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ehtashamali98
Community Member

Client adding conditions for logging/tracking time.

The client asked me to integrate one of his sites page to contentful.

Initially, I had to set up the codebase for which he sent a zip file to me.
Later, he decided to switch to GitHub.
So I had to perform everything again like installing the packages.

During all this timer was ON as it should be as I was working.

I did everything requested but later the client questioned and started disputing on why I logged time while setting up the project, or while creating a PR on GitHub for his repository.

Later he asked me to only log hours while coding.
This means I turn the timer OFF while doing other work which is somehow related to the main task.
So is he right? or should I add a dispute on Upwork. As I am pretty sure this is not going to end well if I continue to work with him while accepting all the conditions.

ACCEPTED SOLUTION

You are correct that there is an option that Top Rated freelancers may remove public feedback from a closed job contract. They may do this once per quarter.

 

There is a simple process for doing this. But as far as I know, there is no button.

 

Read more about that here:

https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/219801228-Feedback-Removal

 

Screen Shot 2020-04-16 at 3.04.14 PM.png

View solution in original post

9 REPLIES 9
prestonhunter
Community Member

Is the client right?

No.

 

But this is a matter between you and the client.

 

Upwork is not going to police this matter. This is not something that you can successfully "report" the client for.

 

You must decide what to do.

 

You may acquiesce to the client's unreasonable requests, or you may part ways with the client, and stop working for him.

 

You could also simply ignore the client's request and continue doing things the way you have been doing them. Although that is not my recommendation. That may annoy him and not be beneficial to you.

 

If you decide to leave, note that you are NOT required to tell the client why you are leaving the project.

 

If it was me, personally, then I would thank the client for allowing me to work on his project, but explain that things have changed for me recently and I can no longer do so. I wish him well as he continues the project with the rest of the team.

 

(I have plenty of clients who actually pay me for my time rather then trying to get free work. I will spend my time with them.)

This is helpful although, this means that I have to refund even though I have spent some time on it.

 

"Upwork is not going to police this matter. This is not something that you can successfully "report" the client for."

Upwork should really help freelancers in such a case, this is the first time I am facing such a situation and I would probably end the contract and refund to avoid all the hassle and lose focus on my other projects. But if this happens again in the near future I can not always refund and give the client a chance of getting work done for free.

Ehtasham:
The problem is that Upwork is not a programmer or a developer. Upwork is not a GitHub expert or repository consultant. And Upwork does not have any physical way to intervene in client-freelancer relationships and make sure that clients always do the right thing.

 

So freelancers pretty much need to manage their client-freelancer relationships on their own.

 

There are things that are clear-cut violations of Upwork ToS, and for which clients can (and should) be reported for doing. But Upwork really does not want to get involved in the details of handling GitHub repositories.

re: "...and I would probably end the contract and refund to avoid all the hassle and lose focus on my other projects."

 

Well, hold on. You don't need to issue any kind of refund to the client. You worked, you logged hours, you should be paid for your time.

 

If it is now time to move on, then you move on. But you don't need to issue a refund. You can end things amicably.

 

Think of it along these lines:

You are a cat lover. You were hired to draw pictures of cats. Then, after working for the client for a while, the client decides he wants you to draw dogs. You don't want to draw dogs. You thank the client for the opportunity you have had to work on his project. But now it is time to move on. The client still has all of the cat drawings you provided to him. You don't owe the client a refund for that work. But you are not going to draw dogs for this client.

 

The parallel is not exact, but it serves to explain this: You can stop working for a client. It does not mean that you owe the client a refund.

 

A more exact parallel is this:
The client decides that from now on, he wants you to draw funny hats on each cat. This is a new concept for the project, not something that was ever discussed before. Moreover, the client is willing to pay you to draw the cats, but he does not want you to log time while you draw the funny hats. So he is basically asking you to draw the funny hats for free. But he does not see it that way. He sincerely believes that the funny hats need to be drawn, but that is not something that a freelancer should charge for.

 

You could complain to Upwork about this. But why? Instead: Just thank the client for the opportunity you have had to work on the project and part ways amicably.


As a freelancer, you don't need to spend more time on a client who is asking you to work for free (even though he doesn't see it that way).

re "Well, hold on. You don't need to issue any kind of refund to the client. You worked, you logged hours, you should be paid for your time."

Goog example there!

Okay, I can just end the contract but I am pretty sure this won't end amicably then what about the potential chance of negative feedback? And that effecting my JSS.

Because he is still expecting me to work and track time as per his conditions.


BTW, would removing the public feedback solve my problem? or is there an option that I end the contract then client starts a dispute.

re: "BTW, would removing the public feedback solve my problem?"

 

I am not sure what you mean. There is no button for "Remove Public Feedback."

 

If any money is earned for a contract, then the client will have the option to leave feedback.

 

re: "is there an option that I end the contract then client starts a dispute."


There is no basis for a client disputing hourly work unless the work does not meet the conditions for payment protection on hourly contracts.


If you logged time manually, the client can dispute the time and not pay for it.

If you did not use adequate memos, the client can dispute the time and not pay for it.

If your screenshots show you NOT working on the client's project, but doing something else (watching Netflix, for example), then the client can dispute the time and not pay for it.

If the mouse/keyboard activity is too low, then the client can dispute the time and not pay for it.

 

The client can't dispute your hourly logged time simply because he wants to be a brat.

re "I am not sure what you mean. There is no button for "Remove Public Feedback." "
Upwork support told me that being a Top Rated seller I can remove public feedback.

You are correct that there is an option that Top Rated freelancers may remove public feedback from a closed job contract. They may do this once per quarter.

 

There is a simple process for doing this. But as far as I know, there is no button.

 

Read more about that here:

https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/219801228-Feedback-Removal

 

Screen Shot 2020-04-16 at 3.04.14 PM.png

I think that it is not reasonable to dispute time tracked using Github, unless it was exxesive time. for example, if I fond an error in a github repository and get that there is much time to solve it, I turn off the timer.

About the option of feedback removal, you can remove public feedback, but not private one, and it can affect your JSS (i say it by experience, measuring the public feedback by the 'clients that woud recommand you' and the JSS dropping after a contract where I had an issue)..