Contacted OFF Upwork by a Freelancer about my posted project

[sealvlservices]

This morning I received an email from what I can only assume is an Upwork freelancer regarding a project I posted yesterday.  The project title they highlighted is incorrect and some of the details are also incorrect, otherwise they know the basics of the project.  They obviously went to our website to get an email address since it came in through the website generic email.
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Hello Team Primal,
Greetings!

I am reaching out because recently I came across one of your requirements for an Enhancement of the website with a new WordPress Theme. 

My name is Bijal and I am a full-stack developer, working on WordPress, PHP, HTML/CSS/JS, SQL, REST APIs, Plugins Development, etc., and have more than seven years of experience.

You may have a look at my previous work experience:

• Removed (WordPress)
  • Removed (WordPress)
  • Removed**Edited for Community Guidelines**
  • Removed  (WordPress)
  • Removed (WordPress)
• Removed (WordPress)
  • Removed (WordPress)

I am eager to assist with updating your Homeowners Association website to give it a fresh look while maintaining its existing structure and content. With your provided WordPress theme, I'll seamlessly integrate it into your website, ensuring that all current links, images, and pages remain intact. Additionally, I'll update necessary plugins like the "events calendar" to enhance functionality.

Considering the scope of the project, including the 70 pages and PDF links, I'll provide a comprehensive solution to ensure a smooth transition to the new theme. My goal is to deliver a visually appealing and user-friendly website that meets your needs and exceeds your expectations.

Kindly let me know your availability for a detailed discussion.

Thanks & Regards,

Bijal Shah
Full Stack Developer

[sealvlservices]

And another one just came in
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Hi there,

Hope you are doing well.

I see you're looking for an experienced WordPress developer to assist you with updating some parts of your existing website, and I can definitely help you with that.

I've designed & developed several custom WordPress websites for my clients, and have helped them to increase the user engagement & drive revenue for their businesses.

Some of the sites that I take pride of:

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

Here is my LinkedIn profile for your reference:
**Edited for Community Guidelines**

I'm available immediately and eager for a potential long-term collaboration where I can showcase my skills and dedication.

Let's have a call to discuss, and exchange some ideas to make the most out of your requirement. 

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards,

Parth. 

[celgins · Accepted solution]

This happens a lot. Freelancers are attempting to avoid paying service fees on Upwork, so they reach out to clients outside of Upwork. This is a violation of Upwork's Terms of Service, so you should flag those freelancers' profiles as inappropriate and explain what happened.

[atreglia]

In addition to the 10% fees Clark mentioned above, which is Upwork’s cut of project earnings, the freelancer may not have had enough money to apply for the job.  This is especially true if other freelancers boosted their proposals because boosting can get out of hand real fast.  It’s still against the TOS to contact you outside UW but perhaps knowing that freelancers pay, and sometimes gamble large amounts, for a job may help further explain why the freelancer did what he did.

[sealvlservices]

I am also a freelancer here on Upwork and have been for many years so I am very aware of the fee's and the platform. If a freelancer is unable to afford to use the platform, then they should find another that better suits them rather than cercumvent the system and the other freelancer's that are abiding by the rules.  It would be unethical of me to waste everyone's time and money here by working with a cadidate that decided to take advantage of my business name as a lead generator in an effort to screw all the freelancers that put their time and money into properly bidding on my project.  This is also not behavior I would never defend.

[atreglia]

By the tone of your post it appears you believe I was defending what the freelancer did.  I was not.   

My apologies for thinking you were a fairly new client.  Neither of your posts mentioned you are a freelancer so I’m surprised that you're surprised a freelancer contacted you off-platform.

[sealvlservices]

But again, I'm not a new freelancer or client and over the many, many, years of hiring on Upwork, I have never been contacted off Upwork, so yeah, I'm surprised.

[8d1359cb]

I am not defending these freelancer but I find it funny that clients are actually reading these proposals, something that hardly happens on upwork nowadays.

[bobafett999]

No big deal.  If you don't like it ignore them and flag the freelancer.  UPWORK extracts money from freelancers, and in a small way freelancers gamble their career on the platform to cheat Upwork.

[sealvlservices]

Who said they bid on my project? Hard to flag when you cant find them. They're obviously trolling Upwork to find clients they can hit up off the platform. Ignoring them does nothing to help the platform and the freelancers who are trying to maintain the platforms, uh, integrity.