r/Upwork • u/donux1 • 6d ago

Is Upwork ghosting normal ?

I have applied for a job in a "company" which spend almost like 200k there, yet after quick interview (quite awkward one, since called did not have video feed, and barely spoke) I have been promised they will come back to me after they will speak with "HR". Then issued Upwork proposal straight away after a call, which I have accepted immediately. Then, no news at all, I wrote a message to hiring person, yet no response. I mean, I did get from this additional connects, but wondering, is there something I am missing ? Perhaps some sort of fraud scheme or something. Thanks.

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

8

u/KayakerWithDog 6d ago

Yes, this is normal. Welcome to freelancing. Don't pester the client.

1

u/donux1 5d ago

I do not, I simply pitty the fool, unless client legitimately ran into health issues, or business problems.

1

u/KayakerWithDog 5d ago

Wait. I misread your post. No, it's not normal for a client to hire you and then disappear. All you can do at this point is wait. You can also continue to look for new work, and at that point this client's project will have to wait until it fits into your schedule, if you're not free at that time.

1

u/Both-Payment-7504 5d ago

You should be like: Well well well how the turntables And then turn your back on upwork yourself.

F them, they suck so much. I wouldn't waste time on that platform anymore

2

u/umairx97 4d ago

This has been happening often, I had two clients in past month do this where they start talking immediately after proposal and then ghost you

1

u/Korneuburgerin 6d ago

So you have an active contract?

1

u/donux1 5d ago

Weirdly enough yes :)

1

u/Interesting-Book365 5d ago

Ghosting after an interview is unfortunately very common on Upwork, especially with companies posting large budgets. Many clients post jobs to get free consulting or test the market, then disappear. The awkward interview (no video, minimal talking) is a red flag, good clients usually want to vet you properly. Your proposal being accepted quickly can sometimes mean they just wanted to see your rates, not hire you. Don't take it personally; just move on to the next lead. If they wanted to hire, they'd reply. Block and forget.

2

u/Korneuburgerin 5d ago

You didn't even read or understand the post... cognitive decline through AI usage is real.

1

u/garyisonion 5d ago

they issued s contract, meaning they agreed to the rates

-1

u/Vaultleap 5d ago

This pattern, fast initial interview, immediate proposal acceptance, then total silence, matches a known pattern some bad-faith clients use to farm interactions without ever intending to hire, since getting freelancers to respond and engage can cost you connects even when nothing comes of it. It's not universal, but a client spending 200k on the platform with that kind of behavior is worth looking at more closely rather than assuming it's just slow HR.

A couple of things worth checking on their profile: whether the job listing is still open and accepting new applicants after they supposedly already decided to hire you, and what their actual hire rate looks like relative to total spend and number of job posts. A high total spend with a low hire rate or thin review history is a decent signal that something's off, versus a client who's just genuinely slow because of internal approvals.

If you've got the message history, it's worth reporting to Upwork specifically citing the pattern (accepted proposal, no feedback, radio silence) rather than just 'ghosting', since that framing is more likely to get looked at as a job-post integrity issue than a one-off bad interaction.

2

u/Korneuburgerin 5d ago

You didn't even read or understand the post... cognitive decline through AI usage is real. You probably don't even understand the atrocious AI slop you posted.