Client unresponsive and not setting up the next milestone

[toni_schwartz]

Hello,

I'm new to UpWork, having only been here about a month. I did a job for a client who had a fixed-rate project. He paid me the first milestone with no issues. About a week later I messaged him and said that whenever he's ready, he can set up the next milestone. Another 9 days have passed with still no word.

I get some people get busy and don't log in to UpWork every day, but I saw him a few days ago clearly logged in. I didn't say anything to him at the time because I didn't want to sound like I'm nagging. I also get that maybe whatever else he has lined up isn't quite ready yet, but I would at least appreciate him touching base.

Is this normal for clients to do? Thanks very much.

[mthornton-cpc]

I'm not sure if it's "normal", per se, but some projects move faster than others and some clients are more responsive than others. I'd send another message checking in if I were you. It's been 9 days. That's not nagging, it's being proactive. 

[shohel121]

Hi Toni,

A good practice is always replying to the messages either it a positive or negative. But some clients are really reluctant as if they don't see the stuff. I have also few such contracts - the clients are unresponsive. I tried to get them in touch several times but simply failed. Now I am more careful in choosing the job- I see the clients profile well beforehand. BUT I am also happy that I have had a good number of good clients too. 

[toni_schwartz]

UPDATE: I saw him online yesterday, three days after I posted this question. That makes it almost three weeks since he last communicated (and that was just him approving the milestone). Since he was online, I messaged him again. I mentioned that I haven't heard from him in a while and if he was still in need of my services. No response.

I don't know what to do anymore. I find this awfully rude. Why doesn't he just cancel the contract?

[prestonhunter]

Toni:

You do not need to check to see if he is online. You do not need to send him any messages.

He knows where to find you. If he wants to pay you money to have you help him some more, then he will do so.

I know that if you look at this purely from the perspective of a viewpoint, the client may seem "rude." But I hope you will not think about it this way. For a client using the client-side Upwork interface... the experience is different. And a client acting this way is not trying to be "rude" or cause any problems for you.

Think about it this way... have you ever gone to a restaurant, and really enjoyed your meal there, but then you didn't return during the next three weeks? The client may think that not asking you for more help again during this time is rude any more than you would think it rude to not return to the restaurant, or if you did not notify the restaurant that you won't be returning.