My client took a lot of time to reply

[hamada_rafik]

Hey, im new in Upwork and I have a client who I started working with recently, I have completed the first milestone and i get paid for it now im in the seconde milestone and He must give me some information to work on and finish the milestone but My client took a lot of time, I do not know what to do or just wait, and how long I had to wait ?

[petra_r]

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Rafik H wrote:

Hey, im new in Upwork and I have a client who I started working with recently, I have completed the first milestone and i get paid for it now im in the seconde milestone and He must give me some information to work on and finish the milestone but My client took a lot of time, I do not know what to do or just wait, and how long I had to wait ?

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Just wait. Don't panic and don't harass the client.

Is the second milestone funded?

[hamada_rafik]

no it's not founded because i didn't submit the work of the second
milestone im waiting his reply to finish.

[michael_skaggs]

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Rafik H wrote:
no it's not founded because i didn't submit the work of the second
milestone im waiting his reply to finish.

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That's not how it's supposed to work. The client funds the milestone, then you do the work. Never do any work on a milestone unless it's fully funded.

So in this case, you finished the first milestone and have been paid for it. There's nothing more for you to do until the client funds the next milestone.

[hamada_rafik]

Are you sur about this !! Because in every milestone they say submit work
to get paid, m i rong !!

[michael_skaggs]

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Rafik H wrote:
Are you sur about this !! Because in every milestone they say submit work
to get paid, m i rong !!

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I'm 100% sure about this. The system is setup so that the money is held in escrow to protect both parties until the work is delivered. 

The proper sequence is this:

1. The client creates the milestone
2. The client funds the milestone
3. The freelancer does the work for the milestone as agreed
4. The freelancer submits the work using the "Submit work for payment" button
5. The client has 14 days to review the work and either request changes, or release the funds.
6. If the client takes no action, the funds are automatically released after 14 days.

The key to this is #2, where the milestone is fully funded before any work is done. Valid funds being held in escrow is the guarantee of payment for services rendered. If you do the work and there is no funded milestone, your client technically has no obligation to pay anything.

You do have to submit your work in order to get paid. But that just means you get paid from the funds in escrow. Not that you have to do the work before the funds are submitted.

You might be lucky with an honest client who simply doesn't know how the system works, but you shouldn't count on that happening with every client. Wait for the milestone to be funded, then do the work, then submit in order to get paid.

[hamada_rafik]

So is that how it's work, thank you, in your openion what i should to do,
and how i know if the client founded or not ?

[michael_skaggs]

Not really anything for you to do other than wait. You've already made money on the contract, so leaving it open won't hurt you. The client could simply be busy with other things and will fund the next milestone when they're ready for you to begin. 

You should get a notification when a new milestone is created, but keep an eye on your messages from the client, as it will also show up there. When it's activated, there will be a link to the details page, which will show the description, the due date, and the amount funded. The due date is just for planning purposes between you and the client, however, and has no bearing on whether or not you get paid.

[hamada_rafik]

thank you very much, I appreciate your help.

[richard_wein]

Hi Rafik. To clarify...

"Funding" a milestone refers to the client putting the money into escrow. The client must do this before (or at the same time as) activating the milestone.

So the sequence of events is..

1. Client funds and activates a new milestone.

2. You check that the amount funded is what you expected. 

3. You do the work.

4. You submit the work and request payment. 

5. Client releases payment to you from escrow. 

6. Milestone is now finished. Client MAY activate the next milestone immediately, but doesn't have to. Don't start work on it until it's activated.