The new 3 pages of feedback just to approve a delivery is absurd and so is 'value for money' lowering a review score.

[daichi777]

Didn't have an order through Dec so not sure when this came into effect till yesterday.

For those who don't know (sellers only etc), to approve an order it now asks for feedback first and has been changed and will waste your time/those of us in IT will feel like you're being babied by incredibly dumb UI decisions. Before, the 1-2 pages of quick click, click, type review has now been replaced with 3 pages that have hidden fields that don't show up until you select the emoji's. And you cannot continue until you fill them out and click next.

Having 2 pages first of the same thing and only getting the 'next' button after selecting everything is just dumb time wasting design. It takes 3 pages just to approve an order and skip the aggravating 'customary' tip screen. It might seem trivial to some, but those of us who get multiple orders a month, it seriously makes you not want to leave feedback at all now and leave it to auto complete if you didn't care about your freelancer because you have so many to go through like a chore. 

I've also found out that now if a buyer chooses anything else but the best option for if you felt the order was 'value for money', it lowers the feedback rating for the seller. What begs the question is, why the heck does it punish a seller for an agreed upon price in the first place? How does 4.7 stars help me in my decision in choosing a seller as quality/trustworthiness etc are what you'd expect the stars to be about.

[vovkaslovesnyy]

It was implemented for the sake of "a more modern, reliable rating & review system that will encourage freelance business growth... empower customer decision-making, and enhance trust between freelancers and customers." 😅

It was widely discussed in the topic below. After a while, the discussion was closed with "... your feedback is invaluable and we will continue to implement changes as best as possible based on your suggestions. Our goal is a smooth and gradual transition to future changes, and rest assured we will update in a new post in the forum as soon as we have more information." Shall I add that none of the suggestions was implemented?

It is already working, and the main idea is the following, and it's unlikely to be changed in the near future (judging by the current approach to "a smooth and gradual transition"):

Quote

It’s important to note that these changes are based on extensive feedback from and research for both freelancers and customers, and one of our clearest findings is that 5.0 star ratings decrease customer trust and conversions, while 4.9 star (and below) ratings actually increase customer trust and conversions. 

 

By the way, I want the same 5 emojis here to react to posts (if we accept that emojis can be used on a professional website)

😟😒😑😊🤩

Edited January 17 by vovkaslovesnyy

[daichi777]

27 minutes ago, vovkaslovesnyy said:

It was implemented for the sake of "a more modern, reliable rating & review system that will encourage freelance business growth... empower customer decision-making, and enhance trust between freelancers and customers." 😅

It was widely discussed in the topic below. After a while, the discussion was closed with "... your feedback is invaluable and we will continue to implement changes as best as possible based on your suggestions. Our goal is a smooth and gradual transition to future changes, and rest assured we will update in a new post in the forum as soon as we have more information."

It is already working, and the main idea is the following, and it's unlikely to be changed in the near future (judging by the current approach to "a smooth and gradual transition"):

 

Geezus what a shit show that is trying to read through. It's sad because I only even came to the forums for the first time in 4 years because of how utterly stupid this change is. It doesn't help seeing people are not being taken seriously at all, but also for whatever stupid reason the AI stuff delved into in the last few pages doing so.

I worked in government for over 10 years combined in IT, projects, etc and there are plenty of smart freelancers here reading through the comments. In the govt we see and try to stop stupid decisions like UI, operating and process design. Ever traded out over 2000 android phones for iphones because some stupid higher up wanted to feel fancy for using one and quote 'security'? Then having to write guides, and train aged care workers etc on how to use them while they're all in their 40's+? 

Here it's sad to see it's no different. Someone with no experience in usability just hires someone else to come up with a change and get it approved. Not a single bloody thing changed from the first post and just giving the same old 'we listened/passed on feedback' for a rushed launch when it should've been done at the design stage.

If I wasn't a freelancer before and knowing how much a review affects sellers especially on this site, and the seller had plenty of feedback. I wouldn't care and just not bother with the system, there's a reason why I don't bother with private reviews especially when I hire certain people multiple times a month. There's a reason I don't leave feedback on ebay if the seller has above 50 good ones.

And I most certainly don't have the bloody time to go through 'do you have time to hear about our lord and saviour' when I just want to bloody buy services. What a joke.

If they were serious on feedback it wouldn't of been just a warning thread that's now locked. You'd actually have a damned open sticky for feedback now. 

[donnovan86]

3 hours ago, vovkaslovesnyy said:

It is already working, and the main idea is the following, and it's unlikely to be changed in the near future (judging by the current approach to "a smooth and gradual transition"):

The new review system is going to become the norm in the next few months, obviously. I get where Fiverr is coming from, if you go to a category and start browsing, most people have 5 stars as a gig rating, so it's very difficult to pick someone.

My issue stems from recalculating these gig scores, as they said it's coming soon. When that happens, I am certain most if not all gigs will have a lower or much lower rating than now, just because a new system is being used. Those are valid reviews from people accumulated over the years.. Anyway, we will see the new system soon and go from there. 

[aadilali1]

Fiverr intentionally seems to give poor ratings, regardless of the quality and hard work a seller puts in. In almost 1.5 years, I received only five 4-star reviews. However, now I've received six 4-star reviews in less than a month, along with many 4.7 reviews. Buyers express great experiences and even leave tips. I've completed hundreds of Fiverr Choice Orders, so Fiverr can't claim I can't deliver the desired work. What doesn't make sense is that I often receive lower ratings for 'Value for Money.' If a buyer doesn't see the value or thinks the gig isn't worth the money, why purchase it at all? Value for money is subjective; for one person, $2k might be worth it, while for another, a $5 logo might not be. It's highly subjective. 

27 minutes ago, donnovan86 said:

The new review system is going to become the norm in the next few months, obviously. I get where Fiverr is coming from, if you go to a category and start browsing, most people have 5 stars as a gig rating, so it's very difficult to pick someone.

My issue stems from recalculating these gig scores, as they said it's coming soon. When that happens, I am certain most if not all gigs will have a lower or much lower rating than now, just because a new system is being used. Those are valid reviews from people accumulated over the years.. Anyway, we will see the new system soon and go from there. 

 

[donnovan86]

1 hour ago, aadilali1 said:

Fiverr intentionally seems to give poor ratings, regardless of the quality and hard work a seller puts in. In almost 1.5 years, I received only five 4-star reviews. However, now I've received six 4-star reviews in less than a month, along with many 4.7 reviews.

That's the new system in testing. The upside is, you will not be the only one receiving these reviews, they are becoming a norm because Fiverr doesn't want every single person to have only 5 stars. According to what was shared here, buyers have a hard time deciding who to work with when everyone has only 5 stars, it feels artificial. So yeah, you should expect more of those reviews to come in. They did lower the level requirement to 4.2 stars instead of what it was, 4.7. 

1 hour ago, aadilali1 said:

Value for money is subjective; for one person, $2k might be worth it, while for another, a $5 logo might not be. It's highly subjective. 

I mean, reviews are subjective in general, if you think about that. Everyone has different expectations, some might be ok to spend $2k on something and leave a great review, while other people will barely spend $5 or $10 and say the value for money was extremely bad, because they had similar expectations to a $100 or $1000 product. That's unreasonable, but that's the reason why we need to be more selective. And why either prices will go down quite a lot to make buyers think the value for money is great, or they will go up quite a bit due to sellers trying to avoid people who pay $5 or $10 and have unreasonable expectations for what was paid.

[daichi777]

If they don't want everyone at 5 stars, are they changing requirements for Level 1,2,3 sellers etc? Don't they require 100% brutally for them?

[donnovan86]

4 minutes ago, daichi777 said:

If they don't want everyone at 5 stars, are they changing requirements for Level 1,2,3 sellers etc? Don't they require 100% brutally for them?

The leveling system is getting changed a bit, but I am sure they are taking into account that most of the platform's sellers will have lower reviews anyway. So I wouldn't worry about losing a level, if you didn't lose it with this older system. However, we will see!

[vovkaslovesnyy]

2 hours ago, donnovan86 said:

I get where Fiverr is coming from, if you go to a category and start browsing, most people have 5 stars as a gig rating, so it's very difficult to pick someone.

I had that meeting too and I read that closed topic, so I understand their reasoning; however, I tend to disagree with the entire approach to reviews. 

I will repeat it again and again: ONE PAGE for all types of reviews (private, public, etc.) with 2 options (YAY or NAY). 

There is no point in these 4-star or 5-star reviews until there are private reviews, which weigh more.

What is the value of a 4-star or 5-star review, if buyers can leave a terrible private review that is more important?  

And with the current update (in my opinion), these 5 stars will transform into 4 stars, and buyers will have to choose from a sea of equal 4-star gigs. 

In addition, I can hardly imagine a serious business owner going through 3 different pages and clicking 🤩

Edited January 17 by vovkaslovesnyy

[donnovan86]

22 minutes ago, vovkaslovesnyy said:

What is the value of a 4-star or 5-star review, if buyers can leave a terrible private review that is more important?  

 

Simple. Public reviews are permanent. Private reviews will affect your acount anywhere from 2 to 6 months. That's a huge difference. 

22 minutes ago, vovkaslovesnyy said:

In addition, I can hardly imagine a serious business owner going through 3 different pages and clicking 🤩

Yeah, a serious business owner would use filters to narrow down exactly what they want. I doubt they would use Neo, you can easily filter stuff to find what you want.

[vibronx]

7 hours ago, daichi777 said:

why the heck does it punish a seller for an agreed upon price in the first place?

It doesn’t make any sense. I was under the impression that Fiverr generally wanted us to raise our prices. This goes completely against that.

I always stand firm on my prices even when buyers claim they can’t afford them. Sometimes these buyers will end up agreeing to my price in the end. However, now I have to fear getting punished because some cheapskate who can’t read my gig description is dissatisfied that I didn’t give him a discount, so I will no longer agree to work with buyers who try to negotiate my prices in any way.

Edited January 17 by vibronx

[daichi777]

19 minutes ago, vibronx said:

It doesn’t make any sense. I was under the impression that Fiverr generally wanted us to raise our prices. This goes completely against that.

I always stand firm on my prices even when buyers claim they can’t afford them. Sometimes these buyers will end up agreeing to my price in the end. However, now I have to fear getting punished because some cheapskate who can’t read my gig description is dissatisfied that I didn’t give him a discount, so I will no longer agree to work with buyers who try to negotiate my prices in any way.

I look through literal hundreds of gigs and have lists full of every one I have so they're sorted into 'Avoid' or what category I can use them for/if good and pricey etc. I hire here mostly artists, VA's, animation, story writers etc as I do small game design mostly and various other stuff on side. I've been scammed on here before and I still feel bad and guilty for not giving 5 stars to one of the first sellers because I didn't realize the system affected them that much. Some people I don't bother negotiating price with because it looks good to me already. Some already lower their prices from the gigs. Anyone new who doesn't know these things isn't going to know custom offers and just think gigs are fixed price and won't generally be happy about it.

I don't get how the hell it's fair on you guys if someone didn't get to haggle a price, or just puts they don't think the $5 quality work they asked for, was worth 5 stars. Why does it even affect a bloody review? The only use it literally has is to bully a seller and let them know you weren't happy with the price for whatever reason, despite you were the one who agreed to it, the one who negotiated for it as the buyer etc.

How the hell does this help me as a legit buyer seeing the stars down, but not even knowing wtf for if it's not even listed in the end review either? If it does and is part of the 'quality of delivery' then it's just misleading.

You can tell this whole review change, that affects multiple peoples livelihoods, was never planned properly. Just some cosmetic thing that someone thought looks snazzy and modern. And unfortunately it doesn't look like any feedback will actually be taken seriously or change anything. I even get the share private feedback notifications still and they're annoying as shit already. I keep thinking one of the freelancers are contacting me.

 

Edited January 17 by daichi777

[vickiespencer]

31 minutes ago, vibronx said:

It doesn’t make any sense. I was under the impression that Fiverr generally wanted us to raise our prices. This goes completely against that.

I agree. This is the first thing I thought of when I read @Kesha's post concerning the new review system.