Rude people can be found anywhere, and if they are the ones paying you for a certain Upwork job, chances are they could end up believing themselves to be your Upwork gods.

Sadly, you cannot crucify them or break coconut on their heads no matter how strong the temptation. Here are my 10 tips of wisdom and ways I deal with such rude clients on the Upwork freelancing platform (this is applicable to all freelancers not just web developers):

Avoid a negative situation if possible

If you are not one of those freelancers who believe in first impressions, you may want to change that habit of yours. The way a client posts a job or sends you an invite and the language he or she uses tells a lot about that client. If you feel a sense of authority or superiority in the proposal, it would be better to save yourConnects. Just remember, as long as you and your client haven’t mutually agreed on a contract, they cannot harm your ratings in any way.

If a bad client cannot be avoided finish the job as quickly as you can

If, however, you’ve already started your contract and then realised that the moment you agreed on the job was when you were either drunk, or in the middle of kite-fighting, it would be best to keep calm and finish it off. Client-bashing or offending won’t be of much help. Your goal would be to quickly finish that job and run away from the client, as fast as you can and never look back again.

There is an abundance of work so don’t burden yourself with bad clients

There is plenty of work out there and the Upwork community is huge! Don’t keep up with a disrespectful clients just because you think you won’t get much work after they end the contract. You might have a better job-posting waiting for you. Upwork has some amazing clients as well.

A search for WordPress Jobs on Upwork turns up over eleven thousand job opportunities!

Create clear milestones

You need to be clear on the milestones your client has set you. If you have any doubts, it is better to ask them again, instead of second guessing the answer. Clarity in your milestones results in thorough deliverables and reduces the possibility of a rift between you and your client. Do not agree on a job that you think you couldpull off. Instead, work on jobs that are clear to you so that you know what your client expects from you. The last thing you want is to offer them reasons to object on your work.

Carefully check the clients feedback

It is good to learn from your mistakes, but it is even better to learn from others. So when you are dealing with a job proposal or invitation at Upwork, make sure to have a look at the client’s stats and feedback that they’ve received from previous contracts. Often no feedback means that the client’s previous victim was too scared to comment on the job. It is no rocket science that you don’t send a bad comment to a client because you know he can fire a bigger rocket-shell at you and ruin your profile. Weigh the pros and cons — whether working for a no-feedback-client is worth the money he or she is paying you.

Beware of negative and low ratings

Your client’s stats will also give you a good idea about what they have been up to. Apart from not getting comments that we talked about in our last point, if there have been some cancelled projects, negatives or just low/average ratings without reviews, it’s nature (and Upwork’s) way of telling you to beware!

This client is based in Toronto, Canada has been a part of the Upwork/elance/oDesk community since 2012 and during that time they have received only 2 reviews, despite hiring over 46 people to complete jobs. Their average hourly rate of pay is $6.26. Just reviewing this data alone can tell you a lot about a client.

Trust your gut

Freelancers rely majorly on gut feelings and so should you. If Paulo Coelho (from The Alchemist) was working as an Upwork freelancer, he would not really have the entire universe giving him signs against a certain client — instead, it is generally one (often minute) word or a sentence for which your instincts flash a red light. Think about a job before being too quick to accept it. You will find a lot of work opportunities on Upwork; desperation often leads to a bad situation.

Take responsibility for your work

If your client is being harsh due to an error you actually committed, it is better to apologise for it and assure your client that you would produce better results moving forward. If you keep on defending your mistake, it can only lead to the client being more insulting or abusive.

Keep your disputes civil

However, if you did not make a mistake and your client is blaming you for something you did not do, it is better to keep your cool and explain to client your point of view. Often English is not your client’s first language (or yours) and the words are misinterpreted or lost between the translations. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Just because your client has gone on the front-foot doesn’t really mean you have to shout back too. Politeness has solved more problems than cursing has. You may want to hear them out and then respond politely. Rising above the situation will win you favour in a dispute mediators eyes should you need to report an incident.

Contact Upworks support team

As a last measure (that is, when you actually feel like going inside your laptop and personally strangling the client), contact Upwork’s Customer Support. In my experience they are a bunch of friendly people who really want things between you and your client sorted out. They will consider all the conversation history between the two parties, including email and Skype logs and would come up with the best solution possible.

Conclusion

Many freelancers forget that a client is sort of a human too! Sometimes they may have been the victim in the past, for example, they could have had a bad experience with another freelancer and that could have resulted in your client being too critical, too demanding, or not having anything at his feedback space. Even when you are stuck with a rude client, chances are if you keep on replying politely, they will eventually change their attitude. If they don’t, you know what to do — learn from your experience, take it in your stride and move forward.

The good clients you come across will likely be great long term clients, my final piece of advice would be to just consider negative experiences as part of the business, because to be successful in almost any business well all know you must the thick skinned. There are negative aspects to all businesses and that is how you should be running your freelance career, like a business.

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