freelancer.com

I worked on Freelancer.com for more than 7 years as a web developer. It became my primary and only a

I worked on Freelancer.com for more than 7 years as a web developer. It became my primary and only active freelancing platform. I built a 5-star profile over those years and completed dozens of projects professionally.

In late 2025, I won a project with clearly defined requirements and 8 agreed milestones (documented in PDF). I completed multiple milestones exactly as agreed. The client partially paid for the first ones (about 80%), then abandoned the project after I completed additional milestones and requested payment.

Instead of explaining anything, the client left a 1-star review with no justification — literally just a quotation mark.

When I contacted support to remove this clearly unjustified rating, I was told that ratings can only be removed if the client agrees — even if there is no explanation and even if the work was completed.

After weeks of communication, the client eventually changed the rating to 5 stars and admitted that he abandoned the project due to financial issues, not because of my work.

I thought the issue was resolved.

Then the same client sent me a personal PayPal link demanding that I send money back directly to him. This was outside the platform and against policy. I reported the message and blocked him, which I believe was the correct and responsible action.

The next day, my account was suspended for allegedly “threatening the client.”

I have never threatened any client in 11 years of freelancing.

Since then, I have spent months contacting support. Each response comes from a different person. One says they will contact the client. Another says nothing can be done unless the client responds. Another says it will be resolved in 48 hours. There is no ownership, no consistency, and no clear explanation.

My 7-year-old account with a strong reputation was my primary source of income.

What shocks me the most is this: a freelancer who reports suspicious behavior ends up suspended, while the client who sends external payment links faces no visible consequence.

After 7 years of loyalty, subscriptions, fees, and completed projects, this is how the situation ended.

Freelancers should understand that when disputes arise, you may not receive the support you expect — no matter how long you have worked on the platform.

Date of experience: Feb 19, 2026