Difficult client- I had a bad experience with a buyer and she wants to continue working with me

[kimii_]

Hi, I decided to share a recent experience.

A client contacted me, and from the beginning, I had a strange feeling; I knew something was wrong, but I decided to ignore it since I was sick and had to be away from Fiverr for the last few months. This affected my sales, and when I returned, I was desperate for new orders.

She started the conversation on one account and continued on another, which I found strange. Her rating is 4.7 and 4.8, but she doesn't have any negative comments.

She complained about the prices and the deadline but still ordered a book cover as a test. As soon as she accepted the offer, the problems started. She asked for the character in a way and then asked me to change it completely. She wanted to add a spine to the cover but didn't know the measurement. I explained that I needed more information about this, and she didn't know how to tell me, and even so, she kept insisting on it. It took her days to respond to me, even though she had asked for a shorter deadline. She approved the sketch, but I had to ask for an extension because I couldn't meet the deadline.

After submitting the order, she asked me for three more revisions in total, with a list of demands and changes to different things each time, from changes that could have been made since I first sent the sketch to the font I used. I had to send her several new options to choose from because she didn't like them, and in the end, she said that the first one I had chosen would be ideal. This went on for another 11 days, and I even thought about canceling the order because I was exhausted, but I thought it was unfair since I had spent a lot of time on it. She reviewed me, but I don't know what she said since I haven't left my rating yet. For the first time, I intend to leave a negative comment to a buyer, I want to warn other sellers.

After that, she sent me a message asking for new illustrations. I told her we shouldn't continue with the project, and I explained my reasons. I thought it was over because I had seen her online several times and hadn't received any messages, which brought me relief. After two days, she came back, apologized, and said that she had no idea that it had been such a dramatic experience working with her and that she had done that number of revisions because she was undecided and wanted to test other options for the drawing. She said that she was willing to extend the deadline and pay me $5 more for each illustration.

I haven't replied yet because fortunately, I received other orders and didn't have time. I don't intend to continue working with her; it was very confusing, and if I had problems with just one cover, imagine the chaos with 21 illustrations. 

 

Now I'm thinking about changing the number of revisions I offer. I've never had problems with that before, but now I want to be prepared for future events. I'm also going to pay more attention to my intuition. The only times I've had problems here were when I ignored it.

Have you ever had similar experiences with clients? Did you give a low rating?

Have you ever had that feeling that you shouldn't work with someone, even without a reason at the beginning?

[lenasemenkova]

19 hours ago, kimii_ said:

and from the beginning, I had a strange feeling; I knew something was wrong

19 hours ago, kimii_ said:

She complained about the prices and the deadline

19 hours ago, kimii_ said:

She started the conversation on one account and continued on another

Oooohhh.

To answer your question, if I’m having an experience that is 1*- or 2*-worthy, I cancel. Now, Fiverr has kindly introduced an option to review canceled orders which makes things a bit more spicy these days but what can you do? You just waste the energy you could use working with reasonable people. 

I left a 3* a few times. But I was seriously at the end of my rope by that point. 

I mostly leave 4*s. It’s a bit of a secret code for other sellers. Not exactly for ‘run, save yourself’, more for ‘be careful’, things have a potential to get weird’. I got contacted by a few sellers to ask me what went wrong with this buyer or that buyer after they saw my 4* so the code is definitely working. 

A 3* or a 4* coupled with some sanitized language like ‘this project was a challenge’ usually gets the point across well.

You should absolutely block her. Before you do, just list the scope of work you agreed to do initially versus what you ended up doing, inform her that all the files can be accessed through the order page and just in case send them via the inbox as well. Then tell her you wish her luck but based on the experience, you did all the work you were commissioned to do (and more) and are not comfortable working with her further. Don’t wait for the response, just block. 

If she tries something funny like contacting CS, they will review your communication, and see that you 1) over-delivered, 2) informed her that you will not work with her again, and 3) made sure she had access to all the files. Then they will wish her luck in her future endeavors. If she goes for a chargeback or a cancelation, you can contact CS, explain the situation, and most likely, Fiverr will compensate you for your work. 

As for her review, you can finish your other orders to get some extra reviews before responding to this one if you’re worried. But it can be 5* for all you know. 

 

PS If the buyer is not satisfied with the price AND the delivery time, it's a 'no' right away. They are coming in with a mindset that you're trying to rob them, essentially, with your low-effort cr*p that surely takes you minutes to do, and even if you do a stellar job that blows them away, they can leave a lower review than you deserve just because of that initial disagreement with your gig terms. 

Fiverr is a bad place for desperation. Try to keep your head cool. 

[chuoichien1102]

23 hours ago, kimii_ said:

Hi, I decided to share a recent experience.

A client contacted me, and from the beginning, I had a strange feeling; I knew something was wrong, but I decided to ignore it since I was sick and had to be away from Fiverr for the last few months. This affected my sales, and when I returned, I was desperate for new orders.

She started the conversation on one account and continued on another, which I found strange. Her rating is 4.7 and 4.8, but she doesn't have any negative comments.

She complained about the prices and the deadline but still ordered a book cover as a test. As soon as she accepted the offer, the problems started. She asked for the character in a way and then asked me to change it completely. She wanted to add a spine to the cover but didn't know the measurement. I explained that I needed more information about this, and she didn't know how to tell me, and even so, she kept insisting on it. It took her days to respond to me, even though she had asked for a shorter deadline. She approved the sketch, but I had to ask for an extension because I couldn't meet the deadline.

After submitting the order, she asked me for three more revisions in total, with a list of demands and changes to different things each time, from changes that could have been made since I first sent the sketch to the font I used. I had to send her several new options to choose from because she didn't like them, and in the end, she said that the first one I had chosen would be ideal. This went on for another 11 days, and I even thought about canceling the order because I was exhausted, but I thought it was unfair since I had spent a lot of time on it. She reviewed me, but I don't know what she said since I haven't left my rating yet. For the first time, I intend to leave a negative comment to a buyer, I want to warn other sellers.

After that, she sent me a message asking for new illustrations. I told her we shouldn't continue with the project, and I explained my reasons. I thought it was over because I had seen her online several times and hadn't received any messages, which brought me relief. After two days, she came back, apologized, and said that she had no idea that it had been such a dramatic experience working with her and that she had done that number of revisions because she was undecided and wanted to test other options for the drawing. She said that she was willing to extend the deadline and pay me $5 more for each illustration.

I haven't replied yet because fortunately, I received other orders and didn't have time. I don't intend to continue working with her; it was very confusing, and if I had problems with just one cover, imagine the chaos with 21 illustrations. 

 

Now I'm thinking about changing the number of revisions I offer. I've never had problems with that before, but now I want to be prepared for future events. I'm also going to pay more attention to my intuition. The only times I've had problems here were when I ignored it.

Have you ever had similar experiences with clients? Did you give a low rating?

Have you ever had that feeling that you shouldn't work with someone, even without a reason at the beginning?

 

I also had a bad experience before. In 2021, a female customer contacted me. She created an order for $10 without inboxing me first. After that, I said that the price she offered was too low compared to the requirements and I did not want to accept that job. She threatened me that she would leave a bad review and destroy my profile (at that time I was a level 1 seller, I did not have much experience on Fiverr so I did not know how to handle that situation). Finally, I was afraid that it would affect my profile so I tried to complete the order. I worked for 3 consecutive days to complete the order. After that, I wanted her to create another order to pay me more for my efforts. But she refused and asked me to deliver. After I delivered, about half a day later she told me that I had delivered late to her deadline with the company (although I delivered on time on the order) and she asked to cancel the order.

[kimii_]

On 10/19/2024 at 8:22 AM, lenasemenkova said:

Oooohhh.

To answer your question, if I’m having an experience that is 1*- or 2*-worthy, I cancel. Now, Fiverr has kindly introduced an option to review canceled orders which makes things a bit more spicy these days but what can you do? You just waste the energy you could use working with reasonable people. 

I left a 3* a few times. But I was seriously at the end of my rope by that point. 

I mostly leave 4*s. It’s a bit of a secret code for other sellers. Not exactly for ‘run, save yourself’, more for ‘be careful’, things have a potential to get weird’. I got contacted by a few sellers to ask me what went wrong with this buyer or that buyer after they saw my 4* so the code is definitely working. 

A 3* or a 4* coupled with some sanitized language like ‘this project was a challenge’ usually gets the point across well.

You should absolutely block her. Before you do, just list the scope of work you agreed to do initially versus what you ended up doing, inform her that all the files can be accessed through the order page and just in case send them via the inbox as well. Then tell her you wish her luck but based on the experience, you did all the work you were commissioned to do (and more) and are not comfortable working with her further. Don’t wait for the response, just block. 

If she tries something funny like contacting CS, they will review your communication, and see that you 1) over-delivered, 2) informed her that you will not work with her again, and 3) made sure she had access to all the files. Then they will wish her luck in her future endeavors. If she goes for a chargeback or a cancelation, you can contact CS, explain the situation, and most likely, Fiverr will compensate you for your work. 

As for her review, you can finish your other orders to get some extra reviews before responding to this one if you’re worried. But it can be 5* for all you know. 

 

PS If the buyer is not satisfied with the price AND the delivery time, it's a 'no' right away. They are coming in with a mindset that you're trying to rob them, essentially, with your low-effort cr*p that surely takes you minutes to do, and even if you do a stellar job that blows them away, they can leave a lower review than you deserve just because of that initial disagreement with your gig terms. 

Fiverr is a bad place for desperation. Try to keep your head cool. 

I did exactly what you told me. I rated her a 4 since she was polite, but I feel like I should warn other sellers. She gave me a 5.

I will be more careful with customers like this in the future. Thank you for your help!

[ingarep_visual]

Wow, sounds like quite an ordeal! I've definitely had clients who seemed like red flags from the start, and I've learned that trusting my intuition is crucial. Communication and setting clear boundaries from the beginning can help prevent these situations. It's great that you've taken lessons from this experience, like potentially adjusting the number of revisions you offer. Your idea to leave a review to warn other sellers is valid, but it's also good to balance honesty with professionalism. I'm glad you've got other orders keeping you busy! Hang in there, and here's to smoother projects ahead! 💪✨

And yes, sometimes you just know when a client's going to be trouble, even without any solid reason at the start. Always trust your gut! Have you thought about how you might screen clients better in the future?

[dereck_s]

On 10/18/2024 at 11:30 AM, kimii_ said:

Hi, I decided to share a recent experience.

A client contacted me, and from the beginning, I had a strange feeling; I knew something was wrong, but I decided to ignore it since I was sick and had to be away from Fiverr for the last few months. This affected my sales, and when I returned, I was desperate for new orders.

She started the conversation on one account and continued on another, which I found strange. Her rating is 4.7 and 4.8, but she doesn't have any negative comments.

She complained about the prices and the deadline but still ordered a book cover as a test. As soon as she accepted the offer, the problems started. She asked for the character in a way and then asked me to change it completely. She wanted to add a spine to the cover but didn't know the measurement. I explained that I needed more information about this, and she didn't know how to tell me, and even so, she kept insisting on it. It took her days to respond to me, even though she had asked for a shorter deadline. She approved the sketch, but I had to ask for an extension because I couldn't meet the deadline.

After submitting the order, she asked me for three more revisions in total, with a list of demands and changes to different things each time, from changes that could have been made since I first sent the sketch to the font I used. I had to send her several new options to choose from because she didn't like them, and in the end, she said that the first one I had chosen would be ideal. This went on for another 11 days, and I even thought about canceling the order because I was exhausted, but I thought it was unfair since I had spent a lot of time on it. She reviewed me, but I don't know what she said since I haven't left my rating yet. For the first time, I intend to leave a negative comment to a buyer, I want to warn other sellers.

After that, she sent me a message asking for new illustrations. I told her we shouldn't continue with the project, and I explained my reasons. I thought it was over because I had seen her online several times and hadn't received any messages, which brought me relief. After two days, she came back, apologized, and said that she had no idea that it had been such a dramatic experience working with her and that she had done that number of revisions because she was undecided and wanted to test other options for the drawing. She said that she was willing to extend the deadline and pay me $5 more for each illustration.

I haven't replied yet because fortunately, I received other orders and didn't have time. I don't intend to continue working with her; it was very confusing, and if I had problems with just one cover, imagine the chaos with 21 illustrations. 

 

Now I'm thinking about changing the number of revisions I offer. I've never had problems with that before, but now I want to be prepared for future events. I'm also going to pay more attention to my intuition. The only times I've had problems here were when I ignored it.

Have you ever had similar experiences with clients? Did you give a low rating?

Have you ever had that feeling that you shouldn't work with someone, even without a reason at the beginning?

I would have ran when the buyer complained about the price and deadline honestly. If a buyer wants the $5 instant turn around type of design there's sellers for that and honestly I don't want the buyers that want that type of seller.

Edited 8 hours ago by dereck_s