Etiquettes for navigating ratings and reviews from buyers

[biaynamahari]

Ok this is the topic I really needed. Though I submitted a claim already, but I'll try it here too. 

I got a flag for manipulating rating and this are exactly the words I wrote to my client (who is also a designer and literally forgot to write the review):
"Can I ask you to leave a review ?:) It's very important for me on this stage."

So where in this two sentences has fiverr seen manipulation can you please explain ? I never asked for a "good" review, never said I would do something extra or less depending on the review. Does this mean I'm not allowed to talk about the review at all ?

Then how I'm supposed to remind those who just forgot ? Winking ? I'm too far they may not notice. 

[sunshine15]

This new review system not only seems to be confusing buyers and not representing what they're actually wanting to leave as a review, but also causing buyers to jump through hoops just to leave a review. This process should be quick and easy for them, not a full blown survey. Since the start of the new review system, I've had significantly less buyers leave reviews than before. Most simply cannot be bothered.

[kingpirux]

2 hours ago, biaynamahari said:

Ok this is the topic I really needed. Though I submitted a claim already, but I'll try it here too. 

I got a flag for manipulating rating and this are exactly the words I wrote to my client (who is also a designer and literally forgot to write the review):
"Can I ask you to leave a review ?:) It's very important for me on this stage."

So where in this two sentences has fiverr seen manipulation can you please explain ? I never asked for a "good" review, never said I would do something extra or less depending on the review. Does this mean I'm not allowed to talk about the review at all ?

Then how I'm supposed to remind those who just forgot ? Winking ? I'm too far they may not notice. 

i repeat, YOU CAN'T USE ANY OTHER WORDS EXCEPT WHAT @Kesha says. Is literally canned responses, you cant express your self, you can't have a personal touch with your client, the only way is the canned responses, specific canned responses, they are so specific that FIVERR SHOULD PUT A BUTTON "Ask for a review" so the AI puts the same response to all the buyers so one day all buyers start to think that we are chatbots or some kind of customer service phone line.

[charlsmcfarlane]

2 hours ago, biaynamahari said:

"Can I ask you to leave a review ?:) It's very important for me on this stage."

Maybe it's because you've stressed that it's important. Getting a negative review wouldn't help you, so it could be perceived that by saying it's important, there's an implication that it's important for you to receive a positive review.

Also, by saying it's very important for you, it could make the buyer feel guilty for not leaving a review. I don't know if any to this is right, by the way. I'm just throwing ideas out there as to why your comment was flagged.

[kingpirux]

4 minutes ago, charlsmcfarlane said:

 

Maybe it's because you've stressed that it's important. Getting a negative review wouldn't help you, so it could be perceived that by saying it's important, there's an implication that it's important for you to receive a positive review.

Also, by saying it's very important for you, it could make the buyer feel guilty for not leaving a review. I don't know if any to this is right, by the way. I'm just throwing ideas out there as to why your comment was flagged.

he said "Can", so is forcing the other to do something by indirectly saying that if the other don't do it then is because he can't and thats mean.

then he added something worse, "i ask", like "I'm bad and i will ask even you don't want to".

but the worst part is the "?:)" that implies a missing element in the brain of a happy person, this for any AI will trigger an alert and will be manually instantly flagged as a bad behaviour.

 

[vickieito]

10 hours ago, aubergine07 said:

"Please don't forget to review your deliver before it auto-completes!" 

Here's what I use:

Hi {username}! This is just a friendly reminder that your order will auto-close in less than 24 hours.

To request more time to review your order, from the order delivery, select "I'm not ready yet" and "I need more time to review." You can extend your review period for up to five days at a time.

If you would like a revision, from the order delivery, select "I'm not ready yet" and "I still need revisions." You have two free revisions remaining on this order.

Otherwise, if all is good and you do not need any further revisions, the order will auto-close and be marked as complete.

If the order auto-closes, send this message in the inbox:

Hi {username}! I noticed that your order was auto-closed by Fiverr and marked as complete. It was a pleasure serving you and I wish you the best of luck with your project! Thanks again for your business. Feel free to contact me here in the inbox if you have any questions related to your order or future projects!

It's important for buyers to know that I didn't close the order. Also, buyers will sometimes come back to tell me that they didn't get notifications of the delivery or their revision request didn't go through. So it's good for them to know how to contact me if there were any issues doing that - especially since they may be alarmed that they can't add more messages on a closed order. The last thing you want a buyer to do is feel like you closed them off and their only recourse is to vent via their public review.

Note: Most of these messages are for newer buyers. Like @smartdezigns, I deal with repeat buyers differently and I don't mention leaving feedback at all.

Edited February 28 by vickieito

[rawque_gulia]

Or simple solution: don't ask for reviews at all. This is what I write (feel free to add suggestions, if any):

1. In case of no response after delivery: 

Hi, I hope I am not bothering you in your busy schedule. As I haven't heard anything back from you so this is just a friendly reminder that I have already delivered the files in case you missed the notification and delivery. If you've already checked the files and everything is perfect, please feel free to close the order, or if you need any changes, let me know so I can help you with your revisions.

I look forward to your response and feedback.

2. After completion of an order (message in inbox):

Hi {username}, thank you for being a great client. I am really pleased that I could deliver your project up to your expectations. I would love to collaborate with you on more amazing projects. So, if you have any other projects in the future and wish to work with me, you can press the favorite icon on my gig. It will help you find me quickly and easily.

[emmaki]

Dear me, no wonder people are constantly getting into trouble for feedback manipulation. 

[vibronx]

I’ve never asked for a review. I was a buyer first and always saw it as kinda pushy since I knew Fiverr would ask me to leave one a million times. Well, I was also very cheap when I started, so I probably didn’t work with the most professional or eloquent sellers, either.

Also, a couple of years ago, the consensus on the forum was that it wasn’t allowed to ask for a review at all because of a CS response to @vickiespencer, I believe it was. At that time, Fiverr was never really clear about it.

Still, I’ve had sellers chase me in my inbox spamming/begging me to leave a review mere minutes after delivering an order and not letting go (yes, they kept writing messages) until I logged in and told them to shut up. Also, had one go ballistic after I left a negative review. So, I’m not surprised that this post is necessary and that many sellers end up getting warnings.

Edited February 28 by vibronx

[emmaki]

4 minutes ago, vibronx said:

Still, I’ve had sellers chase me in my inbox spamming/begging me to leave a review mere minutes after delivering an order and not letting go until I logged in and told them to shut up. Also, had one go ballistic after I left a negative review. So, I’m not surprised that this post is necessary, and that many sellers end up getting warnings.

How thrilled are you on a scale 1 (🧦) - 10 (🧱) that Seller Plus now encourages and endorses "follow up" messages?

[vickieito]

13 hours ago, mandyzines said:

Here's this today, sent within the inbox after an order was automatically completed. No review was left--publicly, anyway. Will my AI boss equate this to the success it should be equated with? Or, because they did not review on Fiverr will my social credit score go down in comparison to other sellers?

Sellers shouldn't be punished if buyers don't leave a review because reviews are optional, and for the repeat buyer, extremely cumbersome to write. Sometimes I wish that my repeat buyers don't leave any public reviews because I can feel their pain written in their cookie-cutter reviews that they dutifully write for me. I would be happy if they didn't leave reviews because their business is good enough for me.

I'm sure that Fiverr's algorithm can gauge happy buyers who don't leave reviews through their behaviors (such as repeat buying) and conversations (such as "Great Job" and other expressions of gratitude in the inbox). Supposedly the algorithm is looking at "tone" of conversations so if the buyer's tone is happy and grateful, it should pick it up.

But who knows? The Success Score is complicated and it not only accounts for your performance, it's your performance in relation to other sellers in your sub-category.

[vibronx]

9 minutes ago, emmaki said:

How thrilled are you on a scale 1 (🧦) - 10 (🧱) that Seller Plus now encourages and endorses "follow up" messages?

Couldn't be more thrilled 🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱!!!!! I've always loved receiving messages asking me for "plz more jop sir," and it just makes Fiverr a much more professional marketplace! 

We all know that buyers are stupid, so how would they know that they can order from us again if we don't tell them?

[vickieito]

13 minutes ago, vibronx said:

I’ve had sellers chase me in my inbox spamming/begging me to leave a review mere minutes after delivering an order and not letting go

I've had a lot of negative experiences as a newbie buyer. Constant pressure to place the order (yes, they used the "I am poor and need to feed my wife and kids" angle). Spammy messages when I was disappointed with the order. Pressure to accept something I wasn't happy with. Pressure/begging to leave a good review. And terrible customer service after I left a good review - making me feel stupid and used (they only wanted the good review).

Well, I was stupid. I probably shouldn't have bought from so many newbie sellers when I was first starting out.

[emmaki]

Just now, vickieito said:

I'm sure that Fiverr's algorithm can gauge happy buyers

I have my doubts. I've be told at least once by my SM in the past that more reviews were needed as the lack of reviews was hurting me. Sometimes, Fiverr leaves sellers with rather difficult choices. I think I've already noted elsewhere how SMs have encouraged indirect review manipulation by only asking clients you are sure will leave a nice review for a review.

But get one word or the overall tone a a little wrong (very easy if you're a non-native speaker) in tone and boom, you're in trouble. And just look how many of the requests here fail on that front, while being offered as templates for quiet observers to copy-paste into their own expart sellar QRbank with absolutely no discernment. 

[charlsmcfarlane]

8 hours ago, kingpirux said:

YOU CAN'T USE ANY OTHER WORDS EXCEPT WHAT @Kesha says

I think there are a lots of ways to ask for a review. I have a quick response saved, which I wrote myself and have been using for years. In that time I have never had any dispute with Fiverr over review manipulation.

[emmaki]

I would like to offer my own review template:

Quote

༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ PLZ GIB STAR KTHXBAI

 

[charlsmcfarlane]

1 minute ago, emmaki said:

I would like to offer my own review template:

 

We have a winner!

[vickieito]

24 minutes ago, emmaki said:

I've be told at least once by my SM in the past that more reviews were needed as the lack of reviews was hurting me. 

Oh, that's disappointing. I guess that just wishful thinking on my part. I was hoping the algorithm could do more. My husband always thought it was ridiculous that I had to get a pat on my back for every order that I delivered ("Only on Fiverr!" he would say). It's such a weird system to be required to get a review on each order (but it's optional for buyers). I would like every repeat order from a buyer to count as a positive review (and they don't have to leave a review). Repeat buyers stop being creative after leaving about 6 reviews. I personally start leaving cookie-cutter reviews after 3-4 orders with the same seller. It's tough.

24 minutes ago, emmaki said:

But get one word or the overall tone a a little wrong (very easy if you're a non-native speaker) in tone and boom, you're in trouble. And just look how many of the requests here fail on that front,

Fiverr should probably just tell all sellers that we failed and the new rule is to never to message buyers at all regarding their review. Actually, it's an old rule, but it's a good rule to follow if you want to avoid any issues with your Fiverr account, especially if communication isn't your strong point. It's better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to Fiverr's ToS.

Fiverr should also give incentives for buyers who do leave reviews. Get rid of forum levels and give them to buyers. I could be a Grand Master as a buyer for all the reviews that I left, that went "above and beyond":

Quote

Think of how many buyers who would just get hooked on getting badges because they left "superstar" reviews:

Quote

 

Edited February 28 by vickieito

[emmaki]

lol that's really patronizing (the superstar/nice job! messaging)

Come on Fiverr. Stop treating buyers like  5-year-old children when they leave a review while simultaneously setting the Terminator on sellers for breathing the wrong way. 

[vibronx]

32 minutes ago, vickieito said:

Well, I was stupid. I probably shouldn't have bought from so many newbie sellers when I was first starting out.

Same here. I was so, so stupid. I got partial deliveries and didn't question it until it was clear the person was trying to scam me. I just thought it was how it worked. Luckily, CS saved me.

And I worked with so many people who couldn't follow basic instructions or who didn't know how to do a job but agreed to do it, anyway. They would just string me along for weeks. What they were hoping to get out of it, I don't know. Without delivering, they'd get nothing.

13 minutes ago, vickieito said:

Think of how many buyers who would just get hooked on getting badges because they left "superstar" reviews:

I already got hooked just by them calling me a superstar. I crave praise, okay? So, yeah, I always leave long reviews now, but I have a seller who I've bought from 20 times, and she's amazing, but it's gotten difficult to come up with new things to say.

But with the new system in place, I try to be as positive as I can—both in the review and in the inbox afterward, so I help my sellers progress because I appreciate them.

Edited February 28 by vibronx

[lalitsdmittal]

I never asked a user to leave a review, if they feel like, they do it themselves. Fiverr ratings and review system is so complicated, that you never know when you get a warning even if you asked for review in a best possible way.

[biaynamahari]

8 hours ago, kingpirux said:

but the worst part is the "?:)" that implies a missing element in the brain of a happy person

 

Thank you, at least you made me smile at this situation 🙂

[vickieito]

5 minutes ago, vibronx said:

I already got hooked just by them calling me a superstar. I crave praise, okay?

Glad to know I'm not the only one! 😂

2 minutes ago, vibronx said:

But with the new system in place, I try to be as positive as I can—both in the review and in the inbox afterward, so I help my sellers progress because I appreciate them.

I am really honest with sellers when they deliver. If I don't like the delivery, I let them know why and what I'd like to see in the revision. The weird thing is, the first instinct that most sellers have if I'm not happy with a delivery is to cancel the order (which really should be the last resort if revisions don't work, not the first solution).

However, now that I work with better sellers, I'm usually very pleased with the delivery, so I have no problems with their higher prices or leaving tips. I always leave public reviews but I do like to take time to gather my thoughts before leaving them. So I would get annoyed if someone were to ask me to leave a review, because that's my intention (even if it takes me a day or so to leave it).

[vibronx]

3 minutes ago, vickieito said:

I am really honest with sellers when they deliver. If I don't like the delivery, I let them know why and what I'd like to see in the revision. The weird thing is, the first instinct that most sellers have if I'm not happy with a delivery is to cancel the order (which really should be the last resort if revisions don't work, not the first solution).

I have been lucky enough to work with only great sellers for the past year, so I've only needed very few revisions (and I'd never say anything in a review I don't truly mean). Usually, I also leave very extensive notes if it's the first time I work with them, and then I adjust as I learn whether they need a lot of instructions or if it's better to give them more freedom.

I worked with a bad seller in 2022, though. He was a graphic designer within a niche without many sellers and seemed to be the best choice. And the most expensive, too. However, the end result looked very, very cheap. I requested a revision, but I could see that there was no way to salvage it. I let the order automatically close. I should have left a bad review, but with my previous negative experiences doing that, I just let him have it in the private feedback instead.

So, I have a hard time being honest if I'm truly dissatisfied and the situation is unsalvageable because I don't want people to threaten to harass me on social media again.

[kingpirux]

2 hours ago, emmaki said:

I would like to offer my own review template:

 

YES YES YES if this type of message is AI banned i will demand fiverr for harassment