client ghosting me after work is done

[othreetoj]

Hello community, 

I am new to upwork (been active for the last 6 months) I have a case that i am not sure how to handle, thought it's better to ask the wise among you.. 

I had an offer that i accepted, to create realistic mockups for jewelry, I believe I did good job, however, the client , never used words of affirmation to show that he was satisfied, but he gave me  additional work and asked for the total cost, I did my best in everything, sent him source files as wanted,

and asked him if he was satisfied and if there is something else i can do 

he stopped talking, he connects to upwork, but he's ghosting me i think, 

the problem is ... if I submit work he can cancel it if he wants, since am not sure how he thinks , I am worried a bad review can effect my profile, I really need the rising talend badge .... 

I know upwork can make him pay in case of "indifference" but according to what what feelancers say, upwork doesn't earase bad reviews of  "that kind of clients"... and it will effect my scores, 

I need your advice... 

[prestonhunter]

There is no such thing as "ghosting" on Upwork.

Clients are not required to respond to or stay in contact with freelancers.

As a freelancer, I get paid for my work automatically, regardless of if a client responds or does anything.

[NikolaS]

Hi Ilham,

It is always good to communicate and politely explain everything to your client to avoid any misunderstanding. I would like to suggest discussing the terms of further engagement on the contract with your client. 

Additionally, 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. You can find more information here. 

Regarding your concern with the feedback system. You may want to check this page for more information. Here you can find more information on how feedback can affect your Job Success Score. 

[othreetoj]

Hello Nikola , 

I agree, communication is key, I take my work and client's needs very seriously , i always start sending captures of work in the drafting process to make sure it's exactly what they want, and there was no conflict in this clien's work, 

just ... very little communication on his part

as I mentioned in my post, I used my words, but i had no reply,

you can't have one side discussion can you ? 

thank you for the links, I did read those before I posted here, 

thak you for your reply, i appreciate it

[colettelewis · Accepted solution]

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Ilham L wrote:

Hello community, 

Hello community, 

I am new to upwork (been active for the last 6 months) I have a case that i am not sure how to handle, thought it's better to ask the wise among you.. 

I had an offer that i accepted, to create realistic mockups for jewelry, I believe I did good job, however, the client , never used words of affirmation to show that he was satisfied, but he gave me  additional work and asked for the total cost, I did my best in everything, sent him source files as wanted,

and asked him if he was satisfied and if there is something else i can do 

he stopped talking, he connects to upwork, but he's ghosting me i think, 

the problem is ... if I submit work he can cancel it if he wants, since am not sure how he thinks , I am worried a bad review can effect my profile, I really need the rising talend badge .... 

I know upwork can make him pay in case of "indifference" but according to what what feelancers say, upwork doesn't earase bad reviews of  "that kind of clients"... and it will effect my scores, 

I need your advice... 

_________________________

Ilham, 

There is nothing you can do if you feel the client is tracking you in some way, but do not send any more work until you have been paid for the work you have  already done. 

I am assuming that you had a formal Upwork contract in place and I am also assuming that it was a fixed-price job. If this is the case, and you haven't already asked for the release of funds, then press the submit button. 

The client then has 14 days to review your work and either pay you or ask for changes. If you hear nothing from the client in 14 days then Upwork will automatically release the funds in escrow to your account. 

Remember that any work you have done and have not been paid for, belongs to you (something you might point out - politely - to the client). It is aslo far more important to be paid than to worry about poor feedback. If it comes to that, then you can respond. If you do, be very brief and professional. Sometimes a freelancer's justification looks worse than the original feedback. Even if you do get poor feedback, I have no doubt that you will soon be able to bury it as your work is so good.  

If the client suddenly ends the contract (if it is fixed price) then dispute it. The client has five days in which to respond (one way or another) and if he doesn't, the money in escrow will be sent to your account.  

(If you did not have a formal contract in place, then I'm afraid you have lost out and you will have to cut your losses and move on, but you can still use the work you have not been paid for as a portfolio piece, or sell it on to someone else.)

[othreetoj]

Hi Nichola L, 

I had a fixed price contract, but he asked for additional work i already sent all the source file by message not on the platfrom yet, 

the money is no problem , my worry is mostly the feedback,

because that's the first silent client i had !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ; and i don't get it ! 

I am not interested in a "battle",

I did my best and continue to do my best to be a great freelancer, 

if you believe that beginner freelancers can overcome bad rating, i'll go for it, i'll jump to the unknown 😃 

thanks a lot for your help, 

have a nice day.

[colettelewis]

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Ilham L wrote:

Hi Nichola L, 

I had a fixed price contract, but he asked for additional work i already sent all the source file by message not on the platfrom yet, 

the money is no problem , my worry is mostly the feedback,

because that's the first silent client i had !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ; and i don't get it ! 

I am not interested in a "battle",

I did my best and continue to do my best to be a great freelancer, 

if you believe that beginner freelancers can overcome bad rating, i'll go for it, i'll jump to the unknown 😃 

thanks a lot for your help, 

have a nice day.

____________________________

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Ilham did you have a formal Upwork contract in place with the amount you and the client agreed to funded in escrow. If you did, even if you sent the work via the message room, you can still press the submit button to get paid. 

If you did not have a contract in place - you will have lost out on the fee, but the client will not be able to leave feedback, and the work still belongs to you. 

You don't have to have a battle! 

I hope it works out for you. 

[othreetoj]

Hi again, I did have a contract, so the client will definitely be able to put a feedback, 

I did submit the work via "submit" button after your reply, am well  aware of how contracts work,  i was just trying to find solutions to problems (bad review from a weirdly silent client) before they happen, 

thanks a lot for your help Nichola, 

I really appreciate it 

[colettelewis]

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Ilham L wrote:

Hi again, I did have a contract, so the client will definitely be able to put a feedback, 

I did submit the work via "submit" button after your reply, am well  aware of how contracts work,  i was just trying to find solutions to problems (bad review from a weirdly silent client) before they happen, 

thanks a lot for your help Nichola, 

I really appreciate it 

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________________________

Silent clients are not rare, I should think most of us have experienced this at some point. As you have pressed the submit button, you just have to wait out the 14 days unless you hear from the client or unless he releases the funds.  Don't worry about feedback at this stage. There is no reason for him to give you bad feedback even if he is uncommunicative.  

[0f6934dc]

Well said and your writing is good !