Client has lied and gotten refunded for finished work

[donteparis]

Forgive me in advance this is a long one but at this point I’m beyond baffled and frustrated about this that I could use some advice from the community and potential solutions, if any.

This all started when a client (I will not name of course) came to me regarding my gig, which is Mixing and Mastering music. Like all my clients I offered a sample using their own song. Please note, not a sample of something I’ve done, but I take their actual song and edit it partially as I would in the gig and send them that snippet to show them what they would be buying essentially. This is all before any order is made to ensure they feel confident in their purchase and know what they are buying to avoid any issues. The client approved the sample, ordered from me, I delivered, and he left a 5 star review with some nice words. About a week later, the client ordered from me again regarding 2 more songs. 2 separate orders, one for 55 and one for 60. The order of 55 also included a revision for the first song he ordered from me because he had mentioned he wanted something done to it. (Also just for hospitality sake, I even offered the client 10 and 5 off each order, I normally retail for 65 but I was trying to meet his budget). So just as I edited the first order I edited the 2 new orders for the 2 new songs. Once they were delivered I was told he had to show them to someone else for final approval. 3 - 5 days past and he hadn’t replied which made the order late. I requested a extension on both order to extend it by 3 days to allow him more time to get back to me with critique. Instead he declined and asked me to cancel the order due to the “horrible editing”. This was strange considering not only was the technique the same as the first order (which was approved), but also I sent him samples of both songs before any order was even made, to which he approved. You will see that I have attached screen shots proving that he liked what he heard and ordered because of that. I let the client know that a cancellation could not be made in regards to quality as stated in Fiverr’s terms of service. Here is the exact quote:

“Orders are not eligible to be cancelled based on the quality of service/materials delivered by the seller if the service was rendered as described in the Gig page. You may rate your experience with the seller on the order page, including the overall level of service quality received.”

According to this, the buyer isn’t eligible to request a cancellation. Instead he would leave a review he feels is accurate to his experience. However, this client refused to not get a refund, and continuously requested cancellation even after I declined and showed him the TOS. The client insisted I did not deliver what he ordered, however this was on the basis of quality. Which as the TOS states, is not an eligible reason for cancellation. Not only that, but keep in mind I had already sent him complete edits for all the songs he ordered which were indeed, complete products. I offered the client more revisions as that is what the order comes with, but he refused and kept persisting for a refund. He even stated it was the quality that he wanted a cancellation, thus directly going against TOS. I stated this and he mentioned he would contact Fiverr customer service and get his refund. I had faith that Fiverr would simply see the ridiculous nature of the situation, but instead they went ahead and cancelled the order, giving the man his refund for the 55. The order for 60 is still open and he refused to close the order. I have reached out to Fiverr but they simply stated that and I quote:

“You do not need to worry if you have provided all your work according to a gig description or an arrangement originally made. I have looked into the canceled order and the buyer has provided proof that the order was not delivered in accordance with the description.”

I have over 200+ 5 star reviews and 1 negative review. I have no reason or intention to not deliver something that is not in accordance to what I described being the product/service. To reiterate, I provided samples of the FINAL product, to the client, BEFORE any order was even made, to which he approved. The custom orders i sent him as well, clearly stated these were songs being bought based on the approved samples I provided. Attached are labeled screen shots that show some of the things stated in this. Really don’t know what to do and just feel robbed of my hours of work and money. I thought it was clear that I had done everything correct. In a perfect world I’d love to get the money I earned back but any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Here are the screenshots - https://ibb.co/album/g56Rva

Thanks again for reading through - Donte.

[eoinfinnegan]

I will edit your song by mixing and mastering it as well as adding auto tune and other effects to give you that studio quality sound.

This is from your gig. It is the only grounds that perhaps a buyer could claim on - that the mix wasn’t “studio quality sound”. Therefore it would be “not as described”. Yes, this is completely ridiculous given the situation but in cases like this, what I often see is that there is some little loophole that a buyer could manipulate and appeal to Support about, where they might be technically right. Or at least cast some doubt in Support’s mind.

I say the above without having checked you sound, video, etc - so I am not judging your work, just trying to point out what the buyer could have claimed for support to agree with them.

[donteparis]

I will edit your song by mixing and mastering it as well as adding auto tune and other effects to give you that studio quality sound.

This is from your gig. It is the only grounds that perhaps a buyer could claim on - that the mix wasn’t “studio quality sound”. Therefore it would be “not as described”. Yes, this is completely ridiculous given the situation but in cases like this, what I often see is that there is some little loophole that a buyer could manipulate and appeal to Support about, where they might be technically right. Or at least cast some doubt in Support’s mind.

I say the above without having checked you sound, video, etc - so I am not judging your work, just trying to point out what the buyer could have claimed for support to agree with them.

Right but how can he claim that even when I sent samples of the final product before any order was even placed, to which he said they were great, and ordered because of them?

[eoinfinnegan]

Right but how can he claim that even when I sent samples of the final product before any order was even placed, to which he said they were great, and ordered because of them?

Yeah, I considered that but I suspect he didn’t mention that in his complaint/claim.

There’s two ways to approach this type of situation:

• Go to support with your case and claim it was an error on their part. These tend not to be successful but you never know.
• Move on. It’s unfair, it’s frustrating, it’s a loss of time and money. But, you could spend a lot more time on preparing a case, find it more frustrating if they still refuse to give you the money, and then have lost more time on this issue.

I’d suggest moving on from it, I know it sounds defeatist and it’s a bad situation that there is no “checking with the seller” by support in these situations. However, from experience it tends to be the better way of approaching it. Go for a walk, clear your head etc and then go back to work knowing that at least most clients aren’t like this.

[misscrystal]

eoin is correct. The only part of your gig description where you promise what you will do is this one sentence so it must be something that CS felt didn’t match this:

I will edit your song by mixing and mastering it as well as adding auto tune and other effects to give you that studio quality sound.

It might be something like not adding auto tune, or not adding other effects, that would cause this to happen.

I’m so sorry you had this happen.

[mariashtelle1]

And I would say that you should try one more time with customer support.

1. Ask them to escalate this matter.
2. Show all the proof that you delivered everything as promised and on time with screenshots of your gig description and what what you delivered step by step proving that you provided everything as described.

Sometimes clients can find a loophole and if they are too much pain the ass then fiverr might decide to cancel an order not to deal with that.

Try to stand your ground a bit more and maybe escalation will help. (Don’t attach too many screenshots and don’t attach same ones that you sent before, maybe only screenshot where he approved everything and liked it prior to ordering”

Good luck.

[misscrystal]

That one sentence where you say you will add auto tune and other effects is promising you will add those things, every time, for every order.

That needs to be fine tuned. You can work on adjusting that sentence so that it is not promising to do those things each and every time. I know it sounds silly but this is exactly what CS goes by. What you give them has to match that one sentence.

You could clarify that you do those things if required or requested.

[donteparis]

That one sentence where you say you will add auto tune and other effects is promising you will add those things, every time, for every order.

That needs to be fine tuned. You can work on adjusting that sentence so that it is not promising to do those things each and every time. I know it sounds silly but this is exactly what CS goes by. What you give them has to match that one sentence.

You could clarify that you do those things if required or requested.

Yes, I know that, that is why I listed them, the client got all those effects 🙂

[ayeshasarwar123]

same happened with me 😦

[donteparis]

And I would say that you should try one more time with customer support.

1. Ask them to escalate this matter.
2. Show all the proof that you delivered everything as promised and on time with screenshots of your gig description and what what you delivered step by step proving that you provided everything as described.

Sometimes clients can find a loophole and if they are too much pain the ass then fiverr might decide to cancel an order not to deal with that.

Try to stand your ground a bit more and maybe escalation will help. (Don’t attach too many screenshots and don’t attach same ones that you sent before, maybe only screenshot where he approved everything and liked it prior to ordering”

Good luck.

I actually sent them this post because explaining this so many times is beyond annoying haha.

[mariashtelle1]

I actually sent them this post because explaining this so many times is beyond annoying haha.

I actually sent them this post

I don’t think it will help you in any way.

As I said you had a small chance if you would’ve sent them the proof of what he asked and what you delivered and what’s offered on your gig is absolutely the same.

But if you just sent them a link To this forum thread then I don’t think it will make any difference and you’ll just get another canned response.

[donteparis]

I actually sent them this post

I don’t think it will help you in any way.

As I said you had a small chance if you would’ve sent them the proof of what he asked and what you delivered and what’s offered on your gig is absolutely the same.

But if you just sent them a link To this forum thread then I don’t think it will make any difference and you’ll just get another canned response.

post as in the whole forum post, not the individual comment

[misscrystal]

Forgive me in advance this is a long one but at this point I’m beyond baffled and frustrated about this that I could use some advice from the community and potential solutions, if any.

This all started when a client (I will not name of course) came to me regarding my gig, which is Mixing and Mastering music. Like all my clients I offered a sample using their own song. Please note, not a sample of something I’ve done, but I take their actual song and edit it partially as I would in the gig and send them that snippet to show them what they would be buying essentially. This is all before any order is made to ensure they feel confident in their purchase and know what they are buying to avoid any issues. The client approved the sample, ordered from me, I delivered, and he left a 5 star review with some nice words. About a week later, the client ordered from me again regarding 2 more songs. 2 separate orders, one for 55 and one for 60. The order of 55 also included a revision for the first song he ordered from me because he had mentioned he wanted something done to it. (Also just for hospitality sake, I even offered the client 10 and 5 off each order, I normally retail for 65 but I was trying to meet his budget). So just as I edited the first order I edited the 2 new orders for the 2 new songs. Once they were delivered I was told he had to show them to someone else for final approval. 3 - 5 days past and he hadn’t replied which made the order late. I requested a extension on both order to extend it by 3 days to allow him more time to get back to me with critique. Instead he declined and asked me to cancel the order due to the “horrible editing”. This was strange considering not only was the technique the same as the first order (which was approved), but also I sent him samples of both songs before any order was even made, to which he approved. You will see that I have attached screen shots proving that he liked what he heard and ordered because of that. I let the client know that a cancellation could not be made in regards to quality as stated in Fiverr’s terms of service. Here is the exact quote:

“Orders are not eligible to be cancelled based on the quality of service/materials delivered by the seller if the service was rendered as described in the Gig page. You may rate your experience with the seller on the order page, including the overall level of service quality received.”

According to this, the buyer isn’t eligible to request a cancellation. Instead he would leave a review he feels is accurate to his experience. However, this client refused to not get a refund, and continuously requested cancellation even after I declined and showed him the TOS. The client insisted I did not deliver what he ordered, however this was on the basis of quality. Which as the TOS states, is not an eligible reason for cancellation. Not only that, but keep in mind I had already sent him complete edits for all the songs he ordered which were indeed, complete products. I offered the client more revisions as that is what the order comes with, but he refused and kept persisting for a refund. He even stated it was the quality that he wanted a cancellation, thus directly going against TOS. I stated this and he mentioned he would contact Fiverr customer service and get his refund. I had faith that Fiverr would simply see the ridiculous nature of the situation, but instead they went ahead and cancelled the order, giving the man his refund for the 55. The order for 60 is still open and he refused to close the order. I have reached out to Fiverr but they simply stated that and I quote:

“You do not need to worry if you have provided all your work according to a gig description or an arrangement originally made. I have looked into the canceled order and the buyer has provided proof that the order was not delivered in accordance with the description.”

I have over 200+ 5 star reviews and 1 negative review. I have no reason or intention to not deliver something that is not in accordance to what I described being the product/service. To reiterate, I provided samples of the FINAL product, to the client, BEFORE any order was even made, to which he approved. The custom orders i sent him as well, clearly stated these were songs being bought based on the approved samples I provided. Attached are labeled screen shots that show some of the things stated in this. Really don’t know what to do and just feel robbed of my hours of work and money. I thought it was clear that I had done everything correct. In a perfect world I’d love to get the money I earned back but any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Here are the screenshots - https://ibb.co/album/g56Rva

Thanks again for reading through - Donte.

I can’t tell from this what it was based on. If you find out please let us know.

The order of 55 also included a revision for the first song he ordered from me because he had mentioned he wanted something done to it.

So it was this one that got refunded? Maybe he felt if should have been done the first time? I am just guessing without knowing.

[donteparis]

post as in the whole forum post, not the individual comment

this was to mariashtelle1 sorry for confusion

[mariashtelle1]

post as in the whole forum post, not the individual comment

I understood it and it doesn’t change anything. Support wouldn’t read the forum thread.

Did you make different screenshots as I advised?

Not the one that you have in this topic.

[cyaxrex]

To me this smacks of a case of a buyer planning to get their work for free from the get-go. You sending a sample prior to the order being placed proves this

Is there anyway you can find out of they are using the tracks you edited? If so, you might then be able to at least raise a dispute with the person using them. (When your buyer said they had to show them to someone else, they meant their end buyer.)

If you can identify if the tracks you edited are being used, you can provide proof to Fiverr and ask them to explain how it is possible for buyers like yours to abuse the system like this.

[misscrystal]

Why did your client pay $55 for a revision to the job you did for him from the first order?

You said he had mentioned something he wanted done to it, so it sounded like he had asked for something previously and then paid $55 for a new order?

[j6nyc6]

Why did your client pay $55 for a revision to the job you did for him from the first order?

You said he had mentioned something he wanted done to it, so it sounded like he had asked for something previously and then paid $55 for a new order?

I think what they are saying is the 2nd and 3rd order are for two totally new songs but he included a slight revision to song 1 in the order as well. In total they got 3 songs mastered (3 orders) with song 1 being revised later on separate from it’s original order.

[misscrystal]

If the seller says he will deliver studio quality and the client says it’s not maybe that’s it? I think it has to be something about the description.

[donteparis]

I understood it and it doesn’t change anything. Support wouldn’t read the forum thread.

Did you make different screenshots as I advised?

Not the one that you have in this topic.

but wouldn’t the same screenshots be relevant? It’s the same issue and all

[donteparis]

To me this smacks of a case of a buyer planning to get their work for free from the get-go. You sending a sample prior to the order being placed proves this

Is there anyway you can find out of they are using the tracks you edited? If so, you might then be able to at least raise a dispute with the person using them. (When your buyer said they had to show them to someone else, they meant their end buyer.)

If you can identify if the tracks you edited are being used, you can provide proof to Fiverr and ask them to explain how it is possible for buyers like yours to abuse the system like this.

I’ve thought about this, but I can’t seem to find his accounts. Trust me though I am looking. I agree, this seems pre meditated.

[donteparis]

Why did your client pay $55 for a revision to the job you did for him from the first order?

You said he had mentioned something he wanted done to it, so it sounded like he had asked for something previously and then paid $55 for a new order?

50 of the 55 was for song 2, and the 5 dollars was for an additional revision of song 1 that was already completed in a separate order. The reason it came out to that is I gave him a 15 dollar discount from the original price of 65 and then added 5 for an additional revision since he was requesting work for a order that already been completed and all.

[donteparis]

Also just wanna say thank you for everyone opinions and comments. I am currently waiting for Fiverrs financial team to get back to me on the order that was cancelled and refunded by them, and also waiting for customer service to get back to me regarding the still open order. Will keep all posted!

[jameswilson709]

Also just wanna say thank you for everyone opinions and comments. I am currently waiting for Fiverrs financial team to get back to me on the order that was cancelled and refunded by them, and also waiting for customer service to get back to me regarding the still open order. Will keep all posted!

Reading from your experience and inferring from the experience of others, I would suggest the following has happened.

Person A is an aspiring musician and really needs that professional studio sound to get their music in front of an agent of producer, but can’t afford the $1000s that this would cost. They can afford )( amount and so advertise their price and project among a forum of studio professionals. The studio professionals see this and chuckle to themselves as what is being asked isn’t really possible for the budget and time.

Person B is a chancer (aka con man aka scam artist) and sees a chance to make a quick buck. This isn’t their first rodeo so know about the high quality low price area of the internet that is Fiverr. Person B approaches Person A and promised to fulfil their wildest dreams like some Fagin version of Aladdin’s Genie. Price )( is duly promised on delivery, should the music be edited to the satisfaction of Person A.

Person B obtains the tracks to be edited and then heads to Fiverr; giddy with anticipation of free money. Person B then finds a likely fellow who falls right in the middle of their personal Ven Diagram of ability and price point (that’s you donteparis) and contact is made and a % of figure )( is offered. Probably no more than 30% as this still needs to be profitable for Person B but this is still an acceptable sum for their victim to work for; and of course this amount may be lost if the seller is successful in preventing Person B’s fiendish plan to keep all the money and do zero work.

After the songs are edited and delivered one of two things happens:

1. Person A genuinely isn’t happy with the quality of the work (perhaps they were expecting too much from their budget) and refuses to pay Person B. Person B is now out of pocket and this is the EXACT opposite to what Person B planned. Person B must get their money back at all costs as their cash cow has left them with music they have no use for. It’s not theirs so they can’t sell it and have got nothing from their swindle. Donteparis is the unfortunate victim of circumstance by being the unsuspecting stooge in this web of deceit.
2. Person A loves the music and pays Person B what was promised. Person B is an experienced con artist and knows exactly how to get all their money back from the person who did the work and thus gets to keep all of )( amount. Donteparis is the unfortunate victim of circumstance by being the unsuspecting stooge in this web of deceit.

In either circumstance Person B knows how to get their money and has probably covered all the bases to ensure that this money stays theirs. As I said, this probably isn’t their first scam.

The best thing that you can hope for is that scenario 2 happened and that Person A releases these tracks. Mike sure that you keep all the raw edits and files. Keep them away in a folder somewhere. Keep periodically searching for the tracks/songs and if you hear it then you are in business. You can then instruct a lawyer to contact the artist/record label regarding copyright infringement/breech of contract.

Good luck

[donteparis]

In regards to what Fiverr has told me it is this

" Hello there Don,

The order which got canceled - ----------------- was forwarded to our Finance team and we will keep you informed in regards to compensation.

Now about the other order with the same buyer -----------------. That one is still active, and it seems like they are unhappy with that order as well.

If you believe that you have followed the buyer’s instructions and delivered everything as promised, you are in no way obligated to work for anything that goes beyond the scope of the initial agreement.

Unfortunately, as you know, we cannot force the buyer to accept an order. I suggest sending them an enumerated list to show them that you have met all of their requirements. If they contact us to cancel the order, rest assured that we review orders thoroughly and we require that sufficient proof be submitted that the order has not been delivered in line with the requirements and your Gig description.

Can you tell me if it is possible to maybe reach some kind of agreement with them on this, and if possible make some changes on this order, or is this something that seems like you will not be able to reach common ground on?

Keep me posted on this "

To which I responded with:

"Thank you in regards to ----------.

The other order now,

So as I’ve mentioned the buyer is refusing any revisions and simply asking for a refund based due to the bad quality he claims he received. This is ludicrous, considering as I’ve shown screen shot proof that he ordered based on samples i had sent prior to any payment. Then he claims the mix is horrible which is again insane considering I showed him exactly what he was buying before he bought just to ensure he would be satisfied. This was the same issue I had with the order the finance team is looking into. The client is clearly trying to obtain free work and get his money back in the process. I have offered numerous times to do more revisions but the client refuses and just wants his money back. His only reason for cancelling is simply that it’s not good quality to him, I already explained the clear scam he is trying to pull but in the TOS which I have sent him links and quotes from clearly states refunds on the basis of quality are not allowed. I don’t see how he sends a ticket and all of a sudden order ---------------- is instantly closed in his favor without me even being contacted, but then when I contact showing my side which has clear cut proof that he must have lied to the customer service in screenshots is something that needs all this looking into. As I said I even have a screenshot showing him saying the issue is that of quality in all caps. This alone, should be enough to show you he isn’t eligible for a refund. Not only that, but how can he claim that he doesn’t like the quality, when I have sent him samples of the exact same order I delivered prior to any payment/order? You can even listen to the files yourself and clearly hear how insane the claim of “not the quality he expected” is. Hope to get this resolved. Thank you for getting back to me. "

Just wanted to keep anyone interested posted.