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sandyphucvu
Community Member

Dispute and Courtesy Credit

Hi everybody,
Actually, after reading those useful threads on Upwork community, my issue of dispute has been cleared. My case is not a so big deal that worth to complain, but I would only like to share my opinion to the newbies like me.
I've started using Upwork since February, and at the beginning I didn't understand it well. I found one job worth only 10usd of retyping a page of PDF into Word. I submitted proposal without noticing that the client's payment method was unverified, but just realized that after the client awarded me the job. I then informed the client immediately before starting, and suggested them to verify payment method, but they told me the amount was already in Escrow and I definitely would be paid. And foolishly I trusted in that. After I submitted the work done, many days passed and I never seen that client online again. I was thinking "ok, I should pay for my mistake" and I was OK thinking that I would not get that money.
After 76 days, upwork informed me about the contract if I want to end it or raise my voice that the contract still going on.
I then submitted the dispute but didn't think that Upwork has to pay courtesy credit to freelancer, and on the other hand to return the fund in escrow to the client. That's totally insane. I understand why Upwork do this but it is a lesson for me that never apply to any job with unverified payment method.
Sandy V.
ACCEPTED SOLUTION
filip_knezevic
Community Member

Hi Sandy,

 

Actually, payment unverified is not a red flag for me. Red flag is: Client's hire rate 0, and 16 jobs posted.

In general I got a few good contracts from people with unverified methods. 

Just like you were not informed very well on how Upwork works, neither are some of them. It's our job to educate them.

So if the client with unverified method wants to hire me, I politely let them know they didn't approve their payment method. If they would insist I would get payed, and not verify after the warning, that would certainly raise some flags and I wouldn't accept the job until that's done. Also, another reason I like working per hour.

If you want to be sure you will get payed, you can try to tell the client you'd like to swap the fixed price contract with hourly contract, and that you will add amount of hours to correspond with the previously arranged fixed price. That way you get Upwork hours (it's good to have a lot of hours on your profile) and you will surely get paid.

 

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9 REPLIES 9
filip_knezevic
Community Member

Hi Sandy,

 

Actually, payment unverified is not a red flag for me. Red flag is: Client's hire rate 0, and 16 jobs posted.

In general I got a few good contracts from people with unverified methods. 

Just like you were not informed very well on how Upwork works, neither are some of them. It's our job to educate them.

So if the client with unverified method wants to hire me, I politely let them know they didn't approve their payment method. If they would insist I would get payed, and not verify after the warning, that would certainly raise some flags and I wouldn't accept the job until that's done. Also, another reason I like working per hour.

If you want to be sure you will get payed, you can try to tell the client you'd like to swap the fixed price contract with hourly contract, and that you will add amount of hours to correspond with the previously arranged fixed price. That way you get Upwork hours (it's good to have a lot of hours on your profile) and you will surely get paid.

 

Hi Filip,
Thanks very much for your reply and I'm very happy getting your advice. I consider it like an experience that in any case I must have since I step into this freelancing career, the more the better.
Sandy

Well, I'm sure you won't accept new contract anymore UNTIL they verify their payment method.

Lesson learned. Now, to the new victories. 🙂

wlyonsatl
Community Member

Hi, Sandy.

 

Upwork will probably never be able to protect freelancers completely from unscrupulous clients (or vice versa), but this apparently a common problem for new freelancers that could be largely avoided if Upwork notified both freelancer and clients each day - after a fixed price contract is agreed to - that the payment method should be verified before work begins. I don't know why a freelancer who understands the risk of working on a project without verified payment would do so - I never would -, but Upwork apparently wants to allow that to continue to happen without warnings to both parties.

 

Good luck with your future projects!

Unverified payment even after a job starts is not necessarily a scammer. It could be a stolen credit card. Never thought someone would actually want to use a stolen credit card or PayPal account for content until I started doing this. Seems strange but poors gonna poor.

 

Legit clients are sometimes using a corporate card, so they have to get their finance department to verify the amounts even if the escrow funds go through. I didn't have to verify my card when I paid Upwork, so I think they pull the CC's info for a match with the account's info, and if it matches let you pay without verification.

Hi Will,
Thank you for your advice, I've started to understand now after the mistake was made. I will continue to try my best since now on.
Thanks once again and wish you have a good day.
Sandy


Sandy V wrote:
Hi Will,
Thank you for your advice, I've started to understand now after the mistake was made. I will continue to try my best since now on.
Thanks once again and wish you have a good day.
Sandy

Sandy - Not only does the payment method need to be verified, but the escrow account must be funded as well. Don't do any work until that happens.


Will L wrote:

Hi, Sandy.

 

Upwork will probably never be able to protect freelancers completely from unscrupulous clients (or vice versa), but this apparently a common problem for new freelancers that could be largely avoided if Upwork notified both freelancer and clients each day - after a fixed price contract is agreed to - that the payment method should be verified before work begins. I don't know why a freelancer who understands the risk of working on a project without verified payment would do so - I never would -, but Upwork apparently wants to allow that to continue to happen without warnings to both parties.

 

Good luck with your future projects!


Everytime you place a bid on a fixed price project, you get a warning screen and an explanation about escrow, but everybody probably skips to the end without reading it (like all such agreements that appear online). It would be a lot more helpful if Upwork sent freelancers a reminder along with the offer notification email. Right next to where it says "Review and accept this offer to start working now", they could add "but ensure that the escrow account is funded first." 

Hi Christine,
Thank you for your helpful advice, I'll be more concern about that.
Sandy
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