How do I reach support? Chat is AI only and does not help.

[f37f7d3e]

Every option to contact support goes in a circle. 

Using the chat and going through the entire thing, including typing my issue at length, just loops back to saying I should search for a solution. 

There is no answer to my solution in any resources, and no option whatsoever to send a message or reach a real person. 

I get to the part where I can say it didn't help, but it just resets the loop.  

I can go to the ticket area, but cannot create one. 

What is the deal with this?

[1f6aad83]

Can't even get the chat support to work...

[f37f7d3e]

It seems from their support page that they are admitting there is no longer any actual support:

When you need help using Upwork, you’ve got a few options:

• Use the Chat with Upwork button on the Contact Support page to get assistance automatically from our chatbot.
• Visit our Community to connect with others who use Upwork and see resolved issues
• Check out Upwork Academy to access an interactive suite of courses and tools to help you succeed on Upwork
• Visit our Resource Center to see blogs and other articles

Indeed everything stated above is in fact available, but with the problem being that none of them answer my question. 

[JoanneP]

Hi Brian,

We value each member's journey and aim to provide the right level of support at every stage. For personalized assistance, we invite members who have completed an Upwork Academy course or achieved a revenue milestone to reach out to our support agents. For others, our community forums are a wonderful resource for guidance and answers to common questions, and a moderator can help escalate your question if necessary. This approach ensures effective utilization of our support resources while fostering a collaborative and self-sufficient community environment.

Please feel free to share your concern here in the community and we'd be happy to assist you. 

Thank you for your understanding and active participation!

[f37f7d3e]

So how do I get help with the problem I'm having that requires speaking with a real person? 

As far as I can tell, you are saying that you refuse to provide any support for the problem. 

[fred-derf]

[Moderator response]:  ...our community forums are a wonderful resource for guidance and answers to common questions,...

Great "Support" department!! Passing the buck to the customers. It is up to us to sift through scads of posts in the Forums. The ideas and "solutions" declared by some here are so varied, at times contradictory. Can you imagine the phone company requiring customers to speak with other customers to get help on phone issues?

[Moderator response]: ...and a moderator can help escalate your question if necessary.

Escape hatch: "if necessary." How is 'necessary" determined? Hmmm...does it interfere with my [moderator's] coffee break?

Or, maybe the moderator cannot find a reasonable solution in looking through the Community Forums.

Or, it's quitting time. Have a nice weekend!

[f37f7d3e]

Further digging reveals that while they know the chatbot will be unable to answer 20% of our questions, they are perfectly fine with us never getting those questions answer at all: 

If you need help now, you are in the right place! Getting assistance starts with visiting our Help Center (you are here now) and selecting the Contact Support option in the Help Center's navigation bar. Then, select the Chat with Upwork button. This button launches our chatbot, which we’ve found answers 80% of the questions customers like you have.

When the bot launches, type in your issue. Keep in mind that correct spelling and short, direct, single-topic questions work best. Our chatbot is continually learning and new useful information is added on a regular basis.

Questions the bot can answer include:

• How do I change my billing method?
• How can I add another milestone to a contract?
• How do I track time with the Upwork Desktop App?

While our chatbot can point you in the right direction, please keep in mind that it can’t answer account-specific questions, such as:

• Why did you bill me?
• Can you help me find a job?
• What is the due date of my project?

Once you type in your issue or question, you’ll see a list of resources that have helped other users. If you don’t see what you need after a few tries, we’ll give you the option to submit a ticket.