Suspension can be really stressful. Whether you are incriminated because of something you can’t control or you did something that got you in trouble, suspension, when not acted upon, will cause you to lose your current projects and clients, or worse, to be removed in the marketplace.
Why do we suspend freelancers?
- Getting three or more issues or complaints from clients for the past six months
- Being offensive or inappropriate to the operations contractors, freelancers or clients
- Using fraudulent accounts
Ultimately, you can be suspended from the FreeUp Marketplace for anything that violates FreeUp’s freelancer terms of service. FreeUp reserves the right to suspend any freelancer from the marketplace at any time.
What are the different types of complaints freelancers get suspended for?
Low Level of Complaints
- You did not have enough experiences or the skills required on the job request you applied to.
Mid Level of Complaints
- Not responding to clients within 1 business day
- Client is not happy with the quality of work or results
- Not providing updates on projects
High Level of Complaints
- Dropping of clients without any valid reasons and without notifying FreeUp first
- Being rude to clients, operations contractors or other freelancers
- Billing dispute
- Offering payment outside of FreeUp
What happens when I get suspended?
A suspension means you are still a part of FreeUp, however, you cannot apply or request for new tickets.
While suspension is a severe step to take, it is important to investigate the matter first. Before FreeUp takes action, we investigate the situation between the freelancer and the client.
After the thorough investigation and if we see that the complaints are valid, we’ll notify the freelancer about the suspension via email. All of the details on how you can get unsuspended are included in the email.
How long can FreeUp suspend me for?
There are two types of suspension:
- Temporary suspension: Your access to the FreeUp Marketplace will be suspended for the next 30 days. During this time, you can still keep your current clients, however, you’ll not be able to be matched with new clients.
- Permanent suspension: Your access to the FreeUp Marketplace will be suspended permanently. Although you can still keep your existing clients, you won’t be able to request for new projects anymore.
How can I get unsuspended?
We want to give each and every freelancer a chance to explain what happened.
Depending on the severity of the client complaints, you have the option to schedule a call with your FreeUp partner.
During your call with your Partner, this is your chance to provide more information about the complaint and why you think you should not be suspended. Your Partner will also provide recommendations on how we can lift your suspension. You would also need to come up with an appeal containing your action plans to prevent any more complaints from clients.
Important: Please take note that your appeal is still subject for review and approval by our Leadership Team. The temporary suspension period begins once the email is sent to the freelancer. This period can be shortened depending on your partner’s recommendation and the team leader’s re-evaluation.
How should you deal with suspension?
Suspension is very upsetting, especially if you are giving your best to work on a client’s project. However, you should treat suspension as a course of action for improvement, rather than a punishment.
Before you start working with a new client again, we will ask you to retake and pass the Freelancer Best Practices and Terms of Use tests first before we reactivate your account.
How can I prevent my account from being suspended?
The FreeUp Marketplace takes pride in only working with freelancers that can uphold the Freelancer Best Practices and Terms of Use.
In addition, here are the top reminders to freelancers to prevent being suspended:
- Only take on projects they can complete at a high level and can commit to for the duration of the project
- Have a positive interaction with clients you meet on the platform
- Communicate at a high level including responding within 1 business day to clients per the FreeUp Terms of Use
- Hit due dates and deadlines that are agreed to
- Always work with clients in a professional manner
- Never accept or offer payment outside of FreeUp
- Before you start working with a new client, it’s best to have a Scope of Work document ready first. The Scope of Work document includes the project summary, role description, tasks and responsibilities, project deliverables, timeline, schedule, and other project related information
What will happen if I get suspended again?
After your initial suspension, any future valid client complaints may lead to your account being permanently restricted or being removed from the marketplace.
How can we help you?
If you have any questions, we’re here to help! You can reach out to us via support@freeup.net or contact your FreeUp Partner.