Upwork Connects

[#1]

I am writing to address a concern I have encountered while using the Upwork platform, specifically regarding the utilization of connects when clients do not hire any freelancers for their projects.

I have been an active member of Upwork, submitting numerous proposals for various projects that align with my skills and expertise. However, I have noticed that some clients choose not to hire any freelancers. My concern is related to the connects that I used to apply for these projects. As you are aware, connects are a valuable and finite resource, and they are required to submit proposals on the platform. In cases where a client decides not to hire any freelancer, it is disheartening to see these connects go to waste.

I kindly request that Upwork refund my connects because the client did not hire any freelancer and the project is closed without an award. This would ensure a fairer and more efficient use of our resources and encourage freelancers to continue actively participating on the platform.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this issue. I look forward to your response and any updates regarding the potential refund of connects in such cases.

[#2]

Totally agree, I encountered the same. 
Some job posts have been for months. I had to go through each proposals months ago and tried to flag them. Even though the reason for flagging is not in the list yet, I believe its a way to communicate and report an emerging new issue to relevant Upwork team.

[#3]

Hi Ahsan and Kieu,

I understand your concern. We return Connects when a client closes their job without hiring or we find a job post has violated our Terms of Service. This is not applicable to expired job posts. 

We want to help you get your Connects back when you apply to jobs that don't result in hires. That's why we contact clients who have open jobs for a long time and ask them to close the job if they are not planning to hire anyone. We have increased our efforts to reach out to these clients and we are exploring other ways to make sure these jobs get closed sooner rather than later.

- Pradeep

[#4]

Thank you for your response, I hope you have watched the attached file which I have submitted. Now tell me what is the solution. Because these are 6 unhired projects and they are closed without hiring. These are more than 50 connects. I want them back. This is very disheartening. Just tell me when you will return these connects.

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[#5]

Hi Ahsan,

Our system ensures that all Connects for job posts that have been closed without hiring will be refunded to freelancers. With that said, jobs that are "no longer available" don't mean that they were closed due to this reason. 

I checked all six job posts that you have applied to and can confirm that five of them were closed because the clients already hired freelancers for their projects. As for the specific project you shared on the screenshot, I've raised it to the team to check why it was closed so they can confirm if you're eligible to receive the Connects back.

Kindly allow our team 24-48 hours to reach out to you.

[#6]

Thank you so much for your response and i really appreciate that you have raised this issue with the team. I will wait 24-48 hours for your response and i hope that answer will be fair. Thank You

[#7]

Would you please tell me why I only got 15 connects? Submitted proposals were 6 which is about more than 50 connects. Please, tell me the reason. I hope that the answer will be according to Upwork policies.

[#8 · Accepted solution]

Hi Ahsan,

As I've mentioned in my previous response, the other 5 job posts you've sent proposals to, were closed because the clients hired other freelancers. We do not return Connects in these cases.

Connects will only be returned:

• If a project is canceled by the client before a contract is made, Connects you used on that proposal will be returned. This does not apply to expired job posts.
• If we remove a project’s post because we believe it violates our Terms of Service, Connects you used on that proposal will be returned.

If you have applied for a job and it’s no longer available because of a violation or you used Connects on a job proposal that turns out to be fraud, we will return them.

Please check this help article for more information.

[#9]

Okay one last thing, could you please tell me how I will know that the client hired a freelancer on the project?

[#10]

Hi Ahsan,

You can go to your archived proposals, click on the job post, and then find the button that says "View Job Posting" so you can check the activities on it. They should look like this:

[#11]

Fine but according to you, the attached screenshots do not show that clients hire freelancers.

[#12]

Hi Ahsan,

I believe you're referring to the client's Hire Rate, and you're looking at the correct section. You can see the client's hire rate which is calculated by looking at how often they hire freelancers or agencies after posting a job. 

For example, if a client's hire rate is 50%, they have hired a freelancer or agency for half of the jobs posted on Upwork.

We include this metric under the “About the client” section of every job post and other client information. Also, you highlighted a confirmation that the client closed the job, and as AJ shared above, the client hired a talent for the job before closing it. I hope this clarifies.

[#13]

As you said when the project is closed without hiring then we will refund the connects. But I have not received it yet.

[#14]

I totally agree with this. Its been a number of times when I have applied but my proposal went to waste since the client was not interested in hiring at all! None of the freelancers were selected and all of us wasted our connects.

I have previously written about this matter too because a large number of my connects have gone down the drain for absolutely no fault of mines :(:(

Now that the connects are being charged for, and Upwork is also monitoring the jobs that are cancelled, then it must also monitor those jobs which are not awarded at all to anybody. The connects must be returned to the repective freelancers who had applied to such jobs, since that is not their fault. 

Thanks,

Saima Faisal

[#15]

Using this thread, to my understanding, you should receive connects upon answering to an interview, however 2 of the last 3 interviews have not returned any connects. Is there a caveat I'm missing?