A refund was done without my permission

[h_lagzar]

Hello,

I finished the work for a client and he did end the contract after he approved the milestone, and now he refunded all the money (I received an email with no prior notification saying you refunded X amount) !!! Any idea what is going on?

Thank you

[pgiambalvo]

Upwork probably tried to charge their card and it didn't go through. They use the word "refunded" but that's not what really happened. They do not notify you before this happens or ask your permission. I'm sure someone from Upwork will explain further.

[h_lagzar]

But the milestone was funded when we started the contract which means the money is in the hands of Upwork no ? What should I do ?

[the-right-writer]

Unfortunately, you have probably been scammed. The scammers used a valid credit card, but they stole the information. So, it appeared legitimate. The scammers fund the job, but then somewhere along the way, the bank pulls the card, and everybody is left poorer.

No, Upwork doesn't have the money - no one has the money. The thieves have the money. As Peter says, Upwork continues to use the phrase "refund" when it usually means there was no money to begin with as it is a stolen credit card.

I've notified a moderator, and perhaps there is something they can do in your case.

[h_lagzar]

Thank you Jeanne,

I thought that Upwork protects the money. This is my second contract with this client, the first contract was paid successfully. 

[pgiambalvo]

In cases like this, they do not protect the money.

[h_lagzar]

Is there still hope that I get the money, or do I just have to forget about it and turn the page?

[f7cb3080]

Hello. I received a refund email from Upwork but i didnt initiate any refund. Also, I was still working on those days that were refunded. May I know why there was a refund that has been processed?

[h_lagzar]

I just experienced the same thing as you 😞

[pgiambalvo]

Please read this thread: https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/A-refund-was-done-without-my-permission/m-p/1096117#M681...

[NikolaS]

Hi Karla,

Thank you for reaching out to us. One of our team members will reach out to you directly via a support ticket to assist you further. You can access your tickets on this page.

[pgiambalvo]

Sometimes, and I see this come up a lot here, even though it was funded, it was later  discovered by either the back or real card holder that the card was stolen and they just so happened to notice it after the contract was closed, not when the card was initially charged. Open a ticket with Upwork about this but you are not protected unless you use the time tracker. Sorry this happned to you. There is no protection from fraud by Upwork for freelancers for fixed priced contracts.

[h_lagzar]

Thank you Peter,

I don't see a link to open a ticket, can you please tell me from where I can open a ticket ?

[NikolaS]

Hi Hatim,

Thank you for reaching out to us. I shared your concern with our team and one of our agents will reach out to you directly via a email to assist you further.

[h_lagzar]

Thank you Nikola, I'll be waiting for your email 🙂

[frazersymone]

A refund was done without my permission

I did all the work the client requested. I requested for the client to end the contract after I was overworked and treated unfairly. Now I am seeing that I processed a refund to the client which I did not.

Please help!

[2877d707]

I just had the exact same problem and with my very first UpWork client no less.  No negative feedback from client. I finished the work, logged the hours, saw them pending to be paid tomorrow and then was told today that it was I who instructed a refund which, most assuredly, is not the case.

[pgiambalvo]

The language Upwork uses isn't accuracte. It was not a refund and they don't have to notify you or ask permission for this to happen. What it really means that the client's card was discovered to have been stolen so Upwork couldn't charge it. You won't get the money unless you used the time tracker 100% correctly. They do not verify cards aren't stolen before allowing clients to use them.

[lidafeday]

Hello, I have the same problem. I finished the work for a client and he did end the contract and now he refunded almost all the money. Please, help me, I don’t know what to do...