How to cancel a project on Upwork and get a partial reward?

Question

Freelance

I found a fixed-price project on Upwork to create a spam bot for Twitter. I took on this task, but as I worked, I realized that I could not fulfill the requirements of the customer 100%.
In this regard, I want to close the contract, returning the money to the customer, so as not to waste my time on something that is almost impossible to do and eventually get a bad review. On the one hand, I don’t want to completely throw the customer away, on the other hand, I want to receive at least some kind of remuneration for partially completed work.
Question - what threatens me if I offer to close the contract on Upwork and sell the developed software directly for a lower price? I understand that the customer can complain to Upwork about me, which threatens to block the account? If so, what is the "correct" way to receive compensation for incomplete work, if it is impossible to complete it due to a number of circumstances? At the same time, of course, I want all this to do without strong consequences for my rating on Upwork.
Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

First of all, you need to talk with the customer. Maybe he will understand and realize that what you have done is the best acceptable option and will accept it as a completed project. There is only one guarantee that no one will complain about you and leave a bad review - a full refund.

Answer 2

In my opinion, you should not only return all the money to the customer, but also pay him extra for the time spent.

Answer 3

What is "understood as I worked"? Did you agree on some requirements, and then the customer had others, or did you initially not understand the requirements or overestimate your strength?
It's just that Upwork puts a lot of effort into protecting conscientious clients from irresponsible freelancers who take on jobs without being sure they can complete them. This is one of the things customers love about Upwork. If it turned out that you cannot fulfill the requirements that the customer had from the very beginning, then you need to think not about profit, but about how to maintain a good name at any cost.
If the customer added to the original task requirements that exceed your qualifications, then you need to agree that he pays for your work, and for an additional one he looks for a freelancer with the appropriate skills.

Answer 4

There is only one solution, this is an agreement with the customer himself. I had a similar situation, I could not complete the project, but the bottom line was that the customer himself did not understand what he wanted. I paid for the work done and wrote a positive review. But people are different, each has its own approach.

Answer 5

ask the customer what he agrees to

Answer 6

Too many freelancers have divorced lately - the main thing is to grab the order, and then at least the grass does not grow. With the help of maybe, nebosya and somehow we blind something.
Full bullshit, such services!
The contractor takes the order, then a week later says that it doesn’t work, but he spent a week of my time.
Such points must be written in the contract.
As a partial reward, I can not leave a negative review about such a performer if he brings me at least some kind of apology for the time spent and donates part of the work done.