feedback extortion by the client

[yamikhael]

Hello, Could you please help me on the below

my client had given me a list of the requested points which we will work on. and when i finished all the requested points i submitted it on the " submit work for payment" check box as i do with all my fixed contracts and no one of my clients blamed me on that,, but she started blaming me on sending the documents on the " submit work check box " not on the private message! and told me " you had sent the request before asking me !!!! ", however i apologized to her several times for that " i excused her for being afraid that i requested the money and though that this is the reason! "and she said " okay no problem ".  i didn't refused any medications she requested after that but recently i realized the main reason of her blaming , she started to request more and more modification and after all this modifications she asked me to make a ' new request " without adding additional milestone and when i refused that " in a gentle way" she send me the below:

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

- am i wrong on the way i submitted the documents however none of my previous clients blaming me on doing that?,  what shall i do now?

[g_vasilevski]

Hi Youstina,

I`m sorry to hear about the bad experience you had with your client.
I would like to confirm that freelancers always need to submit their work on the created milestone. Clients can view the work and request for revisions as well. To learn more how you`re protected under our fixed price payment protection check out this Help Article. 

Could you also please send me a PM (Click on my Name) with the client or the contract name? Our team will investigate the client further and if any violations are found proper actions will be taken. Thank you.

[yamikhael]

thank you Goran for your respond, will send to you a private msg now, so what shall l do with her now?

[feed_my_eyes]

You're not to blame. I would have explained to the client that submitting the work does not immediately release the payment; she still has 14 days to review and approve the work and can request changes. 

It sounds like she's just a terrible client and unfortunately she'll probably leave you bad feedback no matter how many more changes you offer to make. If I were you, I would refuse any further work until she releases the payment and sets up a new milestone; don't be held hostage by threats.

[yamikhael]

i'm already worked on changes for 14 days  and the money already released to me today because i had submit the documents once i finished it and she didn't approve the submition so the money automaticlly released to me today and when she saw that  she send me the below private msg:

I am not satisfied with this way that you released the payment without my permission

This project is not finished yet

If you don't accept to do the changes I will leave my feedback for you

[petra_r]

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Youstina M wrote:

I am not satisfied with this way that you released the payment without my permission

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Just tell the client that you did not release the milestone, and that Upwork did. Reassure the client that you have no intention of abandoning her just because payment has been released, but that any changes beyond what was specified for the first milestone will require a second milestone to be set up.

[yamikhael]

really i tried several time to explain that to her with screenshots for the way we submitt our document, and told her than i'm not refusing making modifications but will not work on any requests didn't under the points she had sent to me before.but she kept saying that this is not a new request and it is modifications and i must finish it   she is not a new client on upwork and recently i searched for her name and found that she already has a freelancer account also

[martina_plaschka]

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Youstina M wrote:

really i tried several time to explain that to her with screenshots for the way we submitt our document, and told her than i'm not refusing making modifications but will not work on any requests didn't under the points she had sent to me before.but she kept saying that this is not a new request and it is modifications and i must finish it   she is not a new client on upwork and recently i searched for her name and found that she already has a freelancer account also

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You have done nothing wrong except overexplaining and overapologizing. 

[yamikhael]

i was just trying to reassure her that i have no intention of abandoning but anyway I'll not send her any requests,thank you so much 🙂

[wlyonsatl]

If I understand correctly how milestones work, it can a bad idea for a freelancer to wait untll the work for a milestone is completely finished before formally submitting it to the client using Upwork's "Submit" button.

If the work is, say, essentially 99% finished and only needs some minor changes, the client who receives it outside the formal Upwork submission system can cancel the milestone, keep the work and claim a refund on the funded escrow saying the work is not what they needed. Whether or not Upwork will see through the ruse and release escrow to the freelancer would not be a certainty and would definitely be a hassle.

If the work is submitted at some point before its 100% final form and the client is told by the freelancer which elements needed further work before they expect to have the milestone is released, I have found all my (few) fixed price clients had no problem with this approach. A fraudulent client likely would, as would a newbie client who doesn't know they have at least 14 days to review the work and work with the freelancer to make revisions. So the freelancer should make sure the client knows some adjustments are expected by the freelancer before escrow is released.

This approach also allows the freelancer to tell the client that work on future milestones for the same project will not start until they are satisfied with the submitted milestone and escrow is released.

[yamikhael]

thank you

[Anonymous-User]

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Youstina M wrote:

Hello, Could you please help me on the below

my client had given me a list of the requested points which we will work on. and when i finished all the requested points i submitted it on the " submit work for payment" check box as i do with all my fixed contracts and no one of my clients blamed me on that,, but she started blaming me on sending the documents on the " submit work check box " not on the private message! and told me " you had sent the request before asking me !!!! ", however i apologized to her several times for that " i excused her for being afraid that i requested the money and though that this is the reason! "and she said " okay no problem ".  i didn't refused any medications she requested after that but recently i realized the main reason of her blaming , she started to request more and more modification and after all this modifications she asked me to make a ' new request " without adding additional milestone and when i refused that " in a gentle way" she send me the below:

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

- am i wrong on the way i submitted the documents however none of my previous clients blaming me on doing that?,  what shall i do now?

---

You were right to hit the "submit for payment" button. If you had done what she wanted and sent it only through private message, she would never pay you. Which was probably her intention all along. 

She knows very well how the system works. She was trying to avoid paying you. Simple as that. 

[yamikhael]

okay thank you, I'll never send her any more documents

[Anonymous-User]

Don't be bullied by those that try to manipulate by using the rating system to get what they want.

It's unethical and unprofessional no matter the circumstances.