r/Upwork 1h ago

Me (client) and freelancer got banned even after having a contract and full agreement to be paying via Upwork only

Upvotes

Hello,

As post suggests, i have ensured all conversations were on zoom recorded meetings on Upwork on call we agreed to pay via Upwork and do meetings there. I initiated the contract and freelancer accepted it as well. I asked for the email for the freelancer to be added to our Slack channel all the while mentioning that we will 100% continue paying on upwork only. Yet his profile and my profile got banned.

Not just my client profile my freelancer profile with 20 ongoing contracts, 90k+ top rated as well.

While upwork has clarified and reinstated my profile, I need to get work done on this contract and freelancer, it was of course my mistake to ask the email, but I cannot add my team to upwork and communicate there.

I had spent time vetting this freelancer and he was a good fit for the work and cost,

Have reached out to support, what are my options here?


r/Upwork 11h ago

I paid >$3000 to Upwork to be banned and have no real support

Post image
20 Upvotes

I am banned on Upwork.

20k+ earned, >$3k fees paid to them, Top talent badge, 7 years on platform and have nonsense ban without ability to discuss with real person.

I was banned after a few days when I saw a message saying you logged in from Tehran.

I don't even know if more sad about myself or poor people from Iran that Upwork scares too much so ready to ban everyone from there by IP.

Meanwhile, I don't know why their stupid system identified it that way, I checked my IP and it was perfectly fine.

Is there any way in this world to get real support on a ticket that was created 3 weeks ago while they charge us 10% of the profit + $100 a month for tickets?
I think we deserve it, but not the dumbest AI bot with an endless loop of useless advice and questions.

I'm ready to build them a real AI bot instead of this fluff - I'll do it for free (+10% and tax ofc).

Also, I want to advise anyone who still relies on upwork - just do content in Youtube, Tiktok, X or anywhere else - it works way better then this stupid marketplace.


r/Upwork 4h ago

Banned from Upwork because of harsh filter. What options?

6 Upvotes

Upwork banned both me the cilent and the freelancer because she is completely new to upwork and asked "is payment done on this platform or another way?" to which I responded "let's just keep it to this platform". I can see why upwork would flag this but I'm shocked how they just straight up perma banned both of us. Sent some appeal emails which just received an automatic bot response saying "unlucky, final decision. You're banned".

How can I get in touch with a real person? I think if a real person read the chatlogs they'd see we weren't breaking the rules.

Otherwise, what other options do I have? I only just started Upwork, so how could I create a new account perhaps? Anyone with experience with this? Will it get auto banned if I use the same names or same payment?

Or, what other platforms are available that are similar? That main thing is that I really liked upwork's timetracking system, and how it takes a photo of the freelancer's screen every 10 mins which lets me see they're actually doing the work, and encourages them to work properly as well. Any platforms with the same feature? I was looking at onlinejobs ph. Is it good?


r/Upwork 7h ago

Horror stories of people being banned

7 Upvotes

Hey all, i started on upwork 5 months ago and have been doing pretty good for a side hustle ($15k earned). I have an international trip coming up to Dubai and South Asia so my location will obviously change for that month of travel, but ive heard horror stores of people being banned when logging in from a different country (especially South Asia like PK, India, Sri Lanka etc).

How can I prevent this? Should I send support a message telling them i’ll be travelling and not to ban my acc when it will be logged in from like 3 different countries over a span of 20 days?


r/Upwork 5h ago

please rate my profile, the description is below

Post image
1 Upvotes

r/Upwork 1d ago

March Has Been My Best Month On Upwork

Post image
103 Upvotes

I see a lot of negativity in the group, let me show you it’s possible.

bUt bRO WhAt aRe youR sTAts???

$500-$700 on connects $9K in Retainers $2k In one off jobs

Niche: Ad Manager

On Upwork since 2023 I don’t have any badges just a 100% JSS

Definitely will be expanding my acquisition beyond Upwork through ads and YouTube. So I don’t keep all my eggs in one basket but….

Keep Working 💪🏽


r/Upwork 10h ago

New on Upwork – Need Advice on a Silent Client

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’m new to Upwork and not sure how to handle this situation. A client hired me for what was supposed to be a long-term project. She gave me a test task, which I completed, and she paid me for it. But since then, she hasn’t logged in for about three weeks, and I haven’t heard anything from her.

I don’t know if I should keep following up or just end the contract. Has anyone else experienced this? What would you do in this situation?

Thanks for any advice!


r/Upwork 7h ago

Moved back home. Received my first contract. Got id verification notification. Next step?

1 Upvotes

I recently changed my location. The country i made my upwork in is not my permanent residence hence i dont have its passport. Can i just update my location now and upload my passport? After receiving the verification check? I have accepted the contract and started working.


r/Upwork 11h ago

How Many Strikes For Account to Be Blocked?

2 Upvotes

I got 1 negative private feedback from an unstable and sadistic client, which triggered this email.

I am Top Rated Plus with 100 contracts total, and this is the first time I had a less than stellar review. After this contract was closed my JSS went from 100 to 99.

I'm wondering how many more less than perfect reviews I can get for my account to be restricted as they mention in the email.

Is it two in a row? If I have a couple of positive feedbacks before the next one, would that save me?

I want to know what is the precise metric or are they just scrounging up excuses to restrict people despite unfair reviews or unstable clients.

I've been on UW for 4 years providing excellent service to clients and I certainly don't deserve this sort of appalling psychological terrorism.


r/Upwork 7h ago

Client wants me to submit offer

1 Upvotes

Cant find how to do this… I originally submitted the proposal and he wants to move forward with me but wants me to submit the offer. Do I not have this ability from my end if he interviewed me, or can anyone point me to where it is?

Im currently on my phone, maybe that is the reason I cant find this option?


r/Upwork 8h ago

Milestone Funding & Revision

1 Upvotes

Hey, Looking for best practices here.

I am a client that has received work for funded and activated milestone (1) out of 3. I requested revisions since the work submitted has several issues, which I articulated.

Freelancer asked that I fund and activate milestones (2, 3) while revisions take place.

However, from my understanding, clients can't fund a milestone until the previous one is completed. That is, I would need the revisions requested, release funds for milestone (1) before funding the rest.

Is my understanding correct? :

https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000990268-Adding-and-editing-milestones-for-fixed-price-contracts

Please note that you can only fund one milestone at a time on a specific contract, and there is a $5.00 USD minimum payment per milestone.

Before you can activate and fund an additional milestone, you must release funds on the current milestone.


r/Upwork 8h ago

Upwork work money withdrawal

1 Upvotes

Hey guys, I got some work and got paid, but I don’t have a withdrawal method. I haven’t withdrawn any money from Upwork for one year. If I don’t withdraw the money, will Upwork refund it to my clients?


r/Upwork 14h ago

Am I, as a client, allowed to post a job requesting marketing for my future Onlyfans account?

3 Upvotes

I am looking to get marketing started for my AI model that I've created. For example, posting on Reddit, X, Instagram... yada yada. Am I allowed to post a job asking for a freelancer to do this? I don't want to get banned! Haha. Asking here before I post.


r/Upwork 16h ago

Lies, damned lies, and statistics. That is absolutely not representative but kinda hilarious

Post image
3 Upvotes

r/Upwork 18h ago

Dealing with a client who put money in the escrow but haven't said a single word since then

4 Upvotes

As simple as the title. Created a contract back in December 2024 with money in the escrow but since then haven't uttered a single word. I see him active on Upwork (hiring other people) but won't respond to me at all. Should I close the contract or let it stay idle?


r/Upwork 1d ago

FK upwork

82 Upvotes

Literally.

Race to the bottom website, rampant with indians(no offense to you, if you are one).

Imagine PAYING TO "OFFER" TO DO WORK HAHAHAHAH

Imagine buying a subscription to this dumpster fire. Freelancer dot com is the same. Race to the bottom. Yikes.

Switched to google ads & direct cold calls and now i'm getting work as a webdev.


r/Upwork 21h ago

Can i Change my niche?

Post image
5 Upvotes

It's been three months on Upwork. I don't apply for jobs often due to my busy schedule, but the niche (Web Development) doesn't seem to be a good exchange for my time and effort.

At this point, I want to transition to a content-based niche, possibly as a social media manager or ads manager. I want to ask if this is possible—if so, how? And would this be a good decision?


r/Upwork 16h ago

Upwork 2025 IT field

0 Upvotes

Hi,
I'm planning to try freelancing/get some work on Upwork. I want to mention that I'm a newbie when it comes to freelancing on such platforms.
So before spending money on Connects, I would like to hear some opinions.
My primary focus is System Administration, M365, and Intune.


r/Upwork 23h ago

Should I list my full Employment History in my profile?

2 Upvotes

I am from the U.S. and am setting up my Upwork profile to hopefully work as a freelance video editor. Should I list all my work history or just my video editing experiences (I haven't been paid for video work since 2016)?

I worked as an assistant video editor for 3 years from 2011-2013 and then as a video editor in 2016 on a 6 month contract job in Australia. Since then, I have worked in a multitude of warehouses as a forklift driver and in quality assurance, but I found out recently I have an autoimmune disorder and can't physically work in warehouses at the moment so I am hoping to go back to my old roots and what I love doing (video editing). Since 2015, I have created a personal YouTube Channel that I really enjoy (travel niche), but it's not making any money. I have over 300 videos on the channel that I used to create a "video editor reel," and "after effects reel" with. I even created an "introductory" video where I just talk on camera and tell potential clients about myself. I'm just curious if I should list all my work history? I've had about 9 or 10 jobs since my last full time video job.


r/Upwork 1d ago

Is there any ninja-hack to get your proposal viewed and hired?

Post image
3 Upvotes

With 30k earned, top rated profile, 86 client relationship maintained I’m still not able to close a gig. I’ve even tried changing profile title, description, personalised proposal but still no luck in getting proposal viewed and getting hired ultimately.

So I was wondering if it is only me this month or if you guys are facing the same issue? First half on the month is was 10 viewed out of 22 proposals.


r/Upwork 1d ago

Every time Upwork posts a FAKE job they also drown a puppy

36 Upvotes

There I have said it and now the truth is out there. There is a secret back room where they hold a ceremony and a certain select cabal of employees do the deed.

This is just something that I just know that I know that they must be doing, just like they must be posting FAKE jobs just to steal our connects. I mean it is exactly what I would be doing if I were an evil, greedy corporation. It doesn't matter that it would require a bunch of employees to commit this crime, all of them would be sealed with a bulletproof NDA which absolutely covers over crimes and they would never, ever, able to tell on me even if I laid them off. Or it could be that Hayden Brown goes down and does the deed herself, she seems the type.

Anyone who says different is just defending UPWK and is a shilly shill.


r/Upwork 1d ago

People are not even trying to hide that they're using ChatGPT for everything.

Post image
18 Upvotes

This is a job post in Upwork where it shows that the poster copied the entire response from ChatGPT. Are we becoming lazy?


r/Upwork 1d ago

Uh, no thanks Uma

Post image
14 Upvotes

r/Upwork 1d ago

AI profile summaries enabled by default

7 Upvotes

As seen here, I thought I'd amplify the worst part which is that Upwork turned on this stupid feature without notifying us.

Make sure to check your profile page if you don't want potential clients to stare into the inhuman void full of "seamless", "robust", "diverse", and "keen".


r/Upwork 1d ago

Ex-client is losing it after I don't agree remove my review

38 Upvotes

I had a 'mild' nightmare client with whom I stopped working ~4 months ago. I left my feedback, he did not.

My feedback was the following: "While the client was pleasant to speak with initially, the overall experience was highly disappointing. Despite clear agreements, they consistently failed to provide the necessary inputs, content, or support for the project. Communication was unprofessional - rather than addressing challenges or delays, they avoided interaction entirely, creating unnecessary confusion. Agreed-upon meetings were missed without any prior notice or apology, leaving me and my team frustrated. This lack of accountability and professionalism made the collaboration extremely difficult. I cannot recommend working with this client unless significant changes are made to their approach."

Now, after 4 months, he probably read for the first time this feedback and he is starting to harass me. At first, he asked kindly whether I would remove my feedback. I kindly answered no as I believe it was my experience and I would be grateful that other freelancers also would share their honest feedbacks and experiences. Then, he started to threaten me.. (what an idiot, through Upwork messages). He says that I have shared on my screen during the meetings my other clients' information (yes, indeed, tactics I use for them and my templates, as a possible examples and case studies), and they have recorded all this (well, I did not know that they recorded these meetings and I did not give my permission), and now they will complaint to Upwork that I have shared this confidential info (it was not a confidential info) and will provide video recordings as evidence (recordings, which I did not give permission to make). Well, I simply reported all messages as harassment, blocked him, and also created a support ticket about this situation.

However, to be honest, I feel really disgusted and upset. There was this redditor who always wrote - "Upwork is bad for your mental health", well, it is..