client asking for refund a month after project was completed and all files were sent

[#1]

I finished a project for a client who never replies to his messages for weeks last month on the 9th of September. When I submitted the last milestone he never responded for 14 days so the payment was sent to me by Upwork.

Now a month later he is asking for a refund on the project when all the files are sent to him, not just for the second milestone but for the first also, what should I do to resolve this, please I have no intention of doing a refund for a work I completed months ago not for the second nor the first milestone which he approved himself

your help would be highly appreciated 

[#2]

No matter what you do, you must communicate in a polite professional manner.

Even if a former client asks you something preposterous, you must be polite and professional.

My advice to you:

Don't argue. Don't defend yourself. Ask him a short question about why he sent the refund request.

Maybe he will be too embarrassed to even answer your question.

If he does answer your question, then return to the Forum and (paraphrasing) tell us what he said.

We can help you figure out what to do next.

Also: Tell us if this contract is closed or still open.

[#3]

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Preston H wrote:

No matter what you do, you must communicate in a polite professional manner.

Even if a former client asks you something preposterous, you must be polite and professional.

My advice to you:

Don't argue. Don't defend yourself. Ask him a short question about why he sent the refund request.

Maybe he will be too embarrassed to even answer your question.

If he does answer your question, then return to the Forum and (paraphrasing) tell us what he said.

We can help you figure out what to do next.

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Thank you I would do that

[#4]

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Andrew Ben R wrote:

Now a month later he is asking for a refund on the project when all the files are sent to him

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A month after what? The last communication or when the milestone has been released?

Basically, the client has 30 days from the moment the last milestone has been released to you to dispute. It sounds like the client has not disputed (yet), he's just requested a refund.

What you need to do next depends on whether the client can still dispute or not. Bear in mind that if he is still within the 30 days, the client can dispute the entire contract, not just the last milestone.

[#5]

The last milestone was sent on the 15th of August but he never responded nor send any messages so it was approved on August 30th. I later ended the project on September 9th because I was told inactive projects can affect my JSS. Today is 14th of October when he suddenly asked for a refund on both first and second milstone

[#6]

Is the contract still open?

[#7]

I ended it on September 9th because he never responded for 2 months and was aware inactive contracts affect JSS also during interviews I keep being asked why I have 3 jobs in progress.

[#8]

re: "I ended it on September 9th"

That was smart of you to do.

It is now impossible for this client to leave feedback for you.

So that removes a potential cause for concern some freelancers have when faced with a refund request.

[#9]

Okay thanks, I would wait for his response for the reason why I requested a refund although I doubt he would respond today or tomorrow 

[#10]

The more time that passes, the better it is for you. With each passing day, it becomes less likely that he will have any way to take your money.

[#11 · Accepted solution]

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Andrew Ben R wrote:

The last milestone was sent on the 15th of August but he never responded nor send any messages so it was approved on August 30th. I later ended the project on September 9th 

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You can politely decline the request. The client can no longer dispute, they can't even leave any feedback anymore. It's game over for the client.

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Andrew Ben R wrote:

because I was told inactive projects can affect my JSS. 

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You were told nonsense. They can't.

Preston H wrote:

The more time that passes, the better it is for you. With each passing day, it becomes less likely that he will have any way to take your money.

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What do you mean? It's already over. It won't be any more over with each passing day... It was over 30 days after the funds were released.

[#12]

Although unlikely, it remains possible for a client to violate Upwork TOS and contact his credit card company to request a chargeback.

When enough time passes, that, too, becomes impossible.