Blind Reviews & The Day I Started Censoring Myself

[miiila]

Well, it has started. I have had my first encounter with the new blind review system. - And I have sold out.

A buyer messaged me recently and to be honest, I didn’t want to work with them. They seemed too needy and were clearly only looking to pay the absolute minimum. I went so far as to state that it sounded like they needed an in-depth consultation and that I was afraid I couldn’t offer them this. Then suddenly: Boom! They placed an order, minus any of the information which I told them I would need to complete their work.

This upset me. However, I delivered on this order and as soon as I did, the buyer marked it as complete. Then I received a notification stating that the buyer had left a review. To see it, I would have to leave a review first.

Now, I don’t usually review buyers. In fact, I usually only review buyers if they leave a super nice review or a tip. However, now it is the case that new reviews won’t appear on my gig pages for 10-days until I do. What’s that word? Blackmail?

Anyway, I had to write something and with this order, I guessed that the buyer had a 50/50 chance of leaving a negative review. After all, I had asked them not to place an order with me. The thing is, how would writing anything like that benefit me? My reviews show up on my profile. If I say anything bad about any buyer, this will reflect poorly on me.

So, I left a basic 5-star review thanking the buyer for their order. After I did, I found that the buyer had left a 5-star review of their own and there was a ‘phew’ moment.

My Review of the Review System

For me, the new blind review system is just another needless headache. If reviews of buyers appeared on their own profile pages, the system would be workable. They don’t, though. They just appear on yours.

As for other immediate problems:

• I think buyers I leave positive reviews (when these are warranted) like these as it adds a personal touch to my overall service standard. Now I can’t offer this.
• Now things are more time-consuming. Namely, because if I want reviews, I have to dole them out myself, even though doing so serves no practical purpose.
• I am pretty sure that if I said anything which this buyer might not have liked, they would have reported me to CS.
• There is still no way for me to check the reviews of buyers left by other sellers

As it is, I think that I will refrain from reviewing buyers at all from now on. It’s too risky to leave buyers anything other than 5-stars and… Well, career suicide really. In cases where a buyer leaves me 1-star, I’m going to look pretty stupid saying “Thank you for your order!” Worse, it will look like I don’t even care to give a buyer a reason why their delivery might not have been to their satisfaction.

To see it, I would have to leave a review first.

So, what would have happened if you hadn’t? The buyer’s review staying in limbo forever? Hmm…

[misscrystal]

Seeing a great review after completing an order WAS a great motivator. It was lovely to see a happy buyer leaving a nice review. I’m really going to miss that. I usually thanked them privately and it created a very nice ending which resulted in a loyal return buyer. No more for that happy occasion after a sale.

[leejohnsonvideo]

I just had my first blind review this morning. I REALLY thought this was a site glitch.

Your last paragraph sums up my thoughts and feelings exactly. 😞

[cyaxrex]

To see it, I would have to leave a review first.

So, what would have happened if you hadn’t? The buyer’s review staying in limbo forever? Hmm…

So, what would have happened if you hadn’t? The buyer’s review staying in limbo forever? Hmm…

No, it would go public after 10-days. I just don’t want to have to wait 10-days to know what a buyer has said about me.

[misscrystal]

I always thought in a sales environment as fiverr is, that creating great SELLER MOTIVATION was one of the goals that would achieve more sales. I’ve seen how seller motivation increases the sales of an organization in a very obvious dramatic way.

Seeing a great review after a delivery of an order was the major way that helped sellers to stay motivated to do great work.

Now we get no feedback on how our delivery was received.

[leejohnsonvideo]

I guess all I can do now is post “Thank you for the order” on everything… no more… no less.

[miiila]

Though fiverr asking for buyer review based on our overall experience with the buyer during the project but when it display in our gig page(just under buyers review) it seems like we are replying or commenting on buyer’s review which is not correct.

That’s quite right. Thus, the buyer’s review should appear on our page, and our review on their page.

[graciebyrdvo]

Seeing a great review after completing an order WAS a great motivator. It was lovely to see a happy buyer leaving a nice review. I’m really going to miss that. I usually thanked them privately and it created a very nice ending which resulted in a loyal return buyer. No more for that happy occasion after a sale.

Seeing a great review after completing an order WAS a great motivator. It was lovely to see a happy buyer leaving a nice review. I’m really going to miss that. I usually thanked them privately and it created a very nice ending which resulted in a loyal return buyer. No more for that happy occasion after a sale.

Agreed. The five star reviews were like little shots of dopamine. 😉

Due to other issues I’ve had with their business practices and how poorly they treat sellers, in the last couple months I had already dailed back on my participation in what was essentially for me a Fiverr experiment. This puts the nail in the coffin.

[misscrystal]

I guess all I can do now is post “Thank you for the order” on everything… no more… no less.

I will come up with some kind of generic meaningless response I give to every single review, therefore looking like an indifferent robot and hurting my public image to potential buyers. Just great.

[odal456]

So, is the review displayed in your analytics immediately after the buyer left it?

If it is, you can track total number of reviews and see whether the buyer left 1 - 5 stars.

If it isn’t, does that mean that unanswered reviews will not count for the next evaluation? (if it is left between 6th and 14th of the month)

[miiila]

I will come up with some kind of generic meaningless response I give to every single review, therefore looking like an indifferent robot and hurting my public image to potential buyers. Just great.

We could all make up one and swap them, so we’ll sound less robotic. 😉

@discobot fortune, considering that indeed our own review will look like a reply to the review the buyers left us, which might have a very comical effect in some cases … what do you think about … “This gig was delivered on [delivery date], exactly in keeping with the order specifications. Thank you for your order.”

Well, guess I’ll either do that, or just keep doing what I’ve been doing.

This probably will give return/regular buyers of the good kind another edge over new would-be buyers, and the latter a harder time finding a seller.

[Guest discobot]

We could all make up one and swap them, so we’ll sound less robotic. 😉

@discobot fortune, considering that indeed our own review will look like a reply to the review the buyers left us, which might have a very comical effect in some cases … what do you think about … “This gig was delivered on [delivery date], exactly in keeping with the order specifications. Thank you for your order.”

Well, guess I’ll either do that, or just keep doing what I’ve been doing.

This probably will give return/regular buyers of the good kind another edge over new would-be buyers, and the latter a harder time finding a seller.

🔮 My sources say no

[miiila]

🔮 My sources say no

Oh, dang. Thanks for the warning, disco!

[misscrystal]

I really can’t think of anything to say that won’t appear as if I am out of it. People are going to be wondering why I am responding to reviews that way, no matter what I say. My response won’t be at all related to the review that the buyer left.

[leejohnsonvideo]

I really can’t think of anything to say that won’t appear as if I am out of it. People are going to be wondering why I am responding to reviews that way, no matter what I say. My response won’t be at all related to the review that the buyer left.

Since our reviews are meaningless now, maybe we should just use it to advertise our other gigs 😎

[Alex.M]

welcome to the auto destruction of Fiverr

[estherrandell]

I guess all I can do now is post “Thank you for the order” on everything… no more… no less.

Truer words have never been spoken…

[socialhonor]

It literally strips away the sellers ability to respond effectively to the buyer’s comments, defend ourselves - and offer explanations as to what might have went on, and why or how the experience could have been improved for best results.

Contrary to popular opinion, it’s NOT ALWAYS THE SELLERS’S FAULT when things don’t go well with orders. :roll_eyes:

Recently I had a buyer order from me, he was a fitness trainer, who advocated strongly for cannabis as well. He asked if I would advertise for him. I said I could post an ad about his fitness training - but - wouldn’t include the cannabis as it goes against the platform I work from TOS. He said he hadn’t set up his webpage yet, but had a twitter page… so I proceeded to ask him why he didn’t just wait to advertise - once he got his webpage going. He said he wanted to try and get some twitter traction prior. I reiterated all I do is advertise, I don’t sell followers etc, and that he’d likely do better once he got himself organised. Anyways end of the day, he ordered - although I pretty much tried to advise him against dong so.

His ad appeared to do pretty well, got traction, I could see he got several followers. (Which was more than I expected, because he had no webpage attached to his twitter profile or ad ) - so basically he was just a BUFF dude looking for followers… 💪

Couple of weeks went by and this guy came back and left a 3.5 star review that said;
“Service was fulfilled, but I would never buy again or recommend.”

Kudos to him for being honest - and not giving me 1 star in all three categories, BUT since this review my orders on that gig have come to a screeching halt. :stop_sign:

What is my point? Well, this is an example of a time that I would have given a 5 star rating - and said the experience went well (I always leave written feedback) - and basically would have looked like a delusional idiot… 😑

Because the new feedback system hadn’t been implemented yet, I was able to respond back, that he would have likely received a better response had he been more organized, set up a webpage etc. NOT being able to respond swiftly to feedback is absolutely unfair - and a poor business practice imo.

[miiila]

The chance of sounding like a lunatic or worse when leaving a “reply” to a review we don’t see before we “reply” indeed is high.

I guess I might also stop leaving “reviews” which don’t appear on buyers’ profiles anyway. Again, what we left and leave, aren’t reviews anyhow but replies to reviews.
“Blind review system” doesn’t really cut it, this never has been a mutual review system, but buyers leaving reviews and sellers replying to those reviews with either a thank-you or their own take on a buyer’s complaint.

Having to wait for a very unnecessarily long-seeming 10 days (why 10? Why not 3 like the (old) order completion period, if people can be expected to check a delivery within 3 days, surely people can be expected to type up 1 or 2 lines of a review reply?) while our reviews are being held hostage to see them and having only buyer’s reviews showing with no replies and not being able to defend oneself against someone who lies, might still be better than looking like a looney because of replies that don’t fit at all to the reviews.
Also, in case I get some buyer/competitor who doesn’t say anything during the order and then literally lies in the review, I wouldn’t want such a person to have the satisfaction of my reply to their lie being “Great to work with, thank you for the order.”

At least, we have the block button now, so we can block a liar-buyer/competitor after they’ve done the damage and they can only do further damage if they own another account.
While the block button is a small step in the right direction, the blind review, in its current form in which it apparently is being released and in my opinion, is not only a bad step but also a detrimental move for sellers but by Fiverr for Fiverr.

[jeromae]

The chance of sounding like a lunatic or worse when leaving a “reply” to a review we don’t see before we “reply” indeed is high.

I guess I might also stop leaving “reviews” which don’t appear on buyers’ profiles anyway. Again, what we left and leave, aren’t reviews anyhow but replies to reviews.

“Blind review system” doesn’t really cut it, this never has been a mutual review system, but buyers leaving reviews and sellers replying to those reviews with either a thank-you or their own take on a buyer’s complaint.

Having to wait for a very unnecessarily long-seeming 10 days (why 10? Why not 3 like the (old) order completion period, if people can be expected to check a delivery within 3 days, surely people can be expected to type up 1 or 2 lines of a review reply?) while our reviews are being held hostage to see them and having only buyer’s reviews showing with no replies and not being able to defend oneself against someone who lies, might still be better than looking like a looney because of replies that don’t fit at all to the reviews.

Also, in case I get some buyer/competitor who doesn’t say anything during the order and then literally lies in the review, I wouldn’t want such a person to have the satisfaction of my reply to their lie being “Great to work with, thank you for the order.”

At least, we have the block button now, so we can block a liar-buyer/competitor after they’ve done the damage and they can only do further damage if they own another account.

While the block button is a small step in the right direction, the blind review, in its current form in which it apparently is being released and in my opinion, is not only a bad step but also a detrimental move for sellers but by Fiverr for Fiverr.

Just got mine! rated the buyer 5 but he rated me 4 in return because he wants the quality of premium package but ordered a basic package. LOL

[socialhonor]

The chance of sounding like a lunatic or worse when leaving a “reply” to a review we don’t see before we “reply” indeed is high.

I guess I might also stop leaving “reviews” which don’t appear on buyers’ profiles anyway. Again, what we left and leave, aren’t reviews anyhow but replies to reviews.

“Blind review system” doesn’t really cut it, this never has been a mutual review system, but buyers leaving reviews and sellers replying to those reviews with either a thank-you or their own take on a buyer’s complaint.

Having to wait for a very unnecessarily long-seeming 10 days (why 10? Why not 3 like the (old) order completion period, if people can be expected to check a delivery within 3 days, surely people can be expected to type up 1 or 2 lines of a review reply?) while our reviews are being held hostage to see them and having only buyer’s reviews showing with no replies and not being able to defend oneself against someone who lies, might still be better than looking like a looney because of replies that don’t fit at all to the reviews.

Also, in case I get some buyer/competitor who doesn’t say anything during the order and then literally lies in the review, I wouldn’t want such a person to have the satisfaction of my reply to their lie being “Great to work with, thank you for the order.”

At least, we have the block button now, so we can block a liar-buyer/competitor after they’ve done the damage and they can only do further damage if they own another account.

While the block button is a small step in the right direction, the blind review, in its current form in which it apparently is being released and in my opinion, is not only a bad step but also a detrimental move for sellers but by Fiverr for Fiverr.

…Which is sad - because I feel that reviewing a seller - contributes towards establishing a good rapport as it’s more personable.

Working online is already “robotic” enough - and this will make it be even more robotic.

I definitely will no longer leave reviews on random clients - I will always for my regulars, however. Thank goodness for them!

[graciebyrdvo]

The chance of sounding like a lunatic or worse when leaving a “reply” to a review we don’t see before we “reply” indeed is high.

I guess I might also stop leaving “reviews” which don’t appear on buyers’ profiles anyway. Again, what we left and leave, aren’t reviews anyhow but replies to reviews.

“Blind review system” doesn’t really cut it, this never has been a mutual review system, but buyers leaving reviews and sellers replying to those reviews with either a thank-you or their own take on a buyer’s complaint.

Having to wait for a very unnecessarily long-seeming 10 days (why 10? Why not 3 like the (old) order completion period, if people can be expected to check a delivery within 3 days, surely people can be expected to type up 1 or 2 lines of a review reply?) while our reviews are being held hostage to see them and having only buyer’s reviews showing with no replies and not being able to defend oneself against someone who lies, might still be better than looking like a looney because of replies that don’t fit at all to the reviews.

Also, in case I get some buyer/competitor who doesn’t say anything during the order and then literally lies in the review, I wouldn’t want such a person to have the satisfaction of my reply to their lie being “Great to work with, thank you for the order.”

At least, we have the block button now, so we can block a liar-buyer/competitor after they’ve done the damage and they can only do further damage if they own another account.

While the block button is a small step in the right direction, the blind review, in its current form in which it apparently is being released and in my opinion, is not only a bad step but also a detrimental move for sellers but by Fiverr for Fiverr.

At least, we have the block button now, so we can block a liar-buyer/competitor after they’ve done the damage and they can only do further damage if they own another account.

I’m looking but don’t see this block button. I’m fortunate to have had only one bad buyer, but with this new system, I want to make sure he does not come back.

[miiila]

At least, we have the block button now, so we can block a liar-buyer/competitor after they’ve done the damage and they can only do further damage if they own another account.

I’m looking but don’t see this block button. I’m fortunate to have had only one bad buyer, but with this new system, I want to make sure he does not come back.

I guess it’s one of the features that only get rolled out batch-wise, then.

[graciebyrdvo]

I guess it’s one of the features that only get rolled out batch-wise, then.

I guess it’s one of the features that only get rolled out batch-wise, then.

Where do you see it? I’ll keep on the look out.

[miiila]

I guess it’s one of the features that only get rolled out batch-wise, then.

Where do you see it? I’ll keep on the look out.

On the profiles of people who already ordered from me.

… correction: That’s where I saw it.