Am I SOL?

[canerentremedy]

This is my first job with upwork and have had a pretty bad experience so far. I have a client(Mike Jabz) that I have been messaging back and forth with. We agreed on the project in question and I had delivered the work, he made multiple revisions and I delivered above and beyond. When it came time for payment he ghosted me claiming it was "Due to Covid" even though I see he has been online since. Now the message is archived and I cannot contact him? HOW DO I GET PAID? How do I prevent this from happening again? Please UpWork, define the difference between normal chat environments versus business chat environment so that pertinent information can't be "archived" and lost. How do I get my money for the work delivered?

[petra_r]

---

Jeremy M wrote:

This is my first job with upwork and have had a pretty bad experience so far. I have a client(xxxx xxxx) that I have been messaging back and forth with. We agreed on the project in question and I had delivered the work, he made multiple revisions and I delivered above and beyond. When it came time for payment he ghosted me?

---

Were you hired though? Is there a contract on your My Jobs Page? 

---

Jeremy M wrote:

HOW DO I GET PAID? 

"Where is my money?"

[canerentremedy]

When I go to the My Jobs page there isn't anything. So it appears there isn't a contract in upworks directory but through the chat the job was accepted and agreed upon. Am I sh*t out of luck or is there some recourse I can do? It's my first experience with Upwork and there wasn't any definitive process-state which indicated that I needed a contract or that the chat wouldn't suffice. Just a way to submit application and then talk to the poster. Through that conversation/chat module built inside Upwork everything was agreed upon and shared. 

[martina_plaschka · Accepted solution]

---

Jeremy M wrote:

When I go to the My Jobs page there isn't anything. So it appears there isn't a contract in upworks directory but through the chat the job was accepted and agreed upon. Am I sh*t out of luck or is there some recourse I can do? It's my first experience with Upwork and there wasn't any definitive process-state which indicated that I needed a contract or that the chat wouldn't suffice. Just a way to submit application and then talk to the poster. Through that conversation/chat module built inside Upwork everything was agreed upon and shared. 

---

This would not have happened had you read the helpful hints as recommended. Thanks for clearing up what SOL means, though.

[canerentremedy]

Ahh I understand, where would I be able to locate the helpful hints section that you state are recommended to view? Forgive me but I can't find an obvious way to locate this section.

[martina_plaschka]

---

Jeremy M wrote:

Ahh I understand, where would I be able to locate the helpful hints section that you state are recommended to view? Forgive me but I can't find an obvious way to locate this section.

---

It's pinned to the top of the forum posts here in the New to upwork section. Happy reading! (And next time when in doubt, come here first. We are usually helpful unless somebody didn't do his homework.... )

[martina_plaschka]

---

Jeremy M wrote:

This is my first job with upwork and have had a pretty bad experience so far. I have a client(Mike Jabz) that I have been messaging back and forth with. We agreed on the project in question and I had delivered the work, he made multiple revisions and I delivered above and beyond. When it came time for payment he ghosted me claiming it was "Due to Covid" even though I see he has been online since. Now the message is archived and I cannot contact him? HOW DO I GET PAID? How do I prevent this from happening again? Please UpWork, define the difference between normal chat environments versus business chat environment so that pertinent information can't be "archived" and lost. How do I get my money for the work delivered?

---

First rule of upwork: you don't talk about upwork. No, seriously, first rule is never work without a contract. Not only will you not get any money, you teach clients that it's real easy to get work done for free. Don't do that. (Upwork will not do anything, even if you had the conversations. Just use the site as intended.)

I have no idea if you are an SOL, no idea what that might mean.