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hoyle_editing
Community Member

dealing with tricky clients

Hi everybody,

   I've only been on upwork a month or so, so please go a little easy on me but i have a slightly akward situation with a client and im unsure of the best action to resolve things....

Here is the story....

 

I have done a few jobs for this client now (3rd contract, but around 6th job)...

 

Its a very low priced job - so its not hugely serious, but as ive not long started this every penny counts and a really dont want to just let it go (which is what part of me says to do)

 

I completed the job within 24 hours of getting contract, due date was around a week later, i uploaded finished video file to google drive as usual and submitted payment request.....

 

nothing.....contract end date came and went (a week ago (20th this month))

 

sent a very gentle reminder day after contract end, along with a general question for some feedback....

 

nothing

 

ive now noticed the video was posted over a week ago on Linkedin and he has been active there. ive sent another reminder but seems to be doing the silent treatment....

 

not sure what to do - (FIXED PRICE JOB) by the way so i assume the money is held by upwork, but from the bits ive read the escrow is more to protect clients than freelancers?

 

i was tempted to comment on Linkedin, but i know i really shouldnt.

 

What would YOU do?

 

Thanks

Jon

ACCEPTED SOLUTION
gilbert-phyllis
Community Member

You may want to spend a little time perusing the Help section to learn the ins and outs of getting paid. There, you will learn (among other things) that on fixed-price contracts you will be paid the amount in escrow for the milestone 14 days after you request it or when the client actively approves payment, whichever comes first.

 

There's nothing "tricky" about a client who leaves payment to the automatic process. Personally, I would never risk pestering a client who had given me repeat business, just because I had not heard from them for a while.

 

There's a wealth of knowledge, experience and advice available in this forum. Most successful, experienced FLs here know more about the platform than a lot of UW's frontline CS reps. And the answers often come faster. Along with this support, you often get unsolicited commentary and it's seldom sugar-coated. Especially when someone comes in with a question that demonstrates pretty clearly they haven't bothered to learn the basics of the platform (which you did), it's an invitation to plain-spoken feedback. 

 

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17 REPLIES 17
martina_plaschka
Community Member


Jonathan H wrote:

Hi everybody,

   I've only been on upwork a month or so, so please go a little easy on me but i have a slightly akward situation with a client and im unsure of the best action to resolve things....

Here is the story....

 

I have done a few jobs for this client now (3rd contract, but around 6th job)...

 

Its a very low priced job - so its not hugely serious, but as ive not long started this every penny counts and a really dont want to just let it go (which is what part of me says to do)

 

I completed the job within 24 hours of getting contract, due date was around a week later, i uploaded finished video file to google drive as usual and submitted payment request.....

 

nothing.....contract end date came and went (a week ago (20th this month))

 

sent a very gentle reminder day after contract end, along with a general question for some feedback....

 

nothing

 

ive now noticed the video was posted over a week ago on Linkedin and he has been active there. ive sent another reminder but seems to be doing the silent treatment....

 

not sure what to do - (FIXED PRICE JOB) by the way so i assume the money is held by upwork, but from the bits ive read the escrow is more to protect clients than freelancers?

 

i was tempted to comment on Linkedin, but i know i really shouldnt.

 

What would YOU do?

 

Thanks

Jon


Absolutely NOTHING! Leave the poor client alone, don't ask for feedback, and just wait to get paid automatically. I shudder to think what you are contemplating commenting on linkedin! Jeeez....

Your profile pic is unprofessional, unless you have a medical condition where little feet grow out of your neck, in which case I apologize. Otherwise please no cutesy pics, very inappropriate for a million reasons. 

Jeeez! indeed! 

 

Your comment concerning client, i take on board - a fair point and as i pointed out in my original post, i am relatively new to this so learning (hence the question) In all my previous working experiences clients have ALWAYS paid by contract due date (granted the contract could have longer payment periods, but then they were not small jobs) - Anyways i take your point on board thank you.

 

As for my picture, im really unsure what relevence this has to my question or in what capacity you are qualified to tell me what i can or cannot have as a picture? (if i have missed something and you are indeed a part of the Upwork team then my apologies but as my picture was accepted by upwork i feel its rather inappropriate for you to make random comments)

 

I had no idea what a freindly place this was - nice first taste! 

Anonymous-User
Not applicable


Jonathan H wrote:

Jeeez! indeed! 

 

Your comment concerning client, i take on board - a fair point and as i pointed out in my original post, i am relatively new to this so learning (hence the question) In all my previous working experiences clients have ALWAYS paid by contract due date (granted the contract could have longer payment periods, but then they were not small jobs) - Anyways i take your point on board thank you.

 

As for my picture, im really unsure what relevence this has to my question or in what capacity you are qualified to tell me what i can or cannot have as a picture? (if i have missed something and you are indeed a part of the Upwork team then my apologies but as my picture was accepted by upwork i feel its rather inappropriate for you to make random comments)

 

I had no idea what a freindly place this was - nice first taste! 


Act like a professional, get jobs. Post pics of your kids, dog, mom, kissing your girlfirend on FB. This is a professional business website.  

 

As far as the client goes, as stated, wait out the 14 days - get paid automatically and the client can do what he wants with the vid, anywhere he wants. But following him around social media and publicly messing with him is going to come back on you tenfold. Move on. No feedback is better than bad feedback, which you will no doubt recieve if you harass him. 

 

Most of the people here have been working on UW for years and are quite qualified to advise. You may not like what you hear, but it will always be the truth (toughlove) and help you so much more in the long run. 

 

Minus the kid and the shadow across your face in the pic, you would stand out so much better and it could possibly help get your JSS up to Top Rated - you're so very close.

 

And honestly, you look quite handsome. Why would you want a pic that covers your face when you could upload one that is so much more professional? Work it, dude. Lol. 

 

 

dataextract
Community Member

If the money is in escrow and if you have submitted the fund release request, you will get the amount in 14 days.


ssagetheeditor
Community Member

Have you messaged your client yourself about the money. That's the entire point of you working is for pay I'm sure you both understand that..and how did your client receive the work without payment?


Micah C wrote:
and how did your client receive the work without payment?

I hope you're not suggesting that he should have demanded payment before sending the files? That would be highly unprofessional. On fixed price projects, you submit the work and THEN you get paid.

 

To the OP - I always find it a bit disconcerting when I submit work and then hear nothing, but you never know what's going on in people's lives; your client could be ill, or busy, or on vacation, or who knows what. I also find that response times vary depending on where my clients are located. American clients seem to expect a response right away regardless of whether it's day or night, weekdays or weekends, whereas in the UK, it's not uncommon to take a week or longer to respond.

 

BTW, Martina is right, it is against Upwork's rules to show more than one person in your profile photo (though I'm not sure if your photo falls into this category if you can only see part of another person).

 

 

 

 

Jonathan, if you're still with us, I think your profile pic is perfectly fine. It's no less professional than some other distinctive profile pics of freelancers who are pulling big bucks at Upwork. As far as fixed price payment goes, the 4 most important things to remember are,

  • don't submit work unless milestone is fully funded
  • click the submit work button once, then wait 14 days if need be, for the milestone to be approved automatically if the client doesn't approve it manually
  • do not click the submit work button more than once
  • send at most one reminder to the client to review your work
__________________________________________________
"No good deed goes unpunished." -- Clare Boothe Luce

re: "What would YOU do?"

 

I use the "Submit Work / Request Payment" button.

Once.

And then just wait.

 

I don't send a note. I don't send reminders.

 

I just wait to get paid automatically.

petra_r
Community Member


John K wrote:

Jonathan, if you're still with us, I think your profile pic is perfectly fine. It's no less professional than some other distinctive profile pics of freelancers who are pulling big bucks at Upwork.


I would agree. It also depends on the category. It might not be the right photo for an accountant, but it's fine for the OP's (modern, relaxed, hip) niche.

 

gilbert-phyllis
Community Member

You may want to spend a little time perusing the Help section to learn the ins and outs of getting paid. There, you will learn (among other things) that on fixed-price contracts you will be paid the amount in escrow for the milestone 14 days after you request it or when the client actively approves payment, whichever comes first.

 

There's nothing "tricky" about a client who leaves payment to the automatic process. Personally, I would never risk pestering a client who had given me repeat business, just because I had not heard from them for a while.

 

There's a wealth of knowledge, experience and advice available in this forum. Most successful, experienced FLs here know more about the platform than a lot of UW's frontline CS reps. And the answers often come faster. Along with this support, you often get unsolicited commentary and it's seldom sugar-coated. Especially when someone comes in with a question that demonstrates pretty clearly they haven't bothered to learn the basics of the platform (which you did), it's an invitation to plain-spoken feedback. 

 

Thank you everybody for your comments - i had no idea payments were automatic on fixed price after 14 days - i always assumed the client had to 'release' the payment!! - I have actually read an uwful lot on the Upwork help pages, but this  bit i must of skipped over slightly, as i thought i understood the system quite well (clearly not as well as i thought)

 

thanks for all the messages, i will leave it to a waiting game now (I guess i just assumed that as i would never personally publicly use work that i had not yet paid for that it should not be done)


Jonathan H wrote:

Thank you everybody for your comments - i had no idea payments were automatic on fixed price after 14 days - i always assumed the client had to 'release' the payment!! - I have actually read an uwful lot on the Upwork help pages, but this  bit i must of skipped over slightly,


You may find this cheatsheet useful

 

"Where is my money?""Where is my money?"

Petra, I seriously don't know why Upwork doesn't just pin your graphic to the Freelancer Info pages...sigh


Miriam H wrote:

Petra, I seriously don't know why Upwork doesn't just pin your graphic to the Freelancer Info pages...sigh


They haven't paid for it. 😉

 


Phyllis G wrote:

Miriam H wrote:

Petra, I seriously don't know why Upwork doesn't just pin your graphic to the Freelancer Info pages...sigh


They haven't paid for it. 😉

 


They do have written permission to use it as they see fit.

 

Anonymous-User
Not applicable


Miriam H wrote:

Petra, I seriously don't know why Upwork doesn't just pin your graphic to the Freelancer Info pages...sigh


Because they never search for the answer before they post. Come on, you know this. hehe


Cairenn R wrote:

Miriam H wrote:

Petra, I seriously don't know why Upwork doesn't just pin your graphic to the Freelancer Info pages...sigh


Because they never search for the answer before they post. Come on, you know this. hehe


Totally - meant the Upwork Mods should pin this as a topic - "How do I get paid" - maybe they (the mods) just enjoy reading the responses too much :).

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