What should I do if I no longer need it?

[kittyangel7]

Last night I posted a request for a programming project. I have done some development stuff in the past, like 10+ years ago, but don't have experience of this language and thought that getting someone else to do it would be easier.

Got several offers. The first two, I asked if they had read the request and were sure they could do the job. One said yes, I accepted his offer, and then he delivered an empty file because he doesn't know how to do it, so I requested cancellation. The second one said he could do it, but it is a large project and he wants to quote an hourly rate instead. I asked how long it would take. I decided to contact a third seller as well, so I'm not kept waiting forever. The third one, I asked if he's sure he understands the request, and this morning he responded to say that it's a much bigger project than he thought and will take 4-6 weeks. The fourth seller said he knows what he's doing, and quotes a reasonable price, so I paid for that one.

So, I've got someone working on a project which will take 14 days.

But it surprised me that all of the offers say things like "this is very large project", or "this is extremely complicate". I wondered what I was missing, to make this task so much more complex than I expected? So while I was waiting for dinner to cook today I looked up some tutorials on the language online. From first contact to completing my own project (fully tested and working perfectly) took around 2 hours. I really hadn't expected to come up with something like that.

So now, what do I do with the offer I already ordered? I want to be able to cancel, because I already have a fully working solution. But I feel like that would be unfair to the seller, if he has already started working on it. (although, to be honest, for someone with past experience this should not take more than twenty minutes, so I can't imagine he's put much time into it if he's not finished yet.

What's the right thing to do in these circumstances?

 

(And just for a laugh, the guy with the hourly rate offer finally got back to me, saying he can work 40 hours per week, but this is a huge project and take several months. I told him I'd already done it, and he asks me to consider him for future projects. Why should I consider someone who just told me he takes 12 hours to write each line of code? That feels almost like a scam)

[imagination7413]

Out of curiosity, were there any other factors you looked at when deciding the Sellers? Like, reviews, ratings, their profile and/or gigs?

This is a tricky situation, since you do want to stop the Seller, but wish to compensate them some for the time they've already invested. Fiverr doesn't have any partial-refund system in place, but it is an option to ask the seller to make you a new custom order for the work they've already done, complete that one, then cancel the original. Upside: the Seller gets some compensation. Downside: the money from the cancelled order would go back onto your account, not back to your payment method. (You should get CS (Customer Support) involved if you go that route.)

I think... maybe ask the Seller what they'd prefer. If they throw a fit, then just go for the full cancellation. If they stay professional, then try to work out the above method, maybe.

This is just one opinion, so if anyone else has thoughts, chime in.

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Also, welcome to the forums, and here's something else to consider: 

 

[surajkartha]

I would just go for the refund without sweating it. I mean you no longer need their services, so doesn't make sense to keep the order open..

[joyh97]

Since you only posted it last night and he said it would take 14 days, I'd just cancel now - doing so any later would become gradually more unfair as the seller may have put more time and work into it. In future though, definitely try to only place orders you will go through with, as to be honest it does suck for sellers since it does unfortunately negatively affect our gig statistics to get cancellations, no matter what the reason is.

[aarontgladiator]

When it comes to programming, I feel like half of the 'programmers' on Fiverr did a bit of coding back in school and then while trying to complete the work given are usually just aggressively searching Stack Overflow for help. 

[johanessurya]

I would just cancel the order, and request refund.

[visualstudios]

On 1/14/2022 at 11:46 AM, surajkartha said:

I would just go for the refund without sweating it. I mean you no longer need their services, so doesn't make sense to keep the order open..

Wow, a seller giving this advice? That's just sad. Granted, the guys this guy hired sound like meksells (although that's still on him, for not vetting properly), but "oh, I no longer need it" is not a valid excuse to cancel an order. How would you feel if somebody ordered something from you, you started working on it, and then they decided they were no longer interested? This is not how Fiverr works. Once a buyer places an order, he is bound to a contract. If the seller delivers on time according to spec, that is that, and it can't be canceled. If the buyer regrets the purchase, that's their problem and their responsibility. Nobody is forced to buy anything. If I want to quote a month and $1000 to draw a stick figure, and the buyer agrees to it, that is that. I deliver the stick figure I promised within a month, and I get paid. Is it too expensive, does it take too long? Then the buyer should not have accepted the deal. An order is a contract. Simple as that. Anything else is extremely exploitable.

[surajkartha]

8 minutes ago, visualstudios said:

Wow, a seller giving this advice? That's just sad. Granted, the guys this guy hired sound like meksells, but "oh, I no longer need it" is not a valid excuse to cancel an order. How would you feel if somebody ordered something from you, you started working on it, and then they decided they were no longer interested? This is not how Fiverr works. Once a buyer places an order, he is bound to a contract. If the seller delivers on time according to spec, that is that, and it can't be canceled. If the buyer regrets the purchase, that's their problem and their responsibility. 

Emotions aside, it doesnt make logical sense for the order to continue since the buyer no longer needs the service. Moreover, 14 days is the turnaround time in this case. So, I would just explain my stance to the seller or customer service and request for a cancellation at the earliest. 

[visualstudios]

6 hours ago, surajkartha said:

Emotions aside, it doesnt make logical sense for the order to continue since the buyer no longer needs the service.

Not a valid cancelation reason according to terms of service. No emotions needed, just the rules. Either Fiverr respects their own TOS or they don't.

[surajkartha]

1 minute ago, visualstudios said:

Not a valid cancelation reason according to terms of service. No emotions needed, just the rules. Either Fiverr respects their own TOS or they don't.

I am not disagreeing with all the points you made earlier.. . my response to the thread was based on the scenario.. and I would still stand by the statement that the buyer should seek a refund... Fiverr doesn't offer a partial refund and that's not the buyer's problem.. as for rules, I didn't find it anywhere in TOS that you can't request cancellation if you've already got what you needed.. but even if such a rule exists, there would always be exceptions.. to measure everything by the same yardstick is wrong... at least that's what I feel.. in the end, it's buyer's call how they want to proceed..

[visualstudios]

7 minutes ago, surajkartha said:

in the end, it's buyer's call how they want to proceed..

Yes, and it should be Fiverr's job to refuse the cancelation, since it's unwarranted. Once the buyer agrees to open an order, he can't cancel it because "he no longer needs it". For obvious reasons. Otherwise, hey, I'll just place the same order with 10 sellers. Take the one that delivers first, or that I like best. Then cancel all the other orders, since I "no longer need them". Brilliant.

[visualstudios]

10 minutes ago, surajkartha said:

I would still stand by the statement that the buyer should seek a refund.

Unless the seller fails to deliver what was agreed to in the time agreed to, the buyer is not eligible to seek a refund.

[surajkartha]

2 minutes ago, visualstudios said:

Yes, and it should be Fiverr's job to refuse the cancelation, since it's unwarranted. Once the buyer agrees to open an order, he can't cancel it because "he no longer needs it". For obvious reasons. Otherwise, hey, I'll just place the same order with 10 sellers. Take the one that delivers first, or that I like best. Then cancel all the other orders, since I "no longer need them". Brilliant.

Ya but order isn't delivered yet.. which means buyer hasn't received anything yet.. anyhow I am sure if a cancellation were to be requested, FIverr would consider the buyer's history as well in making their decision.. 

[surajkartha]

Just now, visualstudios said:

Unless the seller fails to deliver what was agreed to in the time agreed to, the buyer is not eligible to seek a refund.

Ya that's buyers call as to whether they want to seek a refund.. and Fiverr's whether to honor that request.

[uk1000]

I agree they shouldn't just order then cancel after doing the work themselves or getting another seller to do it (unless there was some reason why the seller couldn't deliver what was required).

Also there used to be a bit in the TOS (as of July 2018) that said:

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. Buyers may rate their experience with the seller on the order page, including the overall level of service quality received.

but that's not in the current TOS for some reason. Maybe there should be a line in the TOS too to say whether or not things can be cancelled just because the buyer no longer needs it. Maybe the buyer could ask CS what is and isn't allowed in this case.

Maybe the buyer in this case could check with their seller to see if what they were going to deliver would have been any different to what the buyer had done. eg. would it have given any more functionality than the OP's code or offered other benefits?

[imagination7413]

The above debate is why I suggested the convoluted-but-'fair' option of partial compensation.

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3 hours ago, uk1000 said:

Also there used to be a bit in the TOS (as of July 2018)

It got moved to the https://www.fiverr.com/content/payments-terms-and-conditions section (which, for those who might not know, IS A PART OF THE TOS). The wording is near-identical.

Quote

• Orders are not eligible to be canceled 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.

[priyab468]

On 1/16/2022 at 12:54 AM, visualstudios said:

Wow, a seller giving this advice? That's just sad. Granted, the guys this guy hired sound like meksells (although that's still on him, for not vetting properly), but "oh, I no longer need it" is not a valid excuse to cancel an order. 

I thought the same thing. 

I understand Fiverr doesn't have the tools necessary for this type of situation, but canceling the order negatively affects the seller only... and as a seller, I can't see myself giving that advice to someone. I think @imagination7413 gave the best advice. 

[surajkartha]

Okay.. let's put an end to this.. I don't want one post of mine to haunt me for the rest of my life.. so.. @imagination7413 wins the "who's got the best advice" contest.. mine is the worst.. enjoy.. 🤘 have a nice day ahead.. spaseba, arigato, gracias.. whatever.. have fun..