Disparaging experience to say the least, buyer account restricted

[Guest sml1974]

Fiverr is an interesting marketplace. I have found some amazing fivers to work with and for that I am extremely grateful. However there are 4 to 1 bad sellers on fiverr, unfortunately.

I currently have $290 paid to an amazing fiverr for a project, does anyone know how that gets handled now that she cannot deliver it to me?

Things that are a real problem here in fiverr:

1. Misrepresentation of location and ability to speak English as a first language. It’s a real problem. It’s not that I am prejudiced. It’s that in order to write for a demographic that is fluent in English, it’s nearly impossible to pull it off if you aren’t fluent in English. People are lying just to get the gigs and then it always ends in a conflict which is no fun for anyone.

2. Editors using software programs and butchering texts / manuscripts and expecting to get paid. I had to just hire an editor outside of fverrr due to bad experiences, one after another.

3. Laziness. I have one fiverr who was a good writer, but after 11 extension requests granted, yes 11! I gave up and refused to work with him any further.

4. Lack of Ethical Reviewing System. The reviewing system and the ability to exploit it allow all this nonsense to go on. A seller basically takes any gig, if the buyer isn’t a pushover they can just cancel, refund and avoid the negative feedback. Fix the review system and make sellers accountable, period and the rest of the issues will fix themselves.

Now back to the main reason I posted, what happens to my current gig and those funds?

Thanks everyone.

[misscrystal]

Hello, sorry you had a bad experience. I agree there are a lot of incompetent lazy lying sellers. Freelancing requires some skills and a mindset that some people just don’t have and they can’t be their own bosses.

However, there are lots of amazingly competent sellers who are giving work that should cost ten times what it costs here. You just have to be smart and careful about who you buy from.

Your recourse for a bad experience is getting a refund. So you pay for the chance to get incredible work for an unheard of price with the chance of having problems like you had and having to get a refund.

If every single seller on fiverr were a sure thing, it would cost ten times more to hire sellers on this site.

[Guest sml1974]

Hello, sorry you had a bad experience. I agree there are a lot of incompetent lazy lying sellers. Freelancing requires some skills and a mindset that some people just don’t have and they can’t be their own bosses.

However, there are lots of amazingly competent sellers who are giving work that should cost ten times what it costs here. You just have to be smart and careful about who you buy from.

Your recourse for a bad experience is getting a refund. So you pay for the chance to get incredible work for an unheard of price with the chance of having problems like you had and having to get a refund.

If every single seller on fiverr were a sure thing, it would cost ten times more to hire sellers on this site.

I’ve spent close to $2500 I believe in the past few months. I’m pretty good at rewarding good work, above and beyond. You’re right, I’ve found 2 amazing fiverrs here and now with my restricted account it’s all up in the air.

Do you know what happens to the $290 currently paid for a gig that now can’t be delivered?

[misscrystal]

I’ve spent close to $2500 I believe in the past few months. I’m pretty good at rewarding good work, above and beyond. You’re right, I’ve found 2 amazing fiverrs here and now with my restricted account it’s all up in the air.

Do you know what happens to the $290 currently paid for a gig that now can’t be delivered?

Why is your account restricted?

[ron9204]

sml1974,

Not sure how to solve your problem being I am pretty new here. However having a huge sellers base like this does complicate the market tremendously, but it does come with the territory.

A few things, good and bad could come of have bad sellers. An obvious bad would be your buyers losing interest and faith in the system altogether. But a possible good is that it will stream line the good sellers products and price point.

I know this doesn’t add much content to your situation, but I always think looking for the silver lining is applicable in almost any circumstance 😄

Hope this helps!

[Guest sml1974]

Why is your account restricted?

The accusation is that I have too many cancellations. If they would fix their review system and the ability to exploit it, these types of things wouldn’t even happen. The assumption is that I am cancelling and downloading and keeping content like some sort of scam. It’s offensive. If they bothered to review what I am rejecting, there wouldn’t be a question. The entire thing is disgusting to be honest.

[misscrystal]

The accusation is that I have too many cancellations. If they would fix their review system and the ability to exploit it, these types of things wouldn’t even happen. The assumption is that I am cancelling and downloading and keeping content like some sort of scam. It’s offensive. If they bothered to review what I am rejecting, there wouldn’t be a question. The entire thing is disgusting to be honest.

How many sales have you cancelled in total?

[Guest sml1974]

How many sales have you cancelled in total?

Completed 26, Pending 1, Cancelled 36 - I agree it looks bad out of context. The context being horrible sellers. I can defend each and every one of these. Actually, a good number of them were seller initiated when they realized they couldn’t deliver the job properly.

[misscrystal]

Completed 26, Pending 1, Cancelled 36 - I agree it looks bad out of context. The context being horrible sellers. I can defend each and every one of these. Actually, a good number of them were seller initiated when they realized they couldn’t deliver the job properly.

I see. Yes it looks bad. I wish I had an answer for you but your gig buying and cancelling days might be over. You may not get the money back.

[Guest sml1974]

I see. Yes it looks bad. I wish I had an answer for you but your gig buying and cancelling days might be over. You may not get the money back.

I’m a pretty honest guy. It’s infuriating that sellers can say they can do something with the mindset “if they don’t like it, we can just cancel and they can’t leave feedback”.

They can’t just keep the money, that’s not going to happen. I’m just wondering how this scenario is usually handled as I’m confident it’s happened to others.

You’d think they’d want to keep cash flowing into this economy, I spend a lot. I just also expect to get what I paid for and or am paying for…

I appreciate your feedback though. I"ll post on here when I get an update so others who may go through the same painstaking process can have some answers.

[gina_riley2]

Completed 26, Pending 1, Cancelled 36 - I agree it looks bad out of context. The context being horrible sellers. I can defend each and every one of these. Actually, a good number of them were seller initiated when they realized they couldn’t deliver the job properly.

Completed 26, Pending 1, Cancelled 36 - I agree it looks bad out of context.

Every buyer was new at one point. I’m not sure which context you’re referring to but that is really, really bad.

I’m not sure if sellers are to be blamed for that many cancellations. Perhaps you should take the time to read the forum and get saavier on how to find the right seller.

[Guest sml1974]

Completed 26, Pending 1, Cancelled 36 - I agree it looks bad out of context.

Every buyer was new at one point. I’m not sure which context you’re referring to but that is really, really bad.

I’m not sure if sellers are to be blamed for that many cancellations. Perhaps you should take the time to read the forum and get saavier on how to find the right seller.

Gina,

Here lies the problem. It’s trial and error and the rating system is a joke. I tried using the rating system to find good sellers however it doesn’t work. Let me explain why…

A large number of sellers seem to have this mentality: Sell the gig, if they don’t like it then I will just cancel and refund them This allows a seller to only funnel through positive ratings which then lure in unsuspecting buyers like myself.

I’ve had one seller cancel the gig cause he thought he was going to get a bad rating due to his under performance. He literally told me that. “This hasn’t gone well due to my ill mother and I know you are upset, I can’t afford a bad rating so I am going to cancel and wish you the best of luck”. This is what the current system allows, I may even say ‘encourages’ since there is really no true form of accountability in the current system.

I am not new to the world of freelancing, however this is by far the mecca of bad experiences out of all that I have used. However, I have found some gems as previously mentioned.

I am honest, I have nothing to hide.

[gina_riley2]

Gina,

Here lies the problem. It’s trial and error and the rating system is a joke. I tried using the rating system to find good sellers however it doesn’t work. Let me explain why…

A large number of sellers seem to have this mentality: Sell the gig, if they don’t like it then I will just cancel and refund them This allows a seller to only funnel through positive ratings which then lure in unsuspecting buyers like myself.

I’ve had one seller cancel the gig cause he thought he was going to get a bad rating due to his under performance. He literally told me that. “This hasn’t gone well due to my ill mother and I know you are upset, I can’t afford a bad rating so I am going to cancel and wish you the best of luck”. This is what the current system allows, I may even say ‘encourages’ since there is really no true form of accountability in the current system.

I am not new to the world of freelancing, however this is by far the mecca of bad experiences out of all that I have used. However, I have found some gems as previously mentioned.

I am honest, I have nothing to hide.

Trust me, I understand where you are coming from. I’ve made over 150 purchases on 5r and have spent as much as you have here.

I’ve had my share of frustrations with bad deliveries, worse communications and on and on.

The reviews, any experienced buyer will tell you, are hit and miss. Looking for the right types of reviews consist of looking at the profiles of the buyer who left it.

Did these buyers create their account the same month or the month after as the seller? Are they also a seller or just buyers.

If there are several buyers who created their account around same month, it could be that the seller has multiple accounts (not authorized) to buy and give themselves a review.

If all the buyers are from the same country, not necessarily as the seller, but with each other - likely friends and family.

There are so many signs to look for when hiring someone. You can Google search the so called buyers as well.

Did you reverse search their profile picture, gig portfolio, etc.

I’m pecking on my smartphone so it’s hard, otherwise I’d give you a list if things to watch out for when hiring someone.

[Guest sml1974]

Trust me, I understand where you are coming from. I’ve made over 150 purchases on 5r and have spent as much as you have here.

I’ve had my share of frustrations with bad deliveries, worse communications and on and on.

The reviews, any experienced buyer will tell you, are hit and miss. Looking for the right types of reviews consist of looking at the profiles of the buyer who left it.

Did these buyers create their account the same month or the month after as the seller? Are they also a seller or just buyers.

If there are several buyers who created their account around same month, it could be that the seller has multiple accounts (not authorized) to buy and give themselves a review.

If all the buyers are from the same country, not necessarily as the seller, but with each other - likely friends and family.

There are so many signs to look for when hiring someone. You can Google search the so called buyers as well.

Did you reverse search their profile picture, gig portfolio, etc.

I’m pecking on my smartphone so it’s hard, otherwise I’d give you a list if things to watch out for when hiring someone.

No, I didn’t vet the buyers. When I’m giving 20 percent fee to Fiverr I’m expecting them to provide an honest and fair marketplace. Just looking at sellers you can see a lot of liars off the bat. However their accounts just sit there because there seems to be a giant lack of vetting on behalf of the Fiverr. It’s offensive this should be on any buyer, not at a high 20 percent fee. #scandalous

However, here I am… someone who brings cash into the fiverr community and honest sellers won’t get it because my account has been restricted for making sure I get what I am paying for… very frustrating 😕

[misscrystal]

That’s more cancellations than non-cancelled purchases and it does look suspicious. Especially since you are an experienced buyer. Fiverr does not cancel accounts of good buyers.
There are some buyers, and I’m not saying you do this, who repeatedly make a habit of getting work for free. Fiverr must have put you in that category, whether it’s justified or not I can’t say.

I do appreciate your honesty in sharing the exact figures of your purchases and cancellations. That was nice of you. There is no question there are lots of bad sellers here but in all those purchases you probably could have chosen better ones, since you had time to learn what to look for.

[Guest sml1974]

That’s more cancellations than non-cancelled purchases and it does look suspicious. Especially since you are an experienced buyer. Fiverr does not cancel accounts of good buyers.

There are some buyers, and I’m not saying you do this, who repeatedly make a habit of getting work for free. Fiverr must have put you in that category, whether it’s justified or not I can’t say.

I do appreciate your honesty in sharing the exact figures of your purchases and cancellations. That was nice of you. There is no question there are lots of bad sellers here but in all those purchases you probably could have chosen better ones, since you had time to learn what to look for.

Well, I’m living proof they restricted an honest buyer. Believe it or don’t, I have nothing to hide. I showed the figures cause they are the figures. The problem is the lack of accountability to seller accounts who abuse the rating system. These are not projects that I cancelled and didn’t get someone else for it, most of them I went through 2-3 sometimes 4 people before someone was able to do it properly.

[misscrystal]

Well, I’m living proof they restricted an honest buyer. Believe it or don’t, I have nothing to hide. I showed the figures cause they are the figures. The problem is the lack of accountability to seller accounts who abuse the rating system. These are not projects that I cancelled and didn’t get someone else for it, most of them I went through 2-3 sometimes 4 people before someone was able to do it properly.

Let’s put it this way, you had an unusual extreme run of bad luck.

[eoinfinnegan]

No, I didn’t vet the buyers. When I’m giving 20 percent fee to Fiverr I’m expecting them to provide an honest and fair marketplace. Just looking at sellers you can see a lot of liars off the bat. However their accounts just sit there because there seems to be a giant lack of vetting on behalf of the Fiverr. It’s offensive this should be on any buyer, not at a high 20 percent fee. #scandalous

However, here I am… someone who brings cash into the fiverr community and honest sellers won’t get it because my account has been restricted for making sure I get what I am paying for… very frustrating 😕

I think you have misunderstood how Fiverr works.

As a buyer, the only fees you pay to Fiverr are payment processing fees.

Sellers pay 20% of all earnings to Fiverr for sales that they get from being listed on the site.

Fiverr does not vet any sellers. Fiverr does not guarantee any level of quality of seller. The choice of a seller is entirely on the buyer but in the event of bad service, customer support may intervene if it is warranted.

You will find this information in the Terms of Service which you should read carefully, specifically the sections titled Buyers and Orders. It is better to read the whole document though.

PS. I’m sorry to hear your account is restricted but it is good to hear that Fiverr do take action when a buyer has a high number of cancellations.

[catwriter]

I think you have misunderstood how Fiverr works.

As a buyer, the only fees you pay to Fiverr are payment processing fees.

Sellers pay 20% of all earnings to Fiverr for sales that they get from being listed on the site.

Fiverr does not vet any sellers. Fiverr does not guarantee any level of quality of seller. The choice of a seller is entirely on the buyer but in the event of bad service, customer support may intervene if it is warranted.

You will find this information in the Terms of Service which you should read carefully, specifically the sections titled Buyers and Orders. It is better to read the whole document though.

PS. I’m sorry to hear your account is restricted but it is good to hear that Fiverr do take action when a buyer has a high number of cancellations.

As a buyer, the only fees you pay to Fiverr are payment processing fees.

The processing fee for a $5 order is 20%, maybe that’s what he means?

[Guest sml1974]

I think you have misunderstood how Fiverr works.

As a buyer, the only fees you pay to Fiverr are payment processing fees.

Sellers pay 20% of all earnings to Fiverr for sales that they get from being listed on the site.

Fiverr does not vet any sellers. Fiverr does not guarantee any level of quality of seller. The choice of a seller is entirely on the buyer but in the event of bad service, customer support may intervene if it is warranted.

You will find this information in the Terms of Service which you should read carefully, specifically the sections titled Buyers and Orders. It is better to read the whole document though.

PS. I’m sorry to hear your account is restricted but it is good to hear that Fiverr do take action when a buyer has a high number of cancellations.

I don’t misunderstand anything my friend. I understand that you’ll rely on fine print to remove accountability, I think that’s my major complaint all together. You’ve created an environment that encourages exactly that.

When I pay for a gig to a seller $5, I’ll pay $6 ($1 going to fiverr = 20 percent) and it continues regardless how expensive the gig. I tend to spend $100-600 per gig on average so it gets quite expensive. Yes, I’m fully aware you don’t vet bad sellers… that is abundantly clear.

Yes, I get it, you’re here to make money and remove as much accountability as possible on your behalf.

Understood.

[Guest sml1974]

As a buyer, the only fees you pay to Fiverr are payment processing fees.

The processing fee for a $5 order is 20%, maybe that’s what he means?

Thanks Cat, that’s exactly it.

[catwriter]

I don’t misunderstand anything my friend. I understand that you’ll rely on fine print to remove accountability, I think that’s my major complaint all together. You’ve created an environment that encourages exactly that.

When I pay for a gig to a seller $5, I’ll pay $6 ($1 going to fiverr = 20 percent) and it continues regardless how expensive the gig. I tend to spend $100-600 per gig on average so it gets quite expensive. Yes, I’m fully aware you don’t vet bad sellers… that is abundantly clear.

Yes, I get it, you’re here to make money and remove as much accountability as possible on your behalf.

Understood.

I’ll pay $6 ($1 going to fiverr = 20 percent) and it continues regardless how expensive the gig.

It doesn’t continue regardless of the gig price.

From Fiverr’s Terms of Service: “As of July 2016, the current fees assessed to the total purchase amount are $1 on purchases up to $20 and 5% on purchases above $20. When purchasing from your seller’s balance (i.e. out of your earned revenues) or buyer’s shopping balance (resulting from any credits or refunds) you will not be charged a processing fee. Funds returned to your balance from cancelled orders will not include processing fees paid.”

It’s 20% for $5 gigs only.

You’ve created an environment that encourages exactly that.

Eoin is a forum moderator, he volunteers his time to keep the forum clean and friendly. He’s a seller and a buyer on Fiverr, not a Fiverr employee.

[eoinfinnegan]

I don’t misunderstand anything my friend. I understand that you’ll rely on fine print to remove accountability, I think that’s my major complaint all together. You’ve created an environment that encourages exactly that.

When I pay for a gig to a seller $5, I’ll pay $6 ($1 going to fiverr = 20 percent) and it continues regardless how expensive the gig. I tend to spend $100-600 per gig on average so it gets quite expensive. Yes, I’m fully aware you don’t vet bad sellers… that is abundantly clear.

Yes, I get it, you’re here to make money and remove as much accountability as possible on your behalf.

Understood.

I’m a seller and buyer who volunteers as a moderator for the forum - I do not work for Fiverr.

The Fiverr ToS is not “fine print”, it is written in normal text, laid out so it is easy to read and contains all the info necessary to understand how to use the site and what your responsibilities are.

Buyer fees are not 20% regardless of the amount. The fee is 5% for any purchase over $20 and this is a fairly standard practice.

you’re here to make money and remove as much accountability as possible on your behalf.

As I said above, I don’t represent Fiverr but I think you will find most businesses aim to make money. As for accountability, if buyers don’t check how a site works then surely they can be seen as at least somewhat accountable even if the main issue is with the seller.

PS. I have spent more than you in 160+ purchase and cancelled only 10 times.

Edit: Just saw @catwriter got in ahead of me 🙂

[Guest sml1974]

I’ll pay $6 ($1 going to fiverr = 20 percent) and it continues regardless how expensive the gig.

It doesn’t continue regardless of the gig price.

From Fiverr’s Terms of Service: “As of July 2016, the current fees assessed to the total purchase amount are $1 on purchases up to $20 and 5% on purchases above $20. When purchasing from your seller’s balance (i.e. out of your earned revenues) or buyer’s shopping balance (resulting from any credits or refunds) you will not be charged a processing fee. Funds returned to your balance from cancelled orders will not include processing fees paid.”

It’s 20% for $5 gigs only.

You’ve created an environment that encourages exactly that.

Eoin is a forum moderator, he volunteers his time to keep the forum clean and friendly. He’s a seller and a buyer on Fiverr, not a Fiverr employee.

Got it, I stand corrected So after the first $1 it goes to 5 percent. Still, 5 percent is a lot when you’re doing high priced gigs. I appreciate you pointing that out to me. Knowledge is winning 🙂

I meant “You” as in the company he seemed to be defending. I assumed he was a volunteer. I’m also a little irritated that I have to deal with this nonsense. It’s frustrating.

RE: Eoinfinnegan

Fine Print, Legal Text, etc. It’s the same vibe - that’s semantics.

@eoinfinnegan, @catwriter, @offlinehelpers

EDIT: When I say “Same Vibe” I mean in regards to my point it doesn’t change anything. My point being: Regardless if it’s fine print, easy to read, legal etc it is ALL legal text (yes it’s legal, or it wouldn’t need to be there) to communicate to the consumer (me) the rights in which he or she has if they do business with 5er. That’s why it’s called a TERMS OF SERVICE. It is a contract THUS it is fine print by the very definition of the phrase.

When I say “semantics” I mean that detracting from the main point to argue delivery of that point is exactly that, semantics. It’s a distraction and/or diversion of the main idea.

fine print

ˈˌfīn ˈprint/

noun

noun: fine print; plural noun: fine prints

printed matter of a legal type.    details or conditions printed in an agreement or contract, especially ones that may prove unfavorable.

EDITED:

@eoinfinnegan It’s a terms of service contract, all sites / services use them. Period. Please explain to me what would have changed by me reading it to my current situation. I fully am aware that there is no guarantee of quality product (horrible practice, and it’s why 5err gets so much hate in other freelancer communities, but I knew it so moving on), this is why part of every interaction I have with sellers includes daily updates to make sure I’m not paying hundreds of dollars for junk.

I have caught at least a dozen sellers on the first update trying to pass off junk. That’s an immediate red flag and why I initiate a dispute and with the box checked that states “Seller Cannot Perform Job” (not sure exact wording, same thing). Also like I Stated earlier, if fiverr truly investigated my account they would see that I usually re-hire someone else to do the work the original seller wasn’t able to do… sometimes 2 or 3 or 4 times sadly.

I have reviewed the TOS and I see very little if anything that would have made anything different. The problem is with the review system here and how sellers are able to manipulate it. Fix that, everything else fixes itself. I strongly believe that.

EDITED AGAIN:

@misscrystal I stick to one guy for audio books, and one for a ghost writing project, but we always need other things like editors (failed to find a legit one yet) graphic design and we wanted to find another good ghost writer. I was about to hire one for $500 when the account got restricted. My favorite one is currently working on something and it’s not fair to her that she won’t even be able to deliver it. She wants to do an entire series with me, this is the 2nd book.

I’m guilty of high levels of micromanagement but that’s the extent of it. Paranoid to get burned… and look where I am. 😕 /facepalm

[Guest offlinehelpers]

Got it, I stand corrected So after the first $1 it goes to 5 percent. Still, 5 percent is a lot when you’re doing high priced gigs. I appreciate you pointing that out to me. Knowledge is winning 🙂

I meant “You” as in the company he seemed to be defending. I assumed he was a volunteer. I’m also a little irritated that I have to deal with this nonsense. It’s frustrating.

RE: Eoinfinnegan

Fine Print, Legal Text, etc. It’s the same vibe - that’s semantics.

@eoinfinnegan, @catwriter, @offlinehelpers

EDIT: When I say “Same Vibe” I mean in regards to my point it doesn’t change anything. My point being: Regardless if it’s fine print, easy to read, legal etc it is ALL legal text (yes it’s legal, or it wouldn’t need to be there) to communicate to the consumer (me) the rights in which he or she has if they do business with 5er. That’s why it’s called a TERMS OF SERVICE. It is a contract THUS it is fine print by the very definition of the phrase.

When I say “semantics” I mean that detracting from the main point to argue delivery of that point is exactly that, semantics. It’s a distraction and/or diversion of the main idea.

fine print

ˈˌfīn ˈprint/

noun

noun: fine print; plural noun: fine prints

printed matter of a legal type.    details or conditions printed in an agreement or contract, especially ones that may prove unfavorable.

EDITED:

@eoinfinnegan It’s a terms of service contract, all sites / services use them. Period. Please explain to me what would have changed by me reading it to my current situation. I fully am aware that there is no guarantee of quality product (horrible practice, and it’s why 5err gets so much hate in other freelancer communities, but I knew it so moving on), this is why part of every interaction I have with sellers includes daily updates to make sure I’m not paying hundreds of dollars for junk.

I have caught at least a dozen sellers on the first update trying to pass off junk. That’s an immediate red flag and why I initiate a dispute and with the box checked that states “Seller Cannot Perform Job” (not sure exact wording, same thing). Also like I Stated earlier, if fiverr truly investigated my account they would see that I usually re-hire someone else to do the work the original seller wasn’t able to do… sometimes 2 or 3 or 4 times sadly.

I have reviewed the TOS and I see very little if anything that would have made anything different. The problem is with the review system here and how sellers are able to manipulate it. Fix that, everything else fixes itself. I strongly believe that.

EDITED AGAIN:

@misscrystal I stick to one guy for audio books, and one for a ghost writing project, but we always need other things like editors (failed to find a legit one yet) graphic design and we wanted to find another good ghost writer. I was about to hire one for $500 when the account got restricted. My favorite one is currently working on something and it’s not fair to her that she won’t even be able to deliver it. She wants to do an entire series with me, this is the 2nd book.

I’m guilty of high levels of micromanagement but that’s the extent of it. Paranoid to get burned… and look where I am. 😕 /facepalm

Fine Print, Legal Text, etc. It’s the same vibe - that’s semantics.

Seriously? Surely where money’s involved it’s a little more practical than semantics?