Unresponsive client

[bluesilence12]

Hi,
I have been working with this client on a milestone basis. I have submitted the first part of the job and she said she loved it and asked for some more changes. But after that became unresponsive. I haven’t completed the project and the final files are not released. I’d like to know what I need to do at this stage?

[tiffvny703]

I have a client for a logo design. Submitted work and has not heard from him since. I think he's ghosting me to not pay for the work. On my part I failed to have catch that he didn't start the project, but on message in upwork has all the conversation and files I've submitted. I don't know how to get him to pay, and so am reaching out here to see if anyone has ever gotten a solution. 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

 

[zansari]

Dear Tiffany,

I understand that you're currently dealing with a difficult situation. It's possible that the client might have engaged another freelancer for the task, as you had clearly mentioned that the client haven't started the project.

I strongly recommend commencing work only after getting hired and securing an official contract. To ensure eligibility for Upwork Payment Protection, it's essential to be officially hired under a contract that meets the necessary criteria.

Furthermore, I'd like to emphasize that soliciting unpaid work is against Upwork's Terms of Service and is not permissible.

Best regards,

Zulqarnain Ansari (Zain)

[tiffvny703]

Hi Zain, thanks for replying. It was my first job on here and unfortunately I did not catch that he didn't accept as throughout our entire conversation I've checked whether the proposed fee was okay. I have a screen record of the entire conversation documenting that work was okay to commence. From start to completed drafts and he just started ghosting me once drafts were already completed. What can I do now that the work is done?

[gnart3006]

I agreed on a fixed-price contract to train AI Chatbot from September 15 and the first milestone was activated with the initial amount of $5.

On sep. 19, the initial manager added some other managers "Adding hiring managers to the room to discuss next steps" after I made several attempts to get a response from the client.

I continue to wait to be able to work with the AI tool in order train but still no response until October 5th one of them said that there is no project for me this time so I have to wait. I always documented the hours I spent to go on Upwork and check for their response while preparing some written text but still no response. 

On Oct. 8 I submitted a work on the milestone demand that at least I can have an explaination on the non-responsive behaviour. Then on Oct. 10 they requested an adjustment to prevent the auto-release of the placeholder milestone and no response. Later that day they sent a message saying that there is a project ready for me to take but no further information.

Oct. 12 I request another payment just to get a response from the client again about the "project ready for me" still no answer.

On Oct. 16 a request to change the payment request was made again just to prevent auto-release and I have no response, no answer.

Today I sent a message asking for any response from the client as I have rent and bills to pay so if they don't respond, I will end the contract at the end of the month.

Should I end the contract? Or what should I do because I tried to contact Customer support but not much information on what else I can do.

[759e32fa]

Hi Trang,

I understand you want some clarity on whether to continue working with your unresponsive client. Please keep in mind that clients have the sole discretion whether they want to keep working with freelancers or not. We also cannot impose to clients to respond to freelancers but rest assured that they are notified whenever they receive messages or payment requests from freelancers. 

I would suggest that you reach out to them one more time to ask if they want to continue working with you before you close the contract yourself. 

Should you not get any response or they choose to end the contract, it is best to move on and look for other projects that suit your experience and expertise.

I've pulled a few resources that may be helpful to you. Check out these articles to help you create a profile that stands out and improve your profile title and overview. For some great tips on writing proposals that win jobs, check out this article.

Don’t hesitate to visit the  Academy and sign up for upcoming events and webinars to learn more about how you can boost your success on Upwork.

Good luck!

[gnart3006]

So you are saying that I have to wait for this particular client and waste my time. I am looking for other project but what I am asking is basic respect from the client as an employer to the freelancer as their temporary employee. This shows little respect and frankly like a fraud

[1084c63d]

Hi Trang,

I got contract offer for a similar project on 7 sept and they paid the fixed milestone on 11 oct. 

[1084c63d]

Dear community,

I got a second offer from **Edited for Community Guidelines** on 12 oct but they didn't provide any task. After a few days, they approved bonus by themselves but still, there are no tasks and no response. 

Also, the tasks done by me previously on remotasks have no response since 9 sept. I am just still dull and inactive. Can someone please help?

[759e32fa]

Hi Jahnavi,

If you are working with a client and they become unresponsive for a long period of time, it may be best to stop working on the project and wait for contact from the client. In some cases, you may also reach out to Upwork to contact the client on your behalf.

On a fixed-price contract, ending the contract forfeits any funds remaining in escrow. Instead, it is often best to complete your last milestone before you end the contract. If your client fails to respond to your submission, funds will be automatically released after 14 days. If they respond but refuse the work and you believe you have completed the work according to the agreed terms, you have the option to file a dispute.

You can find more information in this help article. 

[1084c63d]

• Thanks for the reply Annie. I got it. But I am seriously worried about the unresponsiveness of Remotasks. Slack community is not helping. At least, they should inform if my account has been deactivated or banned. I have no active projects since about a month and no response for completed tasks since 9 sept.

[5a1b3c75]

Hello.

As a freelancer, I recently started my first job on Upwork. At the beginning of the project, the client and I agreed on the final deadline and the scope of the project, all via the chat feature within Upwork.

We officially closed the job on Wednesday (29/11), and the following day (30/11), I sent the client a Google Drive link to review a logo proposal that he had requested. However, after delivering the proposal, he never responded to me.

If the client fails to respond, I won't be able to continue working on the project and deliver the final version of it. I want to know which measures would be taken if the client doesn't get back to me or if he replies too close to the deadline, making it difficult for me to fulfill the project on time.

What should I do? Wait? I would like to emphasize that I didn't send the link via milestone, but via chat, since it wasn't the final version of the product yet.

I still want to finish the job and I'm fully capable of delivering it on time(deadline is the 9/12), as long as the client gets back to me.

[88a9058d]

hello.. I have completed the 1st milestone and received the payment. but client is unresponsive since weeks and i have completed the work needed to be done in 2nd milestone. its been more than a week he is unresponsive, what needs to be done in this case?

[beebek]

Hi Upwork Support,

I hope you're doing well. I completed work for a client, but they've gone silent and aren't responding to my messages. I'd like to request a refund for the services rendered. Can you please assist me in resolving this?

Thanks,
Bibek

[a0ff3278]

Hello,

I understand your situation, and it must be frustrating dealing with an unresponsive client. I've been in a similar situation lately. Have you tried reaching out to Upwork support directly for assistance with the refund request? It might be helpful to share your experience and see what options they can provide.

Best of luck,
Shazia

[759e32fa]

Hi Bibek,

Thank you for reaching out to us. If a client becomes unresponsive for a long period of time, it's best to stop working on the project, contact the client, and wait for them to tell you to resume working. 

On a fixed-price contract, ending the contract forfeits any funds remaining in escrow. Instead, it is often best to complete your last milestone before you end the contract. If your client fails to respond to your submission, funds will be automatically released after 14 days. If they respond but refuse the work and you believe you have completed the work according to the agreed terms, you have the option to file a dispute.

You can find more information in this help article. 

[carrollmichael25]

Client accepted proposal, paid me for trial work, opened a contract, and then I heard nothing more. He has not posted assignments or milestones. And he does not respond to my messages. Any suggestions?

[2bfd3e02]

Clients often get busy and may not reply to your messages. In the other scenario, If they are online and still don't respond, it could mean they're not interested in working with you.

[4930c909]

So one of my client is not responding from 12 Days after submitting work to him, however, now I am considering to submit the work officially for payment so that I can get the payment after 14 days, however, I am concern that can the client give negative feedback after the automatic payment release, as he might get angry on automatic payment release, and as I am a new feelancer on upwork so even 1 negative feedback can put a very bad impression on my profile, so please suggest me what should be my approch towards this problem

[melroen]

Submit work for payment. The client will be notified and has 14 days to request revisions or the payment is automatically released to your account.

You can also send your client a message notifying him you have submitted your work deliverable through Upwork.

[4930c909]

I have already sent him the message that I am going to submit my deliverable through Upwork, however, my concern is that if after direct payment release by upwork client will give a negative review on my profile it will decrease the rating of my profile and as I am a new freelancer so it will affect my profile extremely negative so what should I do in this condition

[5adf0b08]

Why are there so many rules for Freelancers on this profile, but clients can post jobs and then ghost the profile and not open nor respond to proposals? We are spending out money on Connects and wasting them on inconsiderate and not serious clients. If a client doesn't review the proposal and respond or reject it withing 48 hours of submission then the Freelancer should be reimbursed their connects and honestly, UpWork should charge the client for the Connects that are refunded to the Freelancer for wasting everyone's time. 

This platform is not operated with the Freelancer's interest in mind. I am sick of wasting my time, energy, money, and Connects for clients to not even open proposals let alone have to decency to send a reply or a rejection.

Do better Upwork. And if you're a client who fits into this box, you need to do better too.

[g_montaldo]

I've finished a work for a client, and he ignores my messages to pay me for some weeks now. Impossible to know who to contact to get this problem solve. Why there is no easy way to contact someone from Upwork to deal with this problem ? 

[ana_cuervo]

After you submit a milestone, a client has 14 days to approve, reject or request changes.If your client doesn't respond, after this period of time, the money is released automatically.

[bobafett999]

This assumes the work was submitted via Upwork and it was funded

[8c653a80]

If you've completed work for a client on Upwork, and they are not responding to your messages or paying you for the completed work, here are steps you can take to address the issue:

1. Send Polite Reminders: Continue sending polite reminders to the client through Upwork's messaging system, reminding them of the outstanding payment and requesting prompt payment for the completed work. Sometimes clients may overlook messages, so it's essential to follow up regularly.

[ArjayM]

Hi Greg,

I understand you want some clarity on whether to continue working with your unresponsive client. However, I can see that the payment for the milestone you submitted was released by the client. 

Please keep in mind that clients have the sole discretion whether they want to keep working with freelancers or not. We also cannot impose on clients to respond to freelancers.

I would suggest that you reach out to them one more time to ask if they want to continue working with you before you close the contract yourself. Should you not get any response or they choose to end the contract, it is best to move on and look for other projects that suit your experience and expertise.

You can find more information in this help article. 

[eee559da]

My clinet is offline from week ago. I have submitted my work also. What are the ways to contact the client ??

[8616c653]

Hello everyone,

Being new to Upwork, I'm determined to find a small part-time job, and my goal is to start with online customer service, as it aligns with my primary job. I accepted a small contract at a fair price due to my limited experience here. The manager who was supposed to introduce me to the job welcomed me, and I responded enthusiastically, making myself available right away. I made an effort to follow up the next day but received no response. Then, the manager contacted me saying I had to wait for his message. Yesterday, he reached out to set a time, but I told him I'm always available in the afternoon. He disappeared again. I reached out politely, reaffirming my availability, but so far, I'm unsure what to do next.

[mushk38]

The client deposited $25 but the actual contract was $150 he told me he would fund the rest of the amount soon but even after completing the website he didn't fund the whole amount. I messaged him a lot but he is not responding to my messages.

What should I do please advise.

I also can't find the option for submitting the support request on the help and support page. It only chat option on which a bot is responding unlike in past when actual experts were available to answer inquiries

[spectralua]

Thats all, you accepted $25. Take lesson and next time do not work for free.

[mushk38]

I still want to report that client for such scam but I can't find any options for contacting support. I use to contact them usually on chat option but now a bot is replying Instead of human agent. 

Please any option to contact support would be very helpful.

[spectralua]

Some moderator will foward your report when read this topic. 

[ArjayM]

Hi Mushk,

I'm sorry if we weren't able to get back to you sooner. I see that you've contacted our support team and raised a ticket about your situation. Please continue coordinating with the team through this ticket or email if you need further assistance; they'll gladly look into that for you.