't want to do anything rash but should he be reported?

 

Thanks!

Joëlle


I think it qualified as feedback manipulation:
Screenshot_2020-04-22 Upwork Legal Center.png


Jennifer R wrote:


I think it qualified as feedback manipulation:
Screenshot_2020-04-22 Upwork Legal Center.png



Thanks, that's what I thought, that's definitely feedback manipulation.

 

Also, after I put him in his place, he never actually acknowledged anything, he just requested changes. I did the changes as he asked and he still hasn't approved the milestone. He's probably doing it on purpose, making me wait the 14 days to approve it. I don't want to wait and want out of the contract.... so I will have to contact someone.

lysis10
Community Member


Joëlle O wrote:

Jennifer R wrote:


I think it qualified as feedback manipulation:
Screenshot_2020-04-22 Upwork Legal Center.png



Thanks, that's what I thought, that's definitely feedback manipulation.

 

Also, after I put him in his place, he never actually acknowledged anything, he just requested changes. I did the changes as he asked and he still hasn't approved the milestone. He's probably doing it on purpose, making me wait the 14 days to approve it. I don't want to wait and want out of the contract.... so I will have to contact someone.


Just wait out the 14 days if that's what's going on. You lose nothing this way. Who cares if he's doing it on purpose.

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