Upwork 

The worst customer service ever. I've been a client of upwork for 4 years now, and use heaps of different SaaS, this is the worst customer service ever. Takes you round in circles, no way to call or email, no humans to chat to. Just a chat bot that asks you the same question over and over again. Totally unacceptable.

Bad services.

I've used Upwork for over 10 years as both a freelancer and a client. Recently, Upwork incorrectly changed my Verified Identity, causing my withdrawal attempts to fail and effectively locking me out of accessing my earnings. There is absolutely no way to contact human customer support, leaving me with unresolved issues and unpaid earnings.

The decision by Upwork to replace human support entirely with AI is not just poor service—it's exploitative and unethical, especially at a time when freelancers depend heavily on this income to survive. I strongly advise freelancers to consider this severe lack of support before relying on Upwork as a source of income.

I have been using Upwork for 10+ years as both a client and freelancer. I had built up an impressive profile with 5 figures in earnings, 100% job success rate, and only 5 star reviews. Out of nowhere, I was asked to do an identity verification and provided exactly what they asked for. Meanwhile, my account was suspended and I couldn't access certain features. I received an email that night saying they had received my documents and verified my identify successfully and that I could continue using Upwork, however it still did not work. Then overnight, got another email saying my account had been permanently suspended with the following message:

"Hi David,

We have reviewed your information as part of the identity verification process.

Unfortunately, your account has been permanently suspended as we are not able to verify your identity.

If you have active contracts with a client or pending funds, those are being canceled as you may no longer use Upwork.

While we regret having to take this step, we could not verify the required information. We are not able to reverse this decision.

Please know we are unlikely to respond to further correspondence regarding this matter. We wish you well in your future endeavors.

Regards,
Cathrina M
Upwork Trust & Safety Team"

Zero explanation, just a permanent ban out of nowhere for a long term user who had done nothing but good on the platform. I can't even log in now. To make matters worse, I was in the middle of a web build for a client and had $1000 already released to me from escrow that I had yet to withdraw and they have now stolen this money. This should be criminal as I have already performed the work for it. I used to love Upwork and now they've turned their back on me out of the blue. I do not recommend it.

I've been an Upwork client for the past 10+ years and although I've hired some good people there (and bad ones too!), the platform itself and their support are just terrible!

They have just blocked my 10-year-old account and to keep using it, they required me to verify the identity of some random person who is not in any way related to me, my company, or my Upwork account.

I have contacted them by chat and by phone but they still don't understand it is impossible for me to verify somebody else's ID! ABSOLUTELY INSANE!!!!

I have been wrongly suspended on Upwork despite providing all necessary ID and proof of legal residence.

I recently relocated from Ukraine to Poland due to the war and verified my account using:
✔️ Government-issued ID
✔️ Bank statement (confirmed by Upwork)
✔️ PESEL (legal registration in Poland)

My account holds $763 from completed projects, but Upwork has ignored all my appeals. I have followed every rule and provided all required documents, yet my account was suspended without a clear explanation.

I suspect that the suspension was caused by a discrepancy with my IP address. I primarily use mobile internet, which sometimes routes traffic through Gdańsk instead of Szczecin due to the way mobile networks operate. This is completely beyond my control and not an attempt to mislead the platform.

This has left me in a difficult financial situation, and I feel completely abandoned as a freelancer who has relied on Upwork for my livelihood.

I kindly ask Upwork to reconsider this decision or at least allow me to withdraw my hard-earned funds. I hope this issue can be resolved quickly and fairly.

I posted a project on UpWork for the first time. I received a last-minute project with extensive video and drone shooting that needed to be turned around in two weeks in Chicago where I don't live or have any contacts. I posted the project and after adding payment information was thrilled to see there were many qualified applicants. I reached out to one and they in UpWork speak "accepted the offer" to come shoot the following Tuesday. That Sunday night around 10 pm I received an email from UpWork that my project and contract was cancelled because I violated their terms with my language (I found out later from the freelancer that it was because I had working in the subject, 'experience working with drones.' This was strange because the job hadn't been flagged when posted five days prior and there had been no request to update the verbiage or opportunity to do so. The freelancer and I had messaged in a panic after on the platform--the shoot was in one business day at that point. He asked if we were still on, I said yes, and he said great, that he'd have to be paid off the platform. I said that was fine and we resumed communications via email outside of UpWork. Again, around 10 pm that night I received a message that my UpWork account was now blocked from any usage after discussion to pay a vendor off the platform (against their terms) even though they cancelled the contract so I could not pay it on their platform. I'm glad this worked out, and the freelancer probably is too; I'm guessing he gets his hourly fee in total now without their deductions. The whole experience was extremely bizarre, unprofessional, and honestly pretty enraging on our deadline. Had I not been able to get in touch with the freelancer we would have let down a client and I am sure I would have felt the fallout. In the future I will search specific titles on LinkedIn if I'm hiring outside of cities where I have connections. This was an absolute nightmare.

Badly made, badly managed and they encourage scammers.
Just had a cold calling phone call from someone at the company trying to sell me rubbish

I signed up for this agency in person back in 2022. They were quick to get your ID and SS card, make you watch some video while they record your information, then never hear from them again. It was in some random office. Very sketchy. I do not recommend giving them your information. I just read up on their policies and they take zero responsibility for anything. Very poor company if it is even real.

Received a text from Sherry at Upwork Group today wanting me to click on a link. I have never heard of this company, have never registered with them and have absolutely no idea how they have access to my mobile number. They do not have my consent to have access to my mobile number and they do not have my consent to contact me. My mobile service provider can't block them because there isn't a contact number for them to block.

Upwork is a terrible service that requires multiple verifications including government issued ID, selfie with forced smile and location proof just for posting simple job offer. It doesn't even have a way to post as company. If you have private limited company abroad, you can't verify account as an owner because location doesn't match your ID (for example). Upwork has the worst retail-oriented user experience crap you can imagine.

Can’t even log on. Was accused of not abiding by the rules. I’ve never witnessed more incompetence in my life. This company will be disbanded in a few years.

As a freelancer, Upwork has been a financial lifesaver for me. While I haven’t yet reached my ultimate goals, this platform has undoubtedly helped me earn additional income. Being the largest freelance marketplace, Upwork provides countless opportunities—if you know how to navigate it.

At first, landing clients was tough. My profile wasn’t as compelling as it could be, and I lacked experience in crafting an optimized Upwork profile. But trust me—hard work always pays off. If you’re struggling, don’t hesitate to learn and ask questions. Growth comes from persistence and adaptation.

Yes, applying for jobs requires an investment, as Upwork charges for Connects. However, I firmly believe that every penny spent will return as long as we approach freelancing strategically. With dedication and continuous improvement, Upwork can be a powerful tool to transform your freelance career.

Would I recommend Upwork? Absolutely! Just be patient, keep refining your approach, and success will follow.

Alarming quote from incompetent and unqualified freelancer:

“Mailchimp is obviously a horrible idea and I'm an idiot for suggesting it.” Once Jonathan’s Plan A failed, he scrambled to find another software for a project he had absolutely no experience with. Why didn’t Jonathan just refund the money, admit he had zero experience with the scope of work (or else he would never had recommended MailChimp) and wish us well in finding someone who could get the job done? Instead, he dragged us into his daily brainstorming ideas, would randomly tell us to buy random applications and then demanded more money (there was a cap on the cost of this fixed project) so he could figure out/learn how to do a project he had no experience with. I wish he told us he had no experience before we started. When I told Jonathan I would inform the public of what he did, his response was that he is “allowed to remove negative reviews from his profile.” Again, that is a quote from him. The scope of service did not change whatsoever but Jonathan’s daily demands did, as he experimented with something he never did before. Jonathan Summer is dishonest, definitely not a man of his word.

I don't understand how there are so many 1 star reviews for Upwork. I'm a real person, and this is a real review. After COVID, my company closed down, and I relied only on Upwork to earn a living. I worked extremely hard - up to 14 hours per day with many clients from all over the world. I worked and worked and worked and now have 100% Job Success which I deserve and the EVT Badge. I also have many 5 star reviews. If you are willing to work hard with Upwork, and yes, spend money (connects) on Boosting your profile and getting to the top of the client list you will do well. Customer support is also FANTASTIC - Best I have ever received. Those giving Upwork 1 star reviews are just not working properly with the platform. It takes time and once you are in your flow, you can't help but do well.

I am shocked to learn that my account has been permanently blocked. I have always followed Upwork’s Terms of Service, made all payments through the platform, and maintained communication exclusively via Upwork. I have not engaged in any prohibited activity, and I believe this suspension is a mistake.

Additionally, I currently have $1,000 held in escrow for an active project. Please clarify what will happen to these funds and how I can access them.

I respectfully request a detailed explanation of the reason for my suspension and an opportunity to resolve this matter. Please review my case and let me know the next steps.

Changed and very poor service, the workers keep overbilling, two times this happened. One overbilled me for 20 hours and had no shame in doing so, scammed me out of 1000 usd! another just did it for one hour, but it was a lot per hour. Their service is rubbish, tried to give feedback, but didn't accept it.

For some reason a notification came up on my dashboard saying 'Action required: Verify your identity to build trust and connect with freelancers.' So i clicked on the hyperlink to verify, it sends a link via text message. However, when I click that link it says 'Sorry, you've been blocked'.
I'm confused, the Upwork support say I will hear from someone within the next 24 - 48 hours, and don't tell me why it's blocked. Meanwhile I have Market Research job post active which potential candidates are messaging me on for the job, but now I'm unable to respond. This means any that were potentially able to get the job are left wondering why they can't get any response from me.

Rather frustrating and confusing. Wasted so much time!

Our company has been eager to invest in Upwork’s services to find and hire top-tier talent. However, despite our willingness to pay and comply with their policies, Upwork has unfairly blocked our account.

Initially, our account was temporarily suspended due to an expired credit card—something we promptly addressed. Yet, instead of resolving the issue, Upwork permanently banned us, claiming a connection to another blocked account. This decision was made without a proper review or consideration of our case.

We have attempted to appeal, but their support team has been unhelpful, offering vague responses and refusing to reinstate our account. Upwork’s actions have disrupted our hiring process and prevented us from accessing the talent we need.

It’s incredibly frustrating that a platform designed for businesses and freelancers is so quick to block paying clients without due diligence. If you’re a company looking to hire, beware—your account could be permanently shut down with little to no explanation.

We expected a professional and reliable service but were met with unfair treatment and poor customer support.

Unreal how complicated this is. Even setting up a profile is almost impossible. Gave up