Thats terrible. It's not even about the work, professionalism, or whatever, it's just sad to see that such evil exists in this world. I am sorry that this happened to you Richard. However, I am not leaving this message solely to give my condolences. Let's get this straight, Richard. It's a cold world. There is both good and bad. Sadly you stumbled upon the bad. Bad is a weak word, awful is a better fit.
What happened is in the past. No words or actions can undo it completely. I am almost certain that Upwork won't do much for you. They always tend to favor the clients more. But still, do give it a try, they might do something for you (very rare). If everything goes well you might get your problem solved.
Now, if Upwork (most likely) doesn't do anything about your problem. First of all, I highly recommend taking a little break from work, maybe a week. Eat well, stay close to nature, and relax. Not sure if you are religious, but if you are then doing religious activities is a huge plus. After the break is over, get back and start grinding. I am not sure what your JSS is right now as your profile is private. Nonetheless put in the work and I am sure that you will be able to get your JSS to normal again. This might sound weird and tiring but I am being realistic here.
Some points to prevent such terrible experiences in the future:
1. Always read the past reviews of clients, in detail. This will help you determine the overall personality of the client. If there is any bad review left by the client, read the freelancer's reply to this and try figuring out what the issue might have been. If the freelancer didn't respond to the negative feedback, 90% of the time the client is right.
2. Too much negative feedback left by the client is a straight red flag. This proves that the client is very picky and most likely difficult to work with.
3. Most of the time, if the client is not a good fit, it is reflected in the job description. By reading the description if you feel like they don't know what they are talking about, this might be a red flag. However, there is an exception. If you think the client simply doesn't have much knowledge about the task but is still a good fit then you can apply. Once you receive their reply, decide everything beforehand. Cost, how much time it will take, what the client will get at the end etc.
4. Pay attention to the tone of the client once you get in touch. See if they are replying to you properly. Well yeah, I know business owners are pretty busy creatures but nonetheless, if they aren't paying much attention that means they don't care about the task as much and won't hesitate to leave a bad review. Still, there is an exception, if they aren't paying proper attention let them know clearly that communication is very important to you.
5. Low-paying clients. This is not always accurate as some low-paying clients are also very nice although clients who try to negotiate and try to pay less than you are worth is a clear indication that they don't value you very much and won't hesitate to leave a bad review.
Note: Taking into account the things I mentioned above you can prevent abusive clients by roughly 90%. All the points above go hand-in-hand with each other and aren't very difficult to implement so I highly suggest following them.
Sometimes fate is inevitable and you just stumble upon a rude client. Although don't let it discourage you. There are bad and nice clients, but the nice ones make dealing with the rude ones worthwhile.
Again, it was wild to read what you wrote, I can't even imagine how it must've felt. Literally 80 hours extra for no reason. Thats awful. I hope you recover from this. Your smile is good, I was having a bit harsh day, and it instantly lighted up my day. I wish you nothing but the best. I would love to get in touch. Feel very free to reach out to me in private messages if you want.
Best,
Sohail
Moderator
