Leaving Upwork for Workana as a Client
For years I've relied on Upwork and its online support. Today I logged on, hit an error, and went to live chat — only to be told I can't get live help unless I upgrade my account, on top of the fees I already pay.
I've found some solid freelancers on the platform over the years. But I also had a project go badly wrong: the freelancer botched it so thoroughly that the file was unusable and my team had to rebuild from scratch. Instead of addressing my project — their errors, the questions they never asked, the 400+ images and supporting data I'd provided to help them succeed — they kept pointing me to other jobs they'd done well. When I turned to Upwork for help, they offered none. The only path they gave me was arbitration.
I settled for half and still left good marks — the freelancer was building their business, and I didn't think one rough project was worth a one-star review if their other clients were happy. I won't make that call again. Fair feedback means honest feedback.
That was the first time I needed Upwork to step in, and they weren't there. So I'm moving to Workana, where the platform is simpler and I can target freelancers by region to work within my time constraints.