First contract - no payment

[belowska-joanne]

Hi!

I am kinda newbie here. I had my first contract - manually logged hours (I know it wasnt smart but I didn't know about the timer app and client said it's ok); anyway - I ended the contract, Client said everything is great, gave me 5 stars but still hasnt accepted the job done - contract is "in review" for more than a week. And no answer. So it looks like I'm not going to get paid. Any tips? What to do?Communication was via Upwork.To be honest - this is my first experience here and from the very beginning I feel deceived. Don't know what to think about this platform and its users 😞 

[nkocendova · Accepted solution]

Hi Joanne,

Congratulations on completing your first job! I'd like to clarify a few things to help you better understand what is happening here. Since this was an hourly contract, there is a process that takes place from the time the contract ends to the time that you receive your earnings. Hourly contracts are billed according to the weekly billing cycle, so since you ended your contract last week, this week on Monday your client will have been invoiced for any hours that you logged last week. Then there will be a standard 5 day security period, during which time a client is able to review the work you did. This is by design and not something that your client has requested. You can also take a look at this article for more information about getting paid for Hourly Contracts. Hope that helps clear things up!

[watan_321]

Thank you. I am new to upwork too learning day by day.

[JoanneP]

Hi Watan,

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. We're here to help.

[tlsanders]

Joanne, it sounds like you got off to a frustrating start and put your payment at risk because you neglected to learn about how Upwork contracts and payment works before starting work. For your own protection, you should educate yourself a bit before accepting your next contract.

[belowska-joanne]

Everyone was a newbie once so please, dont go with "educate yourself" and "neglected" because there is no need for fault-finding especially in that tone 🙂 

[tlsanders]

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@Joanne B wrote:

Everyone was a newbie once so please, dont go with "educate yourself" and "neglected" because there is no need for fault-finding especially in that tone 🙂 

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 Never mind, then. Apologies for trying to save you from being one of the many newbies who didn't bother to read how the system works and ended up losing hundreds or thousands of dollars. Go ahead and learn that way if you prefer.

[kat303]

Tiffany - Yet another freelancer who comes on here, asking for help and advice, and when given that, thinks the replies are condensending, rude and not called for.

Freelancers who don't take the time to learn what to look out for, the procedures of this site, and find information about payments etc, will continue to post here, asking for help/advice, and think that our replies are uncalled for. Perhaps these are the types of people who don't read instructions when assembling something, take a drivers test without studing the rules and plunge into things without finding out how things work.

Also, new freelancers need to understand, that it's NOT that we have anything better to do then to make snarky remarks, They need to understand that all of us who reply take out from out time to HELP freelancers who post here. When will we ever learn.

[m_terrazas]

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@Joanne B wrote:

Everyone was a newbie once so please, dont go with "educate yourself" and "neglected" because there is no need for fault-finding especially in that tone 🙂 

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You have come to the forum to ask for help.
Tiffany is a great person with a great knowledge of the functioning of this portal and who tries to help whenever she can.
She is both freelance and client (if I'm not wrong) and has the vision from both ends.
What she has told you, besides being very useful and wise, is commented without any kind of lack of respect or contempt.

On the other hand.
These forums are full of people who, due to not reviewing the use of Upwork, have had great losses.
I have worked a lot per hour and something was very clear to me. To be able to collect the hours worked without problem, you have to fulfill a series of requirements, among them, record the work and leave a description of what you are doing. Manual hours, no matter how much your client tells you they are fine, are not protected and the client can dispute them and you can lose them.
I have only inserted manual hours when I have had enough confidence with the client (and vice versa).

[belowska-joanne]

Yes, I have come to this forum for help - and for help and clarification I am truly thankful.

However, from my point of view, I didn't feel Tiffany wanted just to be helpful but rather point out my mistakes in a harsh, patronized way and I do not believe there is a need for that. 

I have inserted manual hours because I assumed that unfair pracices are an exception, not a rule.

That's all. Thank you all for answers. 

[m_terrazas]

Well, I'm afraid you're very wrong if you take that answer as condescending.

Someones answer in one way and others in another, but they all try to help.
Luckily it has been @Tiffany S who has answered, who is so moderate.

Good luck.

[gilbert-phyllis]

Joanne, I answered your post this morning and somehow managed to zap my comment instead of posting it. As someone who's earned quite a bit of money here over the past several months on manually logged, hourly contracts, I feel well equipped to offer some practical tips as well as the same general advice Tiffany gave you: learn to use the darned platform before you set yourself up for further disappointment and financial loss. I'm not inclined now to spend the time to outline the practical tips again, you can find all of the details for yourself in the Help and Support section of the site.

I will, however, offer one more pro tip: clients browse this Freelancers discussion on a regular basis.

[astro_writer]

I don't have any advice to add, but my comment was zapped, too! I also responded this morning. And clearly the system thinks I responded, since it subscribed me to notifications for this post. Weird.

[gilbert-phyllis]

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@Sapna R. D wrote:

I don't have any advice to add, but my comment was zapped, too! I also responded this morning. And clearly the system thinks I responded, since it subscribed me to notifications for this post. Weird.

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 Oh, that makes me feel better. I was positive I'd posted successfully (and not harshly).

[yitwail]

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@Phyllis G wrote:

I will, however, offer one more pro tip: clients browse this Freelancers discussion on a regular basis.

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 Phyllis, that's an interesting point you made. Are you implying clients do this as a method of evaluating freelancers prior to hiring them? It's fairly easy to find posts in Google by using a freelancer's name, if a client wants to do so, especially if the freelancer posts frequently.

[versailles]

This reminds me why I don't help newbies anymore. Too bad for those who are willing to learn without attitude, but I prefer let the great Charles Darwin manage the selection process.

[petra_r]

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@Rene K wrote:

This reminds me why I don't help newbies anymore.

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 Well, I do (as you know.)

When someone first posts we mostly don't know whether we are dealing with someone willing to learn or an entitled snowflake with an attitude problem who will learn the Darwin way sooner or later.

The advantage of at least trying to help is that future newbies may find the information and learn that way. The entitled snowflakes will also learn, just the hard way.

So all is as it should be, in the end 😉

[gilbert-phyllis]

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@John K wrote:

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@Phyllis G wrote:

I will, however, offer one more pro tip: clients browse this Freelancers discussion on a regular basis.

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 Phyllis, that's an interesting point you made. Are you implying clients do this as a method of evaluating freelancers prior to hiring them? It's fairly easy to find posts in Google by using a freelancer's name, if a client wants to do so, especially if the freelancer posts frequently.

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 I hadn't really thought about that, although I suppose it's possible. I just think it's always best to put one's best foot forward in any professional setting, on the off chance of encountering somebody from one's past or future. I know this is a global platform but I subscribe to the Small World Theory of the Universe. In my first year on Upwork, I came across several clients/prospects with whom I have 2nd or 3rd connections on LinkedIn. 

[racquelr]

At least you had a contract. I just worked for **Edited for community guidelines**. They took my work and now refuse to pay.

[BojanS]

Hi Recha,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience! When working on Upwork, please make sure that you have a contract with a client before doing any work, and ensure that they have a verified billing method so that the work you do can be covered by Upwork Payment Protection.

I'd suggest browsing this thread which has helpful tips for new users and you can also check out this thread for tips on avoiding suspicious jobs and scams if you haven't already.