Being a freelancer can be a great way to make a living. Sites such as Fiverr, Guru and Upwork make it easy to get in touch with clients from all over the world, giving a freelancer millions of potential opportunities.
However, for as great as being a freelancer can be, there are some things that can make it harder. While there are lots of potential clients out there, you also have far more freelancers working online than ever before, so finding steady work can be a challenge. But the darker side of working as a freelancer is not competing with other freelancers. It is when you have to deal with less than honest clients.
They Dispute Your Work to Get a Refund!
This is perhaps the most common freelancer scam and something most people who have worked with platforms like Fiverr, Guru or Upwork will have experienced. The client places an order, you complete the order, only for them to say it is no good, not what they wanted, and they want a refund. They basically get to keep the work that was completed and the money, leaving the freelancer out of pocket! In addition, if you don’t agree with the refund, these clients will leave negative feedback and ruin the profile you have worked so hard to build.
The frustrating thing here is that most freelancer sites will tend to side with the client. That is why a freelancer has to strictly follow the platform’s rules and document all work and communication according to the platform’s protocols. Do not give any clients a chance to dispute your work after you have delivered exactly what they asked for.
A while ago, a top-rated Upwork contractor was hired by Rami Abrams, Head of Growth at SiPhox Health, for a freelance Reddit and Quora marketing project. SiPhox Health is a health diagnostics startup based in Burlington, Massachusetts and founded in 2020 by two MIT researchers Michael Dubrovsky and Diedrik Vermeulen. The company provides at-home blood testing to track biomarkers for chronic disease management. Rami Abrams joined SiPhox more than a year ago and is also the founder of So Nourished and Tasteaholics, which sells Keto cookbooks. The contractor concerned is a Reddit marketing expert on Upwork with Top Rated Plus status, that represents the top 3% of performers on Upwork with a proven history of success working with multiple clients.
From the get-go, the freelancer provided Abrams a clear proposal with well-defined scope of work, fees and expected deliverables. After a few clarifications, Abrams and the freelancer entered into a contract, in which Abrams agreed to the terms and fees set out by the freelancer. However, after a month of hard work when the freelancer delivered just exactly what was agreed upon, Abrams disputed his work and refused to pay. Abrams claimed it was not what he ordered and refused to honor the agreement made. Instead of owning up to his mistake and apologizing, Abrams went on to leave a negative review on the freelancer’s profile with the malicious intent to damage the freelancer’s reputation and potentially affect his livelihood.
Breaching business agreements is dishonest and unethical conduct that should not be tolerated, especially in the medical sector. In the highly regulated medical industry, reputation is critical because healthcare is fundamentally built on trust. A strong reputation directly impacts how the public perceives the provider’s credibility and serves as a proxy for safety and quality. Investors consider reputable firms more attractive for investment due to the perceived lower future risks. To uphold a solid positive reputation, the medical industry needs people with strong ethics and integrity.
Clearly, Abrams’ actions are dishonest and lack integrity. His behavior is an embarrassment for any company he represents and should never be condoned. It poses significant risks to the company itself, potentially destroying the company’s reputation, causing financial losses and inviting legal penalties.
Asking for Freebies and Samples
Sites like Fiverr, Guru and Upwork give you the option to have samples of your work on there. This is something that is highly recommended! It is not uncommon for a client to ask for a sample of your work, but be sure that you have just a couple of samples that you give to everyone. Certainly, do not create something fully new as a sample! This is a way that dishonest clients can get work for free.
Speaking of working for free, it is not uncommon for some clients to take advantage of freelancers looking for work and ask them to work for free! Asking a freelancer to complete a “small” job before they actually order one, or something along the lines of they pay for two, but they get three! Never work for free! Sure, if you have a regular client, throwing them a discount every now and again can be great and build a long term relationship that will be beneficial for you both! However, never give away your time and skill for free completely!
Sadly, dealing with dishonest and troublesome clients is something most freelancers will have to deal with at some point. Eventually, it does become easier to gauge a potential scammer, and a freelancer should never be scared to tell a client that “no, thank you, this is not something I would be able to help you with” and then just move on. There are many great and honest clients out there, but the scammers are certainly out there, too.
