How to avoid late delivery when the client is not available

[hatchan]

Good morning, I would like to ask for advice from the community, especially from those who are more knowledgeable about delivery dynamics than I am.

A client has placed an order and chosen the fastest delivery option because they had to present some designs to a company they work with in a few hours. Currently, the client is in China and has emphasized that they have huge connectivity issues.

I have already completed the order, and the deadline is set for 7 hours from now. Usually, I offer the client a range of subjects to choose from for the final design, but if they have connectivity issues, I am concerned that they may not be able to choose the design that I am obliged to deliver within 7 hours from now. In fact, I have tried to write to them, but they have not responded.

What do you suggest I do? Sensibly, I would deliver one of the designs to meet the deadline and deliver on time. After all, I have accomplished my part of the job and respected the gig's deadlines.

In this way, they will have time to look at all the proposals and then ask for a review and choose another one if they are not satisfied with the design I have chosen.

I would like to emphasize that I have fulfilled my responsibilities in completing the required work, and it is now the client's responsibility to confirm their preferred final design. However, since the client is currently unreachable, I am concerned that I may be held accountable for a late delivery despite it being out of my control.

What would you suggest? 

[theratypist]

1 hour ago, hatchan said:

I would like to emphasize that I have fulfilled my responsibilities in completing the required work, and it is now the client's responsibility to confirm their preferred final design.

You already mentioned that you "completed" the order, what is the "required" work and what is stopping you from delivering it? Can you just not deliver what you have completed since from what I understand that is what is required and it will be on them to decide which one they want?

[theratypist]

By the way, the dog image on Fiverr is pretty cool! 😁

[hatchan]

Thank you for the answer and the feedback 😄 - and I love that dog, too. 

What is preventing me is that the client doesn't make a choice among the options I provided, because after booking the gig, he disappeared for connectivity problems. Let say that I provided him 20 varations on that golden retriver - not the case, but just to make the process clear - he has to choose which one will be his. The final design, in other words. After all, I've done my part = provide all those samples to pick one design.

Since he is nor reachable, I'm wondering if it's against fiverr'r rules to deliver one of those designs, waiting for him to return and confirm my choice or select another desighs among the ones provided. 

[theratypist]

2 hours ago, hatchan said:

Since he is nor reachable, I'm wondering if it's against fiverr'r rules to deliver one of those designs, waiting for him to return and confirm my choice or select another desighs among the ones provided. 

Ahh okay so from lets say from the given choices, the project really is working on a specific one - in which what he would have chosen from the samples. So I assume you have sent the copy of the 20 samples? 

You can request to extend the delivery time to about 7 days even (since Fiverr will count any days he doesn't respond) and he will have to accept it but just be clear to him that you will work on the chosen design right away after the response and approval of the delivery extension...

Edited March 7, 2023 by theratypist

[hatchan]

Exactly. And yes, I've sent all the samples to him, and I also have asked to extend the delivery, but since he is not reachable, he is not able to approve the extend time, the same way is not able to check the samples and choose the final one. For the same reason: being away in China - or so he told me, but after booking - he could be without connection. 

 

So my question is.. if I deliver one of those arts (indeed, 40, not 20), am I breaking fiverr rules? I worked on that project several hours to produce those samples, so I think that my part is done. What is missing, is him to pick the final design. 

 

I really don't want to break rules, but yet, I don't want to be late because he is not reachable. 

Edited March 7, 2023 by hatchan

[donnovan86]

4 hours ago, hatchan said:

Sensibly, I would deliver one of the designs to meet the deadline and deliver on time. After all, I have accomplished my part of the job and respected the gig's deadlines.

This means you are delivering incomplete work. And that makes you prone to a Fiverr warning.

Edited March 7, 2023 by donnovan86

[hatchan]

This is my fear and I want to avoid such situation. 

How does the late percentage work? I mean, I have 100% deliveries on time. If - for reasons beyond my will - I am late with this project, the percentage drops only of the percentage representing one late order amongs all those I've completed? 

[venonusa]

8 minutes ago, hatchan said:

This is my fear and I want to avoid such situation. 

How does the late percentage work? I mean, I have 100% deliveries on time. If - for reasons beyond my will - I am late with this project, the percentage drops only of the percentage representing one late order amongs all those I've completed? 

yes will drop the delivery  %  , maybe better deliver what you have done and send message to client inside Fiverr chat asking if need to modify something he can contact you.

[hatchan]

But I can afford to loose 2 or 3 points, for a late delivery. Better than to break fiverr's rules - that is not an option for me. 

The question is: if I deliver something the customer didn't agree - because he is not reachable, but I can demonstrate that I've done my work - and once he comes back I re-deliver the one he wants, am I breaking the rules? 

[theratypist]

12 minutes ago, hatchan said:

How does the late percentage work? I mean, I have 100% deliveries on time. If - for reasons beyond my will - I am late with this project, the percentage drops only of the percentage representing one late order amongs all those I've completed? 

It will not be marked late as long as the buyer will accept the delivery extension request, so don't worry about that. You can extend delivery date on the upper right portion of the order page.

Even if you do see it marked late, once the buyer accepts the delivery extension request it will be okay again. That's why its important to make it like "7 day" extension to accommodate on how long the buyer will return. Lets say Mar 7 (7 pm) is the delivery date, and the buyer still returns Mar 10...  if you only placed a "2 day" extension and the buyer approves it, it would still be late because a 2 day extension will mean the new delivery date is Mar 9 (7 pm)... Hence the suggestion that you make it 7 days and just be clear that you will deliver the order right away after he has chosen the specific sample and that the 7 day extension is just a generous extension to accommodate his return.

2 minutes ago, hatchan said:

The question is: if I deliver something the customer didn't agree - because he is not reachable, but I can demonstrate that I've done my work - and once he comes back I re-deliver the one he wants, am I breaking the rules? 

If your gig process specifically states that the buyer has to be the one to choose the sample that you would focus on, then it could still become an issue if the buyer makes it a big deal that you didn't follow what you advertised. It could also be possible that he is fine with it. But the main thing would be more of how you've explained it on your gig and order page (in the event it becomes an issue). So it would be best to avoid that altogether, and if you really want to deliver now you will have to do deliver a complete version of all the provided samples. Otherwise, the delivery extension request is the safest route.

[catwriter]

In addition to what others have said, if you do happen to deliver late because the buyer wasn't responsive, you can try to send the proof that it's not your fault the order is late to Customer Support, and ask them to fix your stats.

You can also contact Customer Support now, explain your situation, and ask them for advice. That way, even if the buyer disappears for who knows how long, Customer Support will be aware of your situation.

By the way, are you sure that buyer is honest? I mean, how can they present design options to their company if their connectivity is so bad they can't even get those designs from you?

Edited March 7, 2023 by catwriter

[trombonhero]

10 hours ago, hatchan said:

What do you suggest I do?

Adjust your gig's requirements ⏳

[hatchan]

First of all, thanks everyone for the help. Everything went well, the client was able to extend the delivery time.

But this episode will help me in future, too. So, if I have in the gig the following line:

Quote

I will do my best to give you all the samples in time, but if you disappear without picking one, you agree that - to respect the delivery time - I will pick one of them and delivery it as final. So, don't disappear 😉

can I deliver in time one of my samples even if the client disappear? 

Edited March 9, 2023 by hatchan