Ghosted? – Allow cancellations with no penalty.

[charlsmcfarlane]

When a buyer 'ghosts' a seller, a seller-initiated cancellation request should be automatically approved after a period of a few days and that cancellation should not affect the seller's stats at all.

Here's an example:

I had a buyer purchase some online training at the start of August. We agreed on a time to meet using Fiverr's integrated Zoom functionality and the time came and went. The buyer did not show up to the call. That time slot could have been used by another client, so it's a bit frustrating. Since this time I have been telling clients that I will mark the order as completed if they don't show up. As a result, I haven't had any no-shows since.

In this case though, I offered to reschedule with them, free of charge. No reply. I have now sent 6 messages to the buyer with no reply at all. They have been on the platform, according to the "last seen" indicator. They even agreed to an extension request but no reply to any messages.

It's now been almost 2 months and no reply whatsoever. Obviously no one ever wants to cancel an order but I like to keep organised and de-cluttered and I don't like the idea of these gigs just sitting in my to do list. Furthermore, I have raised my prices now, so if this buyer ever comes back to me, they'll be getting my current work at an old rate, which isn't a great deal considering how much they have already messed me around.

I think after a certain amount of time and a certain number of messages sent with no reply, the seller should be able to cancel the order without any repercussions and without any need to contact Fiverr support. For example, if over the course of 2 months, 5+ messages have been sent, with at least 5 days between each message (so you can't just spam 5 messages in one go) and there has been no response, it should trigger this eligibility. Presumably the ability for the system to measure non-responsiveness is already built in as this is a criteria for the recent addition that allows buyers to leave reviews on cancelled orders.

Thanks

[dutchbydesign]

I completely understand your frustration. The situation you've described is not only inconvenient but also impacts your business efficiency and planning. I know it well. I also offer the zoom meeting and sometimes they are a no show and it really can take a lot of time out of your day.  I have had some other.. difficult issues with clients not signing off their work or amongst other things and overall I feel we have no control, when we should and this can cause a lot of stress and resentment.  

[priyatomokumar]

One year ago, a buyer placed two orders with me. While they completed the requirements for one order, the other remains incomplete. I informed them of this, and they explained that they meant to place only one order but accidentally placed two.

I explained that I was unable to cancel the second order as it could negatively impact my profile. I encouraged them to reach out to Fiverr support for assistance in merging or modifying the orders.

Despite sending them a few follow-up messages, I haven't heard back from the buyer since then.

Therefore, I'm unsure if they contacted Fiverr support or if there's anything else I can do to help. Could you please advise on how to proceed in this situation?

 

[dereck_s]

Yeah I'd love to see cancellations not weigh quite so heavy on a buyer because ... ya know life happens. What tends to happen with me is a buyer will purchase a logo from me and ask for something that isn't a logo like packaging for a series of makeup boxes. Normally the support staff can be pretty helpful in these type of situations.