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akushner2
Community Member

posted job expiration

If a client posts a job and after a certain time has had 0 interviews, does that job get cancelled automatically by the system and the connects get refunded to everyone who applied for it?

ACCEPTED SOLUTION

The connects being not returned when a job expires is by design. It used to be the other way, but Upwork changed this, probably because they found that it was the best thing to do.

 

If a job is cancelled by the client or by Upwork (because of non compliance for instance), the connects are returned. This is the only case when they are returned.

 

And Upwork does actually provide something. They provide freelancers with a platform to seek business for no charge at all. You don't have anything to pay until you actually earn money. This is a fantastic service that is provided by Upwork.

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"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless

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17 REPLIES 17
allergywriter
Community Member

That would be a nope.

Once you spend your connects, they are gone unless the platform removes the job for violating TOS.

Spend wisely grasshopper.

I thought if the client cancels the job the connects get refunded?

And how is that fair if the client sits on the job forever and never cancels it? We should get those connects back. That seems fair. When someone applies for a job, it's with assumption that the client will actually proceed with the job, not post and waste everyones time and connects.

I am so very sorry to have to inform you that much like life, Upwork is not fair.

You can rant, but unfortunately that is the way it is.

When looks at jobs, carefully evaluate the client's hire rate and you can avoid the "clients" that post but never hire here.

Or UpWork can set it up in the system where after 30 days of 0 interviews and 0 hires the job is automatically cancelled. There's absolutely NO WAY a freelancer could know what the client will do after posting a job, reviews or not. UpWork, as the mediator, should make the clients responsible for their actions (or non-actions). Just like freelancers get connects taken away for applying, there should be repercussions for the client. I can't believe this is not standard procedure. At the end of the day UpWork is here to make money, but they also need to provide something in return. There's so much right with this site and SO much that can be improved.

The connects being not returned when a job expires is by design. It used to be the other way, but Upwork changed this, probably because they found that it was the best thing to do.

 

If a job is cancelled by the client or by Upwork (because of non compliance for instance), the connects are returned. This is the only case when they are returned.

 

And Upwork does actually provide something. They provide freelancers with a platform to seek business for no charge at all. You don't have anything to pay until you actually earn money. This is a fantastic service that is provided by Upwork.

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"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless

Alexander, I agree that it's annoying if a client just lets a job sit without reviewing proposals or taking action. However, that may not always be the case with inactive jobs. It's totally possible that a client viewed all submitted proposals and decided none of them were quite right. In that case, the client may be picky, but you would have spent your connects in the same way you would have on any other job you applied to but didn't get.

 

So I guess another reason connects don't get refunded on inactive jobs is that there's no way to tell whether the client disappeared or just wasn't happy with the offerings.

I guess that makes sense. Maybe things change once you've been on the site for years, but starting out is frustrating since it's a numbers game to get picked with a new profile without any reviews and I've used up all my connects within the first week of the month 🙂

Is this your first month on the site? It looks like you've gotten four jobs already in the first week of this month. That's impressive! I went my first month on this site without getting hired at all. Maybe you need to budget your connects more next month, but you're doing great.


Edited. I repeated what René said. 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**  Today, I went through and withdrew over 10 proposals because the jobs were posted in July and are unfilled.  Do freelancers get those connects back?  Heck no!!!!  ...but here's a link to purchase more!!!  Thanks for looking out for your freelancer, Upwork.

 

How about the Upwork platform regulate its clients like they do freelancers.with the nebulous and freelancer-hating JSS.?  Maybe a ranking score for the clients>  Their response time and activity on their own job posting would allow freelancers to see more than their hire rate.Clients should be held accountable in the same way as they control freelancers' marketability due to influence by clients that Upwork refuses to hold to a professional standard.

 

As long as Upwork gets its 3% fees from the client and another 20% hit on the freelancer as well, Upwork will take no responsibility to clients that waste freelancers time and PURCHASED RESOURCES.  No, Upwork lets seemingly anyone to post a job, but it is the freelancer who has to vet each client>  Other than collect money, what is Upwork do here>

 

I thought I would come back and check out Upwork and see if it was worth the time.  Upwork is a HUGE waste of time for the freelancer.  Upwork is a place that doesn't look out for its freelancers.  **Edited for Community Guidelines**  I will never come back, as I will only spend time my efforts working through platforms that equally look out for its freelancers as much as it does its clients.

Hi Ren,

 

I'd like to confirm that while we continue to send notifications to clients encouraging them to hire or close their job postings, I'm not aware of any current plans to start refunding Connects used to send proposals to jobs that end up expiring. In general, we encourage freelancers and agencies to consider the cost of Connects as part of their business expenses, just like the other expenses they incur running their own business. Freelancers and agency members can review the client's details, such as past hire rate Work History and Feedback, etc. and  make a decision whether to use Connects to submit a proposal for that project.

I'd also like to note that some changes have been made to Connects since you last posted in this Community. You can read more about those changes hereIf there are any new changes to how Connects are used, we'll make sure to inform the Community.

~ Valeria
Upwork
digiphics
Community Member

Now another question along these lines: Do clients get notified if their posting sits inactive by them? I just withdrew 6 proposald due to inactive clients. I have no time for unresponsive clients, I'm here to gain clients, retain clients and produce great work and enjoy my trade. Unresponcive clients not only waste our time, their posting eat up our connects.

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

I'm sorry to hear about your experience, Gerald. 

By default, when a job is posted on the platform, it's open for 30 days. If no freelancer is selected the job will expire, unless the client edits it, or changes something on the job post. When the job post is about to expire, the client is notified through an email. 


~ Avery
Upwork

Hi Gerald. Yes, there are a lot of time-wasting job posters (I won't call them "clients"). But withdrawing your proposals doesn't do you any good. You don't get your connects back. You might well leave the proposal in place for the small chance that the job-poster will eventually hire you or cancel the job. (If they cancel the job, then you get back the connects.) I once got a good job from a client who didn't interview anyone for 3 weeks, and then suddenly offered me the job.

Hi Richard,

The 2-3 weeks job offers have come in for me as well and they turned out to be some of the most  fun projects I've worked on in some time. I do understand the connects issue and well it is what it is..

I just really wish more job posters would be proactive. (jumps off apple crate).

digiphics
Community Member

Avery,

Thanks for the clarification on expiring posts and cancelation. Glad UpWork notifies posters that their jobs are ending.

THX

Typical Upwork response - it is up to the freelancer to take care of themselves, because Upwork won't.  There are always jobs available to apply for!  Sure, they can be left unhired for up to 30 days, so use up your connects up on jobs that don't hire!  If you run out of connects, then it's because the freelancer needs to vet each client on their own (because Upwork won't) and be more careful.   ...but here is a link to buy MORE connects!!  It's the cost of doing business!!

 

And when it comes to guarding it's VALUED FREELANCERS, you are penalized with a (B)SS rating where a client's PUBLIC AND PRIVATE feedback influences a freelancers' ability to qualify for a future job post.  Again, Upwork leaves the freelancer on their own when encountering unprofessional clients and are left to deal with these unprofessional clients

 

Which is why the same, tired cut-and-paste Upwork responses continue to prove the point.  You pay the monthly fee.  You buy more connects.  All the burden is on the freelancer.  You have to jump through the Upwork qualifying processes.  Just so you can apply for jobs that may or may not hire, work with unprofessional or unreliable clients.  Then you are beholden to the whims and ratings of said poor clients.  But don't try and hold your clients accountable because they might blow up your ratings with their public and PRIVATE ratings of you.  Why aren't there rating scores about the clients beyond hire % available?  Why doesn't Upwork do anything to protect the people that they are touting to the world as qualified top talent.

 

But Upwork doesn't care about the freelancers.  They will put all the responsibility and burden on them and does nothing to protect them from the increasing number of unprofessional clients.  Except to tell them it's their own fault.  Nut don't forget to but those extra connects that you will need.   It's the cost of doing business.............

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