"extend review time" - Test

[mjensen415]

At Fiverr, we’re continually listening to feedback from members of our community. One of the frustrations for buyers has been when an order automatically completes before they’ve had a chance to review their delivery. As a seller, you might have seen revision requests that are not for actual revisions, but just asking for more time to review deliveries.

We’ve learned that these requests are often due to weekends, the need for approval from co-workers, or…just busy schedules. To help ease this frustration, we’re running a test to allow buyers to request more time to review their order before it automatically completes.

Of course, we want to ensure a win-win situation for both buyers and sellers, so we will only roll out this feature after closely monitoring the implications of this test: he number of orders completed, cancellations, disputes, tickets with Customer Service, and other quality metrics.

[vickieito]

Hi @mjensen415! I think this is a great feature to have, but it does give the buyer opportunity to abuse this button (there doesn't appear to be a limit to the number of times they can extend the review period). I'm wondering if it would be better if this feature is added to the Resolution Center so that both the buyer and seller can agree on an acceptable review period together.

As a seller, I already communicate with my buyers, so they already let me know in advance if they don't want me to deliver on certain days (especially if they will be traveling or have things planned on those days). Handling this in advance through the Resolution Center would work well in these cases.

It would also work well in emergency situations, when something comes up suddenly in the buyer's schedule. I'd also like this option available on custom offers, since many large projects may require a longer review time. 

[callyofficial]

16 minutes ago, vickieito said:

I'm wondering if it would be better if this feature is added to the Resolution Center so that both the buyer and seller can agree on an acceptable review period together.

This is an excellent idea!

Edited October 3, 2022 by callyofficial

[visualstudios]

This is a bad idea. An order is a contract. The buyer has 3 days to review a delivery. If they need more time, that's their responsibility - sellers shouldn't be forced to wait extra time to get paid, or be forced to work on something past the agreed dates. 

If a seller needs more time, and the client doesn't agree, the order is marked as late. There's nothing the seller can do about it. And that's how it should be - a contract is a contract. That must work both ways. 

I strongly disagree with this policy. Unless Fiverr releases the funds after the 3 days, so we don't have to wait extra time to get paid, then I don't see how this is beneficial for sellers in ANY way. It's just a pro for the buyers, and a con for the sellers. Not good.

[vickieito]

3 minutes ago, visualstudios said:

I strongly disagree with this policy.

@visualstudios - what are your thoughts on adding this feature to the Resolution Center and Custom Offers?

In one of my big orders, I delivered 50 hours of eLearning content that included 113 deliverables (quizzes, lessons, downloadable content, and over 20 videos with voiceovers). It was also a state-certified training, so it also had to meet all third-party requirements.  I didn't expect my client to review all of that within 3 days.

In this case, it would make sense to agree ahead of time on an acceptable review period on a Custom Offer. All other requests for a review period could be handled through the Resolution Center.

[mateusbl]

3 minutes ago, vickieito said:

@visualstudios - what are your thoughts on adding this feature to the Resolution Center and Custom Offers?

@mjensen415 

Is good to see the Fiverr is trying to improve this, but I don't think those things are necessary... buyers who has experience in the platform already know about the revisions policy. 

- A good idea should be send a notification about revisions to new buyers/new accounts after the seller delivery the work.

- I also agree with @vickieito about adding in the custom offers "More days to Review", so the buyer could pay to "have our support to more days".

[visualstudios]

10 minutes ago, vickieito said:

In one of my big orders, I delivered 50 hours of eLearning content that included 113 deliverables (quizzes, lessons, downloadable content, and over 20 videos with voiceovers). It was also a state-certified training, so it also had to meet all third-party requirements.  I didn't expect my client to review all of that within 3 days.

That shouldn't be one gig with one delivery and one revision - that should be broken down into several. I won't be working on 113 deliverables to only be paid at the end, the risk is way too high. Fiverr needs to implement upfront payments yesterday. I'm tired of having to wait on clients to get what's mine. 

If Fiverr finally implements retainer deals, so I can get fixed payments per month, like a salary, from regular buyers... then I won't really care about revision delays. As it is right now, revision delays mean delays in getting paid, and that is called opportunity cost. $1 today is more valuable than $1 tomorrow.

Edited October 3, 2022 by visualstudios

[visualstudios]

1 minute ago, giantseo_pro said:

I think this is a great feature to have, but strongly disagree with this policy because An order is a contract but if  the feature can work in weekends since that is their complain

This is the most absurd take so far. Are you a bot that just copies parts of what others have said, verbatim, and mixes them into nonsense, or are you actually capable of having your own, original thoughts?

[visualstudios]

Really? Is it a coincidence that you said that you "strongly disagree with this policy", after I said the exact same above? Word by word? lol.

And in what way do you "strongly disagree with this policy", if you also think that "this is a great feature to have"? If it's a "great feature", as you said, why do you "strongly disagree"? Maybe I'm weird, but I tend to strongly agree with great features. 

Pick one or the other.

Edited October 3, 2022 by visualstudios

[vickieito]

16 minutes ago, visualstudios said:

That shouldn't be one gig with one delivery and one revision - that should be broken down into several. I won't be working on 113 deliverables to only be paid at the end, the risk is way too high.

It depends on the project. That 50-hr ecourse I mentioned definitely could have been split into multiple orders. I was a newbie when I started that order and just delivered it last month. It was long and required a team of freelancers to complete. I learned my lesson.

I just finished another ecourse that had 96 deliverables and 40 videos. That one didn't require a team to complete because my buyer had video production skills and was willing to put that to use. So we were able to get that ecourse completed within 3 weeks. Even so, 3 days wasn't enough time to review all the content. However, this ecourse series is on a monthly subscription plan, so both myself and the buyer are highly motivated to complete all deliverables (and have them reviewed) in less than a month so it doesn't affect the next subscription order.

@visualstudios - How much content do you usually have for each order? It sounds like your orders could be reviewed in a much shorter period of time than mine.

32 minutes ago, mateusbl said:

I also agree with @vickieito about adding in the custom offers "More days to Review", so the buyer could pay to "have our support to more days".

Stated like a true businessman! I wasn't even thinking about charging for review days...but that could be monetized! 

[mariashtelle1]

😒

Edited October 3, 2022 by mariashtelle1
Exactly my thoughts about this new feature👆

[soo_precious]

It's a great feature. But it shouldn't be one-sided. Both parties should be able to use it.

[joyh97]

To be honest, this policy would work better if:

1. The seller has the option to approve or deny the extension.

2. Extended review time is a purchasable add on.

3. It can only be extended once, total, per order, with subsequent revision requests being subject to the standard 3 days. If changes are still needed after that time, it is fair and reasonable for this to be subject to a new order/extra cost.

4. Only buyers with extensive positive history on the site are given this option (just as sellers have perks for different levels), to avoid abuse of the system.

5. There is a mandatory maximum waiting time after the first delivery is complete that fiverr holds the money in escrow. After that point (arbitrary example, 31 days), the funds should be released for processing and Fiverr should take the liability if the buyer continues to delay accepting the order. 

Currently, it is unbalanced against sellers, which is already typically the case on the platform sadly. We have little recourse against harassment, rude clients, buyers abusing the revisions system, already deal with holidays increasing the review time for buyers (with no similar leniency being given to sellers during these periods, even if to avoid delivering late would mean delivering on christmas day) etc. I love Fiverr, I am so happy to get the opportunity to work here and the career it has helped me to really establish. But I don't really feel protected as a seller when it comes to a buyer vs seller situation, and this change has made me personally feel really uneasy in its current state.

Edited October 3, 2022 by joyh97
typo

[leannelrivers]

I'm not confident this feature won't get abused by some buyers. At least if a client requests a revision without any notes attached, we have a right to send the work again after a certain amount of time. I give my clients 48 hours to provide me with revision notes before I send the original file again, and I communicate this to them. I will give it an extra day if we've hit the weekend, but it's my choice. If they can endlessly extend their review time, what can a seller do about it? I'm fortunate to have good clients who rarely take the p**s, and I don't see it being a big problem for me unless there are constant delays with payment. But you don't need to scroll through the forum for long before you find sellers who have been taken advantage of and treated unfairly by dodgy, unscrupulous buyers. Completed orders getting cancelled and refunded is one example. Buyers could leave orders open for review for weeks and then decide they don't want the work and get a refund. If this feature is going to be a thing from now on, it should come with limitations. OK, that's all from Negative Nelly today. 🙂

[visualstudios]

17 hours ago, soo_precious said:

But it shouldn't be one-sided. Both parties should be able to use it.

What do you mean? How can both parties be able to postpone a revision? That doesn't make any sense. Sellers don't ask for revisions, ever.

[melanielm]

How about if the number of allowed extensions was a feature of the gig packages? Therefore, a larger gig package could allow for 2-3 extensions and smaller ones could not. Of course, I'm not sure why any seller would purposefully allow extensions. We deserve to get paid within a reasonable amount of time... Maybe ignore that suggestion.

There has to be a limit. Allowing buyers to press a button and get an extension ad infinitum is blatant seller punishment for no wrongdoing.

[mateusbl]

I already can see the buyer extending the revision time to 5 days, after the 5 days has passed, they will open a revision... when you delivery again they will extend again in more 5 days... in a loop.

This must be a paid option, how about it? We sellers set the value to extend X days, and the Fiverr earn 20% of this.

[nyretouch]

I don't think this option will be beneficial for either side. Even 3 days sometimes takes a long time, during this time no other orders have come. (May be a coincidence) I think that the endless order waiting cycle will increase more than win-win.
Maybe it can be useful for videos that take a lot of time to review or for other business lines. I think you can offer this as an option if you want.

I also send an informative message to the buyers saying that your work has been 'auto-approved' but if you need anything, I can help. Although I rarely experience such a process (I think because of the service I provide), it has not been a problem until today. Thanks

Edited October 5, 2022 by nyretouch

[supercalifra923]

On 10/5/2022 at 9:07 AM, mateusbl said:

I already can see the buyer extending the revision time to 5 days, after the 5 days has passed, they will open a revision... when you delivery again they will extend again in more 5 days... in a loop.

This must be a paid option, how about it? We sellers set the value to extend X days, and the Fiverr earn 20% of this.

This Feature will be a buyer sided thing! Not gonna work.

On 10/3/2022 at 1:10 PM, mjensen415 said:

At Fiverr, we’re continually listening to feedback from members of our community. One of the frustrations for buyers has been when an order automatically completes before they’ve had a chance to review their delivery. As a seller, you might have seen revision requests that are not for actual revisions, but just asking for more time to review deliveries.

We’ve learned that these requests are often due to weekends, the need for approval from co-workers, or…just busy schedules. To help ease this frustration, we’re running a test to allow buyers to request more time to review their order before it automatically completes.

Of course, we want to ensure a win-win situation for both buyers and sellers, so we will only roll out this feature after closely monitoring the implications of this test: he number of orders completed, cancellations, disputes, tickets with Customer Service, and other quality metrics.

Client Just need to hit Revision Button and Say “Need more time to review”. Problem solved. It should be a template text when revision button is clicked.

On 10/3/2022 at 1:48 PM, vickieito said:

Hi @mjensen415! I think this is a great feature to have, but it does give the buyer opportunity to abuse this button (there doesn't appear to be a limit to the number of times they can extend the review period). I'm wondering if it would be better if this feature is added to the Resolution Center so that both the buyer and seller can agree on an acceptable review period together.

As a seller, I already communicate with my buyers, so they already let me know in advance if they don't want me to deliver on certain days (especially if they will be traveling or have things planned on those days). Handling this in advance through the Resolution Center would work well in these cases.

It would also work well in emergency situations, when something comes up suddenly in the buyer's schedule. I'd also like this option available on custom offers, since many large projects may require a longer review time.

Exactly

[visualstudios]

10 hours ago, supercalifra923 said:

Client Just need to hit Revision Button and Say “Need more time to review”. Problem solved. It should be a template text when revision button is clicked.

Ah, yes, the "keep this order open and the seller waiting for payment forever" button. Lovely system.

[leannelrivers]

On 10/4/2022 at 6:25 PM, melanielm said:

There has to be a limit.

Once should be the limit. Especially to avoid excuses for drawn out review periods like 'My boss is trekking through a jungle for a month', 'My colleague is off sick and I'm not sure when he's going to be back', 'My dog ate your file'. OK, I am being slightly facetious, but I think allowing the possibility for endless extensions is going to cause problems.  

[cartoon_avatar]

What if we offer 'Extend Review Period' as a gig extra and decide on the review time we want to give to client?

I've edited my gig to help you understand what I mean. You can check it here- [link]

This way it would be a win-win for both buyer and seller. In this way, buyer gets the feature and the seller gets the monetary value for offering this feature.

@mjensen415 What if, Fiverr add it as a predefined gig extra option, for those sellers who want to use it?

 

[Mod note: Link removed. Please read the forum rules.]

[samanimran]

After having been on the receiving end of this feature, I have thoughts. I submitted my order two days ago and the client just extended the review period by 5 days, making the entire review time a painful total of 7 days. This is preposterous to me.

This seems to highly favor clients. Its going to delay orders completed in general and most if not all buyers are going to abuse this. So why even give the option of increasing the review period, just make the 5 days official, make it more easier for the buyers to keep the project open.🤷‍♀️

On a serious note, sellers often have to work around tight deadlines and wait on buyers to accept or decline, even a days increase of the timeline. This feature should also be a mutual decision of both buyers and sellers, as sellers have to be on the receiving end of its consequences. Fiverr already increases the review period arounds holidays.

I fear this 'test' is going to go the same direction as the 'review' change which we know is unfair to sellers and going to go permanent.

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by samanimran

[sunboatrecords]

56 minutes ago, samanimran said:

This feature should also be a mutual decision of both buyers and sellers.

 

This is the most reasonable thing that anyone has suggested so far.

They should be asking us for permission.

And don't get me wrong, I have never seen this new feature in action or had a problem with it.

[umarme]

If the order gets marked as completed, still the buyer has 10 days to review the delivery so it adds up to a total f 13 days. Even the 13 days are not enough? It means that sellers would not get payments even 17 days after completing the job!! That's a long period of wait so I don't think  that If I am a business then I can wait this long period of time to get my funds and use them to run my operations. It makes things very slow. Perhaps that is why fiverr is full of new sellers and experts don't work here.