I have a problem with a seller who's claiming i didn't deliver what she ordered

[nosedesigns]

hi, i have a bit of an issue

recently i recieved an order from a woman who wanted two single covers for this artist’s musical project. we discussed in inbox that it would be an overnight job and that if she wanted to cancel she could. this was a week ago and i’m still working on it for her. she is actually a pain, she doesn’t know what she wants, she just tells me to use my references despite saying she doesn’t like them and she would disappear for ages leaving me stuck at my pc with nothing to do because i have no objective. recently she asked me to draw little doodles/sketches and very quickly i realised that i can’t draw. i let her know multiple times but she left me on read. after she told me that she couldn’t read them because she was driving and to wait 35-45 minutes for instructions. she left me waiting for 4 hours so at the end of the night i told her that if she didn’t give me any instructions by the time i got back the next morning (we’re at different timezones so she had plenty of time to answer) that i was going to deliver what i had. when i didn’t receive anything i finished off both covers and delivered them. NOW this lady is requesting to cancel because she “didn’t receive what she ordered” despite me meeting almost all of her requirements but the doodling.

problem is here, she liked the first cover and i’m afraid that if she cancels that i’m not going to receive the £20 i earned and she’s going to use the cover i made despite me not getting payed. what do i do here if she doesn’t want to sort the issue out? should i contact fiverr?

if this seems like a really weird thing to be posting on a forum, my apologies, but i don’t really have anyone else to talk about this with and i could use a professional opinion.

[sofiasman]

Well, generally, if you delivered what you agreed upon, she can’t cancel. Only undelivered orders can be cancelled.

Was the doodle a part of the original agreement? If it was, then she could contact customer service and they might force a refund, but unless you promised her to include a drawing (which I hope you didn’t since you say you can’t draw), she has no leg to stand on there.

I think there might be a lesson here though; don’t ever start an order without having all the instructions. You can edit this in your gig, to make sure that the client has provided you the required information, before the timer starts. Things like her needed a drawing and you not being able to do one is something that should be discovered beforehand, either so you can come up with another solution, or so that she can order from someone else.

[uk1000]

Would you be able to create something like the sketches/doodles she wants some other way and maybe ask if you delivered those would it be okay. If you can’t somehow create them yourself could you outsource them and still profit?

I agree with the above, that’s only if the sketches were part of the original requirements.

[nosedesigns]

Well, generally, if you delivered what you agreed upon, she can’t cancel. Only undelivered orders can be cancelled.

Was the doodle a part of the original agreement? If it was, then she could contact customer service and they might force a refund, but unless you promised her to include a drawing (which I hope you didn’t since you say you can’t draw), she has no leg to stand on there.

I think there might be a lesson here though; don’t ever start an order without having all the instructions. You can edit this in your gig, to make sure that the client has provided you the required information, before the timer starts. Things like her needed a drawing and you not being able to do one is something that should be discovered beforehand, either so you can come up with another solution, or so that she can order from someone else.

thanks so much for your reply! it was super helpful

the original order was two covers without explicit language advisory on them that was very stylistic to pop trends today with one being “similar” to a double cover, similar to a reference she sent me. the way i work is i show her updates (e.g. screenshots of what i’m doing) so she can critique and give me instructions so that the end result would look more like her vision. arguably, i delivered what i promised. she said mid-way through the order that she wanted the second cover to have different text but i forgot and put the text she originally wanted and put in the requirements. the reason we didn’t go through with the split cover idea is because she had a change of heart and went back to the drawing board. with the sketching i said i could “definitely do the doodles” but later i said that i wasn’t able to do them because i can’t draw. this was when the radio silence occurred and i never got a message from her until when she wanted to cancel the order. the doodles weren’t apart of the order requirements though.

[nosedesigns]

Would you be able to create something like the sketches/doodles she wants some other way and maybe ask if you delivered those would it be okay. If you can’t somehow create them yourself could you outsource them and still profit?

I agree with the above, that’s only if the sketches were part of the original requirements.

i did say i could use clip art but the thing was she kept changing her mind on what she wanted and she was never there to clarify if she liked what i had made, so i needed double clarification on an idea. that she never gave me because she never replied.

[uk1000]

i did say i could use clip art but the thing was she kept changing her mind on what she wanted and she was never there to clarify if she liked what i had made, so i needed double clarification on an idea. that she never gave me because she never replied.

You could explain to her that the doodles weren’t part of the original requirements. But also maybe say you can revise the delivery until she is happy with it (if unlimited revisions).

Though it might be risky if you’ve only a few reviews in case she decides to leave a bad review.

edit:

Also you could put something in the gig description if it isn’t already about sketches/doodles (eg. that any required images/sketches/doodles in the gig will be from stock ones or something).

[nosedesigns]

You could explain to her that the doodles weren’t part of the original requirements. But also maybe say you can revise the delivery until she is happy with it (if unlimited revisions).

Though it might be risky if you’ve only a few reviews in case she decides to leave a bad review.

edit:

Also you could put something in the gig description if it isn’t already about sketches/doodles (eg. that any required images/sketches/doodles in the gig will be from stock ones or something).

i’ve always stated that she could have unlimited revisions. however, i suggested that if she disagreed with me on the point that the doodles wouldn’t work with the cover then she should go to someone else who can do it instead. THAT is why i delivered what i had completed before hand, i gave her many hours to respond to me on what she thought i should do but she didn’t.

if she does end up trying to force a refund, is there a way i could appeal it? i’m quite new to fiverr so idk how it works haha

[uk1000]

i’ve always stated that she could have unlimited revisions. however, i suggested that if she disagreed with me on the point that the doodles wouldn’t work with the cover then she should go to someone else who can do it instead. THAT is why i delivered what i had completed before hand, i gave her many hours to respond to me on what she thought i should do but she didn’t.

if she does end up trying to force a refund, is there a way i could appeal it? i’m quite new to fiverr so idk how it works haha

is there a way i could appeal it? i’m quite new to fiverr so idk how it works haha

You could go to the helpdesk and create a support ticket and explain the issue to them if she does force a refund, eg. though CS.

https://www.fiverr.com/support_tickets/new

[nosedesigns]

is there a way i could appeal it? i’m quite new to fiverr so idk how it works haha

You could go to the helpdesk and create a support ticket and explain the issue to them if she does force a refund, eg. though CS.

https://www.fiverr.com/support_tickets/new

thanks so much for your help! it really means a lot and is super helpful. i’ll leave an update at the end of this forum so that i can reach some sort of conclusion.

[humanissocial]

i’ve always stated that she could have unlimited revisions. however, i suggested that if she disagreed with me on the point that the doodles wouldn’t work with the cover then she should go to someone else who can do it instead. THAT is why i delivered what i had completed before hand, i gave her many hours to respond to me on what she thought i should do but she didn’t.

if she does end up trying to force a refund, is there a way i could appeal it? i’m quite new to fiverr so idk how it works haha

Never, ever offer unlimited revisions. You’re asking to be exploited and will attract people who want to do that while repelling serious professionals.

Also, always make a very clear scope on the order and order requirements.

[eoinfinnegan]

hi, i have a bit of an issue

recently i recieved an order from a woman who wanted two single covers for this artist’s musical project. we discussed in inbox that it would be an overnight job and that if she wanted to cancel she could. this was a week ago and i’m still working on it for her. she is actually a pain, she doesn’t know what she wants, she just tells me to use my references despite saying she doesn’t like them and she would disappear for ages leaving me stuck at my pc with nothing to do because i have no objective. recently she asked me to draw little doodles/sketches and very quickly i realised that i can’t draw. i let her know multiple times but she left me on read. after she told me that she couldn’t read them because she was driving and to wait 35-45 minutes for instructions. she left me waiting for 4 hours so at the end of the night i told her that if she didn’t give me any instructions by the time i got back the next morning (we’re at different timezones so she had plenty of time to answer) that i was going to deliver what i had. when i didn’t receive anything i finished off both covers and delivered them. NOW this lady is requesting to cancel because she “didn’t receive what she ordered” despite me meeting almost all of her requirements but the doodling.

problem is here, she liked the first cover and i’m afraid that if she cancels that i’m not going to receive the £20 i earned and she’s going to use the cover i made despite me not getting payed. what do i do here if she doesn’t want to sort the issue out? should i contact fiverr?

if this seems like a really weird thing to be posting on a forum, my apologies, but i don’t really have anyone else to talk about this with and i could use a professional opinion.

if she wanted to cancel she could

What on earth does this mean? You agreed to do a job and if they want they can cancel?

Honestly, even aside from the above this whole order and your process seems all over the place and you need to straighten these things out quickly.

• Never start work without proper instructions.
• Never agree to adding something you can’t actually do
• Don’t offer unlimited revisions
• If a client is asking for more than the gig offers then say so. Some people are dumb, they don’t think about what they are saying. Others are mean and know exactly what they are doing. Either case it is your responsibility to define the rules.
• Your idea of delivering things throughout the order might seem a good idea but it just causes far more issues than it saves. When you give a buyer lots of options then they feel obligated to answer and critique every little thing.

1. Get the proper instructions
2. Do the work as you see fit and deliver
3. Mention how many revisions you offer and tell them to send a list of ALL changes they want altogether. That counts as one revision. Therefore 2-3 revisions is all that should ever be necessary.
4. Do the revisions and redeliver the order
5. If they reach the last revision mention that this is their last free revision.
6. If they have more revisions than offered then send a custom extra to them for the additional amount every time
7. Get paid for your work and never spend a week on a $20 order!

[nosedesigns]

if she wanted to cancel she could

What on earth does this mean? You agreed to do a job and if they want they can cancel?

Honestly, even aside from the above this whole order and your process seems all over the place and you need to straighten these things out quickly.

• Never start work without proper instructions.
• Never agree to adding something you can’t actually do
• Don’t offer unlimited revisions
• If a client is asking for more than the gig offers then say so. Some people are dumb, they don’t think about what they are saying. Others are mean and know exactly what they are doing. Either case it is your responsibility to define the rules.
• Your idea of delivering things throughout the order might seem a good idea but it just causes far more issues than it saves. When you give a buyer lots of options then they feel obligated to answer and critique every little thing.

1. Get the proper instructions
2. Do the work as you see fit and deliver
3. Mention how many revisions you offer and tell them to send a list of ALL changes they want altogether. That counts as one revision. Therefore 2-3 revisions is all that should ever be necessary.
4. Do the revisions and redeliver the order
5. If they reach the last revision mention that this is their last free revision.
6. If they have more revisions than offered then send a custom extra to them for the additional amount every time
7. Get paid for your work and never spend a week on a $20 order!

honestly this entire situation was a major wake up call, thank you for the help. i really don’t want to be a pushover but at the same time i don’t want to not receive any orders. as soon as this situation is finished, i’m restructuring the way i handle orders. this entire situation has been stressful and has taken a toll on my mental health and i never, ever want to do it again.

[eoinfinnegan]

honestly this entire situation was a major wake up call, thank you for the help. i really don’t want to be a pushover but at the same time i don’t want to not receive any orders. as soon as this situation is finished, i’m restructuring the way i handle orders. this entire situation has been stressful and has taken a toll on my mental health and i never, ever want to do it again.

Just had a look at some of your portfolio - I really like your work.

Your reviews are great and the fact that 3 out of 4 reviews mention just how communicative you are makes me wonder if my advice regarding not sending updates is good in this instance. I would definitely be cautious about sending multiple updates but perhaps sending an initial “what I am thinking” might be a good thing to do. I suppose my point was that asking them to critique things over and over gives them lots of scope to nit-pick which slows the process and distracts you from the overall design.

However, your process has worked well for 4 out of 5 clients so maybe it’s better not to throw it all out because of the one! I am sure there’s a happy medium somewhere though.

[misscrystal]

hi, i have a bit of an issue

recently i recieved an order from a woman who wanted two single covers for this artist’s musical project. we discussed in inbox that it would be an overnight job and that if she wanted to cancel she could. this was a week ago and i’m still working on it for her. she is actually a pain, she doesn’t know what she wants, she just tells me to use my references despite saying she doesn’t like them and she would disappear for ages leaving me stuck at my pc with nothing to do because i have no objective. recently she asked me to draw little doodles/sketches and very quickly i realised that i can’t draw. i let her know multiple times but she left me on read. after she told me that she couldn’t read them because she was driving and to wait 35-45 minutes for instructions. she left me waiting for 4 hours so at the end of the night i told her that if she didn’t give me any instructions by the time i got back the next morning (we’re at different timezones so she had plenty of time to answer) that i was going to deliver what i had. when i didn’t receive anything i finished off both covers and delivered them. NOW this lady is requesting to cancel because she “didn’t receive what she ordered” despite me meeting almost all of her requirements but the doodling.

problem is here, she liked the first cover and i’m afraid that if she cancels that i’m not going to receive the £20 i earned and she’s going to use the cover i made despite me not getting payed. what do i do here if she doesn’t want to sort the issue out? should i contact fiverr?

if this seems like a really weird thing to be posting on a forum, my apologies, but i don’t really have anyone else to talk about this with and i could use a professional opinion.

if she wanted to cancel she could.

Hello, very nice artwork!

I’m curious about why you said

if she wanted to cancel she could.

If she shows that to customer support they will agree to cancel her order, or actually you did say she could cancel so she wanted to cancel, so you should let her.

I think that if she was happy with the first effort you did you should have delivered it right then. You gave her too much opportunity to continue to change things. But none of it matters if you gave her the option in the beginning to cancel.

[nosedesigns]

Just had a look at some of your portfolio - I really like your work.

Your reviews are great and the fact that 3 out of 4 reviews mention just how communicative you are makes me wonder if my advice regarding not sending updates is good in this instance. I would definitely be cautious about sending multiple updates but perhaps sending an initial “what I am thinking” might be a good thing to do. I suppose my point was that asking them to critique things over and over gives them lots of scope to nit-pick which slows the process and distracts you from the overall design.

However, your process has worked well for 4 out of 5 clients so maybe it’s better not to throw it all out because of the one! I am sure there’s a happy medium somewhere though.

thank you! looking back in hindsight i agree that sending multiple updates whilst creating the cover was a really bad idea. the revisions idea you suggested is what i’m going to be doing from now on because it gives me a chance to breathe and fill out everything in one go.

[nosedesigns]

if she wanted to cancel she could.

Hello, very nice artwork!

I’m curious about why you said

if she wanted to cancel she could.

If she shows that to customer support they will agree to cancel her order, or actually you did say she could cancel so she wanted to cancel, so you should let her.

I think that if she was happy with the first effort you did you should have delivered it right then. You gave her too much opportunity to continue to change things. But none of it matters if you gave her the option in the beginning to cancel.

thank you so much for the compliment! the only reason i said that i wouldn’t have a problem with her cancelling the order was that my initial belief was that it was going to be an overnight job, maybe 2 days at most. i don’t think its fair to have me work for 6 days constantly waiting for updates only for her to nitpick and not give me clear instructions and not get payed the money i earned, you get me? at this point i simply won’t accept no payment and i’ll go to fiverr and clarify to them that it was supposed to be an overnight job if she brings it up.

[nosedesigns]

thank you so much for the compliment! the only reason i said that i wouldn’t have a problem with her cancelling the order was that my initial belief was that it was going to be an overnight job, maybe 2 days at most. i don’t think its fair to have me work for 6 days constantly waiting for updates only for her to nitpick and not give me clear instructions and not get payed the money i earned, you get me? at this point i simply won’t accept no payment and i’ll go to fiverr and clarify to them that it was supposed to be an overnight job if she brings it up.

also, the only reason she wants to cancel is because i didn’t do the doodles on my cover. something that wasn’t even in the order requirements. i gave her multiple chances to reply and figure the issue out however when she didn’t reply i clarified to her before-hand that i’d deliver what i had if she didn’t message me. when i delivered after i didn’t receive anything she THEN wanted to cancel the order.

i agree though. this order was very unprofessional and i should have a more solid structure of how i deal with issues like this, which is what i’m working on next time.

[nosedesigns]

update as promised:

i had to do something i wouldn’t usually do (i’m not going to say what, but i was pushed to my limits) to get her attention and we ended up having really good communication afterwards. i’ve gotten payed along with a good review so it’s honestly a very happy ending.