Client changed terms

[peter_shalen]

Hi there, the client has hired me for graphical work. I submitted the delivery and he said he liked it but then he told me that he has given a project to 2 more freelancers and he will decide which one he wants to keep. Chances are that he will not keep mine. 

So my issue is that I could have rejected the project earlier if he had told me earlier that he is going to hire 2 more freelancers. Now if he will cancel, it will impact badly on my rating.

what can I do now?

[prestonhunter]

No client is required to use (or "keep") the work that freelancers submit to him. Good clients throw away work all the time.

There is nothing wrong with a client hiring multiple freelancers to do the same job.

As long as the client pays you for the work that you did for him, the client is doing nothing wrong.

It doesn't matter what the client does with the files you sent him or how many people the client hires. That has nothing to do with you.

As long as the client pay for the work that you did, you will not have a zero-pay contract, which is something that hurts JSS. Furthermore, if you were a good freelancer, there is no reason for the client to give you anything but a positive review.

It is normal for clients to hire multiple freelancers to do creative work for them and choose their favorite from among the submissions.

Obviously a client does not have the right to hire multiple freelancers and only pay one of them for their work. That is essentially a "contest" of the type that is expressly forbidden by Upwork TOS.

Do you have any reason to believe that the client is planning to try to avoid paying you?

That is not something that Upwork policies allow, nor is there anything in the client-side user interface that allows a client to simply click a button in order to unilaterally not pay a freelancer for their work.

[peter_shalen]

I understand but chances are that client will say he liked other designers
work and he’s not going to pay me. This is obvious as he can’t keep 2 logos
for his business. What a Action I can take and will Upwork support me?

[AveryO]

Hi Ramandeep, 

I'm sorry to learn about your experience with this client. I was unable to identify the client you are referring to but I checked your contracts and it looks like they are all fixed-price. If your client decides to close the contract, your client may decide to release the payment to you, pay you a partial amount for the work you rendered, or request a full refund of the amount in escrow. The first scenario is the most ideal, and I'm not sure how you would feel about the second scenario, but hopefully, everything works out. 

As for the third, if your client decides to request a refund of the money in escrow, you have the opportunity to reject the refund and proceed to a dispute. You may read more about it here. 

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

re: "I understand but chances are that client will say he liked other designers work and he’s not going to pay me. This is obvious as he can’t keep 2 logos for his business. What a Action I can take and will Upwork support me?"

You don't need to take any action. You already submitted your work using the "Submit Work / Request Payment" button.

I am assuming that this client is a businessperson, and not some kind of reprobate or monster.

So let's just assume that the client knows how to use Upwork correctly and will release the full amount of escrow payment to you regardless of whether or not he likes your submission the best.

My advice to you is to do nothing at this point. Assume the client will do the right thing. If he doesn't, then return here to seek advice. If he simply does the right thing and pays you, then please return to let us know.