Issue: Clients not reading the gig description, leading to a higher rate of cancellations.

[dutchbydesign]

I've been selling on Fiverr for many years, and I've noticed a concerning trend: people are increasingly neglecting to read the details of what they're purchasing. As an interior designer, the scope of my services is broad, but there are certain things I don't offer. I make this explicitly clear in the information I provide when clients contact me and in the FAQs, yet many still overlook it. I've tried to keep the wording brief and straightforward to avoid confusion.

Has anyone else encountered this issue? 

[navid_zafar]

It happens at times, however not so frequent in my case.

[webdevelopers90]

I have this situation too, one of my gigs about find to font online, as you know if the font exists, so will find it, if not exist hand make how we will find it..

So I politely asked and mentioned that, "Please ask before making an order and blah blah.." but still they made the order and then canceled the order, because the font or not exist...

So I think, the Fiverr system must have an option that we accept or reject the order before going further..

 

And now the big issue is the new Rating system, if the client does not select the addition option then the system calculates less then a star rating...

 

[kitd56]

I have had this happen many times, even though I have "Please contact me before placing an order" splashed all over my profile and gig descriptions.  They order services that I am not able to fulfill or that impossible to meet (for example, ordering an edit but not providing a document).  It is ludicrous to be held accountable for things we cannot control.

[aminul_design]

It's frustrating when clients overlook important details despite your efforts to make them clear. As a fellow seller, I've experienced similar challenges. One thing that might help is emphasizing key points in your gig description and communication with clients. You could also consider adding a checklist or highlighting important terms to ensure they're not missed.

[shaon_design]

• Clients often miss important details despite clear communication.
• Use bold or bullet points to highlight crucial information.
• Stay patient and keep pushing forward!

[donnovan86]

2 hours ago, dutchbydesign said:

Has anyone else encountered this issue? 

Hi!

I would recommend a few things:

• Increase your prices, so people will think twice before actually placing the order. It will also make your service feel more valuable as well. And yes, it also encourages people to talk with you first. I know this from personal experience.
• You can subscribe to Seller Plus Premium, that service has Request to Order, where your gigs appear in search, however people are forced to talk with you first. They can't order unless they talk with you first, and that's a huge advantage to be honest.
• Try to redo the gig package description and be very clear about what you offer and what's not included. You can also add what's in the service and what's not on your gig page. 

Hopefully this helps you. Good luck!

[dutchbydesign]

7 minutes ago, kitd56 said:

I have had this happen many times, even though I have "Please contact me before placing an order" splashed all over my profile and gig descriptions.  They order services that I am not able to fulfill or that impossible to meet (for example, ordering an edit but not providing a document).  It is ludicrous to be held accountable for things we cannot control.

I feel you!  I sometimes wake up at 'stupid o'clock'  with anxiety from clients asking things from me that I don't do or asking for more than what I can provide (like constant changes that take up so much time and takes away from my other work that I allocate time for.  I end up working from very early to very late and my family is suffering from it because they don't read or change their mind and it's not my fault at all. 

Also if I refuse they can just give me a low rating.. and they do anyway I see because I remind them what I can and cant do but try and do it anyway. 

[filipdevaere]

2 minutes ago, donnovan86 said:

You can subscribe to Seller Plus Premium, that service has Request to Order, where your gigs appear in search, however people are forced to talk with you first. They can't order unless they talk with you first, and that's a huge advantage to be honest.

You pay $39 to use Request to Order, but this saves you from many problems. 

[dutchbydesign]

1 minute ago, donnovan86 said:

Hi!

I would recommend a few things:

• Increase your prices, so people will think twice before actually placing the order. It will also make your service feel more valuable as well. And yes, it also encourages people to talk with you first. I know this from personal experience.
• You can subscribe to Seller Plus Premium, that service has Request to Order, where your gigs appear in search, however people are forced to talk with you first. They can't order unless they talk with you first, and that's a huge advantage to be honest.
• Try to redo the gig package description and be very clear about what you offer and what's not included. You can also add what's in the service and what's not on your gig page. 

Hopefully this helps you. Good luck!

I have the Sellers Plus now for several years. And tweak my gigs always to be clear. short and precise. I also have an Info Pack that I send them before ordering (yes I make my own brochures to make it even more easy) and recently put up the price.  These are not cheap plans and they take many days/weeks to make, like one order I have now that is 1300 usd and I have even told him what I do and don't do yet they push for extras and custom furniture builds that I don't do.  And so much more...  BUT I will try again what you mentioned (I go over my gigs all the time to make improvements).  Thank you. 

[donnovan86]

8 minutes ago, dutchbydesign said:

I have even told him what I do and don't do yet they push for extras and custom furniture builds that I don't do

Unfortunately there will always be such clients, and you'll find those in real life as well, not just online. Maintain a high level of professionalism, assist them the best way they can, but you also want to be clear from the start about what you provide in your offer. That way, if there are issues, Fiverr sees that you delivered what was promised. 

[dutchbydesign]

3 minutes ago, donnovan86 said:

Unfortunately there will always be such clients, and you'll find those in real life as well, not just online. Maintain a high level of professionalism, assist them the best way they can, but you also want to be clear from the start about what you provide in your offer. That way, if there are issues, Fiverr sees that you delivered what was promised. 

Thank you. Makes me feel so much better, really lol. I think I am bit of a perfectionist and yes you are right! 

[dutchbydesign]

18 minutes ago, filipdevaere said:

You pay $39 to use Request to Order, but this saves you from many problems. 

I have used this and found a huge drop in orders per month.  But for some gigs yes very necessary. 

Edited May 9 by dutchbydesign

[dponzio]

As someone else suggested already, raising the prices -which in most cases means reaching a fair, credible, market pricing - helps a lot as if they do not take time to read your words, they will reflect before emptying their wallet. 😉 It happened to me once and, since I raised my prices, it has not yet occurred again. 

Edited May 9 by dponzio

[soufianejanna]

On 5/9/2024 at 12:10 PM, dponzio said:

 It happened to me once and, since I raised my prices, it has not yet occurred again. 

So the high price filter those who are not serious, and let them think twice before placing an order.

[mateusbl]

On 5/9/2024 at 5:03 AM, dutchbydesign said:

people are increasingly neglecting to read the details of what they're purchasing

@dutchbydesign I don't know all flows that customers can go to reach you, but I know that some of them can contact you without need visualize your gig. Other ones don't care, they will simply message you expecting you offer what they want; While some of them do not have any idead of how your services works, they just need it done.

Today a buyer messaged me and I sent the offer, and after he visualize the offer, the buyer said he uses another system... and I replied: "I thought you read my gig". So I shared a detailed information of the process, how to proceed and what will be the next steps to him acquire he goals. He end up ordering my services after I clarify all process, so is up at you: Just move on or instruct the buyer, maybe you can come to a deal with them and get a new order.

My advices could be:

- On Auto Reply or first message, make a question for the buyer. Through their answer you will be able to know if they have knowledge about your services or if they didn't read the gig.

- When you send an offer, in your messages you can send a quick response again reforcing what you do and what files they will receive (editable files...)