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3e503378
Community Member

Should I cancel this contract?

So this would be my first job on upwork.

After I sent my proposal, I was messaged asking when would be a good time to talk about the job. I said I was around any time so he said "I'll call you at 1pm". Never called. The next day I received a contract via upwwork for this job. I didn't hear anything for a couple of hours so I messages him asking when he wanted to talk about the job, another hour or two later and he said he would call me in 30 minutes. 

 

2 hours later, he said he was having "one of those days" and that he wanted to start with 2 hours of work (yesterday) and then we would go live tomorrow (today). The two hours of work never happened. He said I should message him at 8:45 this morning and we could get started, so I started my day early to be ready for my first day of work (he said it would be 5 days a week 9-3).

 

I messaged him at 8:45 and it is now 9:45 and I have heard nothing. 

 

I'm all for a fixed schedule if that is what is needed, but I don't feel like sitting around waiting for this guy all day when I was supposed to be getting started with work or could be doing other things I need to do.

 

In your experience, when the client is like this, does it end up being a flop? Does is create a horrible work environment? Does cancelling the contract do anything negative to my profile? 

Any help would be so great, thank you so much!!

8 REPLIES 8
robin_hyman
Community Member

Did you accept the contract? 

 

Rule #1: Never accept a contract until you have everything you need to begin. The contract can sit for a week until you and the client have time to connect. If the contract expires, the client can simply send you a new one. 

 

Rule #2: Your time is valuable. Clients wouldn't want to work with freelancers who don't show up to meetings. So why would you want to work with this type of client?

 

Rule #3: As a newbie, be very wary of the first few projects. There are a ton of scammers out there and they feed off of new freelancers on the platform. Be careful, come here with questions and proceed with your eyes wide open.

 

 

Thank you! I really appreciate this! 

 

So I should just let the contract run out? Will cancelling it do anything to my profile? 

At this point I just want to say "I'm sorry this isn't working out for me, I need more stability"

 

Thoughts?


@3e503378 wrote:

Thank you! I really appreciate this! 

 

So I should just let the contract run out? Will cancelling it do anything to my profile? 

At this point I just want to say "I'm sorry this isn't working out for me, I need more stability"

 

Thoughts?


 If you accepted, I would try to connect with the client and complete the project. If you cancel, it will negatively affect your JSS when you get one. Good thing now is the time to make these mistakes. You can still get new projects and clients wouldn't know you had a contract without payment exchanged. 

If it goes a week with nothing happening and cancels on its own, will it negatively effect my score? At this point I don't even know if it will ever happen.

Did you accept the contract?

I accepted it the morning I got it. I was so excited to have work and didn't know any better. The links to the getting started portion of upwork isn't working for me. 


@3e503378 wrote:

I accepted it the morning I got it. I was so excited to have work and didn't know any better. The links to the getting started portion of upwork isn't working for me. 

 

In that case it won't expire because you've already accepted. You can either keep trying to connect or just end the contract and move on. Yes your JSS will be impacted but you're so new in your freelance career you will be able to make it up. 

 

Good luck!


 


Maura F wrote:

If it goes a week with nothing happening and cancels on its own, will it negatively effect my score? At this point I don't even know if it will ever happen.


If you accepted the contract, and it subsequently closes with no earnings, JSS will always be negatively affected. I would personally make sure the client is reliable beforehand. If he/she's not, I'd promptly decline their offer to avoid something like this.

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