Freelancer not being paid

[mcilroymusic]

I am a freelancer, new to Upwork.

I submitted a proposal for a music composition job and when the employer replied in a message train and we began talking about the project and starting drafts, I thought that meant he had accepted the proposal. He was acting as if we were going ahead with the project. I worked a fair number of hours on the project and gave 2 draft pieces of music, but towards the end the guy just said he didnt want to work with me anymore and left.

He had access to a draft I already sent which was usable for him, and refused to pay me anything.  He is currently not responding to any messages.

I'm aware I've made a big blunder as a beginner, not making sure the proposal was submitted correctly. Is there anything I can do to get some funds from this guy? He still currently has other jobs open and is still active on upwork. Thanks!

[2a05aa63]

Unfortunately, unless you have a contract with a client and they fund a milestone, there's no way to get any money out of him. You can report him for asking for free work.

[BojanS]

Hi Damian,

It is against the ToS for clients to request freelancers to do any free work. Please see Upwork Terms of Use for more information. I encourage you to use the Report Suspicious User Activity feature in cases like this one. In the future, please do no not work on any project until a client has sent you an offer, you have accepted it, it’s showing on your My Jobs page as an active contract, and the client’s payment method is verified. 

Thank you!