Update: Addressing new level system questions and feedback

[emmaki]

5 minutes ago, lenasemenkova said:

So, essentially, Fiverr is gently nudging everyone to make a ‘request to order’ the norm, yes? That’s the only way to guarantee that every seller has all the required information before the order is starte

I wouldn't call it gentle nudging myself...

But yes, it's interesting how these changes impact the dynamic between buyer and seller as well. So many of Fiverr's big changes are specifically to squeeze bad sellers out of the marketplace, but it's done with no nuance at all. 

Perhaps Fiverr wants to turn the platform into a real life hunger games? 🤔

[zerlina84]

1 hour ago, emmaki said:

What's actually needed is for sellers to down tools for a month or two

Even a day. Imagine everyone that has complained these last 3 days going out of office for 24 hours. Wouldn't that send a message?

Edit: or not. I mean, there are only like a hundred people here and there are abour 4 millions sellers. They probably wouldn't even notice it lol

Edited February 16 by zerlina84

[Alex.M]

I think that this is going to be my last post about the new performance metrics and rating system or whatever the name is...

 

I think that the new system IS A GOOD IDEA but it was implemented in the most HORRIBLE way possible.

Most of the users here on Fiverr especially buyers have very limited knowledge about how an online marketplace works, if you add so many options and smiley faces and words like ' excellent ' and ' exceptional they will be confused and even though they would like to rate a seller 5 stars by mistake they will give them a lower rating.  In normal conditions having multiple bad reviews wouldn't be a problem, It's completely normal to have them, from 100 people most likely you will find one or two that won't be satisfied with your work no matter what you do however from those two bad reviews or 3 reviews or 5 or whatever Fiverr will punish the sh** out of your account.  The new rating system is based on research... they say that the research suggests that a 4-star review is more credible than a 5-star review... BUT if you get lower ratings then your visibility on the marketplace will be limited and you won't be able to fix things without new orders so what is the point then? 

 

Of course, if Fiverr decides that tomorrow they are going to organize new video calls with sellers to discuss about the new system the ones that have a perfect score might be satisfied... If they pick only those persons ( like me for instance, I have a 10/10 performance score )  it's very likely that they will only hear the good part about this new thing and based on that they will decide to continue with this ... If people are not going to speak then we're going to have a very big problem on the long run.  We d on't have clear info about how the Success score is calculated. I am not thrilled that I have a perfect score today if tomorrow I will fall under a certain point.  These things should be explained in detail, sellers who work here have to know how the system works in order to improve their stats and performance.  

Secondly, those thresholds are extremely high and hard to maintain. I think that I can do it at least for some time but if I am getting 3-4 star reviews by mistake ( most buyers are just average internet users ) daily then it's going to be impossible.   Those metrics need to be lowered, those childish smileys when a buyer rates an order have to be eliminated.  

Has anyone noticed how those ' satisfaction questions' if you like are placed after the order is accepted by a buyer?   If I remember right it was the most negative thing first. 

 

How satisfied are you with the delivery? - completely unsatisfied, not satisfied, average etc.. ( I am also a buyer but I forgot the exact words there that are being used )  My point is ... the negative ratings are in front and for instance when you are contacting support and after some time you receive that satisfaction survey or how do you call it...  It's completely the opposite [ very satisfied, satisfied, etc ] they are not placing the negative reviews in front... 

The value for money question shouldn't be there at all , in the private feedback it's fine and that can be also added to calculate the overall success score perhaps , but to show that value in a review doesn't work at all. 

It's completely absurd to get anything lower than 5 stars for value for money or for ' quality of delivery' and then to receive a TIP. Thank you for the tip what can I say, It won't help me much unless the TIP is in some kind of hidden metric ( but most likely it's not ) so a common sense idea would be that orders that receive tips should automatically have 5 stars for mostly anything because if you are not satisfied with anything regarding that delivery you shouldn't tip at least that's my opinion.

 

I am sorry if I made mistakes in what I wrote above I am really really tired... 

[michmikaia]

5 hours ago, Alex.M said:

fun fact... I just received a message from a buyer that I blocked 2 years ago... why ?!?!!? 

I received one too Yesterday. Strange.

[tom_godbert]

I sell film soundtracks on Fiverr, and like a lot of sellers my levels have been removed with the new system. One of the reasons given for this was "conflict-free orders". I've contacted customer support about this and was told that it is calculated based on the number of revisions per order. I thought I'd just copy + paste what I said to customer support to see if anyone else feels the same way, and if there's anything I can do about it.

Why are revisions considered a conflict? I can understand this way of thinking for gigs with straightforward objectives, but for a creative gig like mine revisions are essential for making sure the client gets exactly what they want. I am proud to offer unlimited revisions, why should I be punished for using my time to make sure my client is happy with their delivery? You can't expect a buyer to explain exactly what they're looking as soon as they order, otherwise they wouldn't need me. Most of the time I treat my first deliveries like first drafts, which is how most creative industries work outside of Fiverr. The amount of revisions I provide doesn't reflect an inability on my part (as proved by my 5-star rating), but instead reflects my commitment to my clients needs for their project.

On top of this, I was never even informed that this would affect my score in any way. The only warning is when I occasionally extend the delivery time so that my client can make more revisions, and even then it only says that it might affect buyer satisfaction. I find it pretty dishonest to hide the fact that me making these revisions has been affecting my score, and my visibility in the marketplace.

It seems like Fiverr's new policy completely goes against the normal creative process of drafting projects, and I wasn't even informed of this until it was too late..

[visualstudios]

14 minutes ago, tom_godbert said:

I've contacted customer support about this and was told that it is calculated based on the number of revisions per order.

Can you provide proof of this? That's very big if true.

Btw, your gig is breaking terms of service. You have a link to your website, which has your contact on it. You can't have that.

[martian_guy]

11 hours ago, Kesha said:

@bobstouch Hi. It's best to reach out to Customer Support for assistance with your specific case. They can provide further clarification and help resolve any issues. Good luck!

 

Customer support is not responding in the matter. They marked my ticket "solved" without even replying. 

[acreativeminds]

9 hours ago, Kesha said:

Hi! @kerpoostudio This is not a bug, but it could be due to several different reasons. I would recommend that you reach out to Customer Support. They will be happy to help clarify things for you.

@Kesha if you mean this is not a bug why does everyone get this issue? even  I got the same warning and your customer support says I violated your policies and that's the final decision. If I didn't do any violation how do you guys flagged accounts like that? I am not saying the seller's new seller rating system is bad or anything. but flagged accounts without doing any kind of violations is unfair. your customer service is not helping. they just copy and paste the same message to everyone.  I think you guys want to remove all top-rated and level-2 sellers and run the website. 

[tom_godbert]

1 hour ago, visualstudios said:

Can you provide proof of this? That's very big if true.

Btw, your gig is breaking terms of service. You have a link to your website, which has your contact on it. You can't have that.

Here's a screenshot, is this enough? Thanks for tip I honestly didn't realise haha, seems a bit silly to not be allowed but I'll correct it

[ssj1236]

Alright peeps, I know these are very troubled times but remember Kesha is just another clog in the machine. Go a little easy on her. That said, I'll be praying that I don't get any challenging customers until the new system gets ironed out because that's all I can do in this situation. 

 

 

 

[allstral]

11 minutes ago, tom_godbert said:

Here's a screenshot, is this enough? Thanks for tip I honestly didn't realise haha, seems a bit silly to not be allowed but I'll correct it

What a mess! everything is impacting us now, including your soul

[nadiappp]

Wow, Fiverr thinks revisions are a sign of being an incompetent seller!

[martian_guy]

@Kesha@Kesha can you please guide us what will be the future of the accounts that are flagged for location inconsistencies? 

Are we going to get banned from selling on Fiverr after 14 march? 

I have tried to ask same thing from customer support but they are not responding and marked my query as resolved. 

Edited February 17 by martian_guy

[voicedbyken]

Revisions are now penalized? 99% of the revisions I've done are due to the client having a change of direction or script change after the order was delivered to specs. Not because I did a bad job. Most of the time they tip me 30%+ for revising without complaining and promptly. This is out of hand. An exit strategy is going to be needed if Fiverr is taking the low road. I used to defend this platform as I felt Fiverr treated me quite well. Now I'm feeling quite bad for talking many of my colleagues into coming here. 

Worse yet, I talked 2 people into opening shop here the day before my profile was hit with the update. Fiverr makes up 1/3 of my total income and this has me shaken to the core

Edited February 17 by voicedbyken

[tom_godbert]

5 minutes ago, voicedbyken said:

Revisions are now penalized? 99% of the revisions I've done are due to the client having a change of direction or script change after the order was delivered to specs. Not because I did a bad job. Most of the time they tip me 30%+ for revising without complaining and promptly. This is out of hand. An exit strategy is going to be needed if Fiverr is taking the low road. I used to defend this platform as I felt Fiverr treated me quite well. Now I'm feeling quite bad for talking many of my colleagues into coming here. 

Do you know of any reliable alternatives? I use Upwork and Soundbetter (for musicians) but neither of those have had the same results as Fiverr.

[voicedbyken]

11 minutes ago, tom_godbert said:

Do you know of any reliable alternatives? I use Upwork and Soundbetter (for musicians) but neither of those have had the same results as Fiverr.

Aside from the few jobs I book per month through my agent and the 2-5 I get via P2P platforms, I know of none that compare to Fiverr. That said, with what this update will do to my order frequency when I drop from TRS and possibly further later on, it looks like Fiverr will be no better than Upwork and the like. 

I get most of my business through my own direct marketing. I'm going to need to up my networking and marketing game to make up for the inevitable loss I will incur here.  It was a great ride. I went full-time in my craft during covid because of Fiverr. I grinded my butt off to make TRS in my first year. I was proud to be part of the Fiverr family. I don't know what to think anymore. It's like a nightmare that keeps getting worse by the day.

Edited February 17 by voicedbyken

[pyxisstudio]

8 minutes ago, voicedbyken said:

It was a great ride

Indeed.

[Alex.M]

1 hour ago, tom_godbert said:

Here's a screenshot, is this enough? Thanks for tip I honestly didn't realise haha, seems a bit silly to not be allowed but I'll correct it

I even agree at point 1 ... in some conditions. If someone offers revisions the buyer needs to be allowed to actually request as many revisions that are offered in that gig. If a gig offers 2 revisions he can ask for 2 revisions, after that the revision button should be disabled for that order. Easy fix even for this nonsense... Currently, even if you don't offer any kind of revisions the buyer can request as many as he wants just like that... because he can. And if I am offering revisions it is because I want to help the buyer , why am I being penalized for wanting to address any issues ?! 

[khanshakil]

drop level

[pyxisstudio]

I think this update is quite good TBH, Now all the freelancers who took fiverr for granted and used to trick buyers and delivered awful quality will be vanished only the pros and the skilled artist will survive here. 

[alanletsgo]

10 hours ago, Kesha said:

Hi! @kerpoostudio This is not a bug, but it could be due to several different reasons. I would recommend that you reach out to Customer Support. They will be happy to help clarify things for you.

This is quite difficult in all cases. For example, someone bought a gig from me 2 days ago. And instead of submitting the correct order requirements, they put '.......". and said they will send it soon. They are now not replying. The order is due tomorrow and I have not heard back from them. Now I have to Extend the due date, but this was out of my control since they are not answering nor provided the correct order requirements.

[voicedbyken]

2 minutes ago, pyxisstudio said:

I think this update is quite good TBH, Now all the freelancers who took fiverr for granted and used to trick buyers and delivered awful quality will be vanished only the pros and the skilled artist will survive here. 

I wish it were so simple. I'm losing my TRS rank because of a single digit in my Success Score. I have never delivered anything subpar to any customer. I deliver on time. I let them know what is going on with their order every single day they wait for theirs to come into the queue. I answer all messages immediately even when I get the notification while I'm sleeping. I ALWAYS overdeliver. There is rarely a week that goes by that one of my gigs is not a buyer's choice or featured. Am I just collateral damage? I don't feel like it's a good thing.

Why not just penalize those accounts who are guilty of such? 

[gunawanguan]

11 hours ago, Kesha said:

Hi @gunawanguan! Since this is an issue specific to your account, I would recommend reaching out to Customer Support so they can provide further clarifications and help resolve your concerns. You can open up a ticket via this link. 

Okay thank you for your prompt reply @Kesha
I have reach for customer support and wait for their answer.

Thanks again.

[akshay_sihag]

On 2/15/2024 at 9:24 PM, fittranslate said:

@Kesha I'll continue writing here and to the support in terms of justice and to support each freelancer like me, who suffered from new unfair and incorrect level system.
All cancelled orders were not from my fault, mostly reason:"the buyer can't be no longer contact" I wrote each time to the support team to update my cancellation score.

Please pay attention to Fiverr system and I think it need to be updated.

I think all freelancers have a right for clear explanation what's going on, why for example: I'm seller 2 with 2400+ completed orders, 94 repeated business score rating, 5 stars reviews in average ( 903 reviews) 1 hour response time, 100% in time delivery, 100% response rate... must suffer from unfair and incorrect system... and downfall to the Level 1!

I'd love to work here and be part of the Fiverr community, but this changes try to make like punishments on good and proven freelancers ... Please try to put priority to my and other peoples similar questions/situations, pay attention to this details... It's really important and MASSIVE...

This level system ruins working progress and motivation...Because it's empty for any exact explaination, all that support members write and try to explain — general words from Fiverr announce and updates..  No one is deeply involved or directly engaged in my situation. 

 

I am in the same boat as you are, got demoted from TRS to level 1 because of this new level system. Majority of my orders that got cancelled are not my fault and many of them are cancelled by fiverr customer care.

@Kesha

If they implemented this system after 14 years of fiverr establishment, then why are they measuring scores from past 14 years ? They should just start measuring the scores from this year or this month onwards

This is really frustrating because our past should not affect our future, with this new level system many freelancers are going to loose business and clients.

I hope with all the feedback received from forums they will change things in this new level system and make it more positive than negative which is the current scenario right now.

[akshay_sihag]

18 minutes ago, alanletsgo said:

This is quite difficult in all cases. For example, someone bought a gig from me 2 days ago. And instead of submitting the correct order requirements, they put '.......". and said they will send it soon. They are now not replying. The order is due tomorrow and I have not heard back from them. Now I have to Extend the due date, but this was out of my control since they are not answering nor provided the correct order requirements.

I feel your pain alan, this has happened to me so many times, they should add a system in cases like this where time can be extended if client is not responding. Either by contacting fiverr customer support or giving us an option in resolution center