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Upset? Then do this

timmbbo

By timmbbo
in Tips from Buyers

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timmbbo Newbie

timmbbo

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If you’re upset about Fiverr’s new 10% processing fee, and are motivated to act, then here’s my guide. In order to get Fiverr’s attention, then you need to talk the language of business – money. Carping about how stupid/rotten/bad the fee is on this forum, while perhaps therapeutic, doesn’t apply much pressure to Fiverr to understand how bad its new processing fee is, nor much motivation to rescind it. So, here’s how to get Fiverr’s attention:


  1. Dispute with your credit card company. Companies are allowed to charge surcharges on credit card transactions, in limited circumstances. According to CardFellow,



    1A) Merchants are allowed to charge a surcharge in most states, but not all (forbidden in CA, CO, CT, FL, KS, ME, MA, NY, OK, TX). If you’re in one of these states, then go back to your credit card merchant and dispute the fee.



    1B) Merchants are not lowed to charge a checkout fee higher than 4% of the transaction. Since Fiverr is charging 10%, they are not compliant with their merchant agreement. Go back to your credit card merchant and dispute the fee.
  2. Dispute with Paypal. If you pay with gigs through Paypal, then write to Paypal’s fraud department that one of their merchants, Fiverr, is breaking Paypal’s terms of service. Specifically, section 4.5 of the user agreement states, “You may charge a handling fee in connection with the sale of goods or services, as long as the handling fee does not operate as a surcharge” When Fiverr charges the 50 cents, it’s blatently labelled as a surcharge!
  3. Vote with your wallet. I mention this with caution, because 99% of sellers are great people augmenting their income. However, Fiverr isn’t the only game in town. If you find another site that offers better value, then go there.
  4. Write to the CEO. The CEO of Fiverr is Micha Kaufam, email of mk@fiverr.com, further info at:



    http://blog.fiverr.com/the-vision-behind-the-new-fiverr/

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/michakaufman



    When you write to him, don’t rant and don’t make threats. Simply state how this new fee affects your business. My note will be something like, “Gigs purchased before this fee – 755. Gigs purchased after this fee – 1.”



    Do hold Fiverr accountable. Their support page at http://support.fiverr.com/hc/en-us/articles/201500776-What-is-Fiverr- states “Fiverr® is the worlds largest marketplace for services starting at $5.“ Well, this isn’t true, because gigs start at $5.50, not $5! You simply want what Fiverr has promised.



    Finally, don’t prove yourself through your words, but actions. It takes no effort to bitch-and-moan. Instead, show your commitment by what you do.



http://blog.fiverr.com/wp-content/themes/extranews/images/icons/social/e_light.png


Home | Official Fiverr Blog

http://blog.fiverr.com



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imrobertson Newbie

imrobertson

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Before taking action such as that outlined above you need to be pretty sure that you don’t want to be on fiverr any more. I don’t think they would let you keep your account if you did this more than once. Also, I believe that at $5.50 these gigs are still tremendous value!

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timmbbo Newbie

timmbbo

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> Before taking action such as that outlined above you need to be pretty sure that

> you don’t want to be on fiverr any more. I don’t think they would let you keep

> your account if you did this more than once



Thanks. To be clear, you should be disputing the 50 cent surcharge, not the entire $5.50 charge. After all, $5 is what Fiverr promises, and the 50 cent surcharge is out-of-bounds with their merchant agreements.



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timmbbo Newbie

timmbbo

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Reply to @kjblynx: Technically, if Fiverr gets a dispute in any format (even if it us just for the transaction fee) they can ban your Fiverr account.



Thanks for sharing this - what is your reference? Looking through Fiverr’s TOS (https://www.fiverr.com/terms_of_service) I can find no basis by which Fiverr could ban a Fiverr account from a payment dispute. In Fiverr’s TOS, I do see:



> Filing a transaction dispute or reversing a payment through your payment provider

> or your bank is a violation to these Terms of Service. Doing so may get your account

> temporarily disabled to investigate possible security violations.



So, they can temporarily disable your account, which can certainly be irritating, but I see no basis on which Fiverr would permanently ban an account.






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  • 2 weeks later...
thepromogirl Rookie

thepromogirl

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timmbbo said: but I see no basis on which Fiverr would permanently ban an account.

 

You might want to read the entire Terms of Service you agreed to them, because Fiverr repeatedly mentions banning a user account should they violate their terms. Filing a dispute charge with your credit card, Paypal, or other when the you agreed to Fiverr's Terms of Service

 

"Filing a transaction dispute or reversing a payment through your payment provider or your bank is a violation to these Terms of Service. Doing so may get your account temporarily disabled to investigate possible security violations."

 

If you read then you'd know that, "By using the Site, opening an account or by clicking to accept or agree to the Terms of Service when this option is made available to you, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy, found here, incorporated herein by reference. If you do not want to agree to these Terms of Service or the Privacy Policy, you must not access or use the Site."

 

and it clearly states "Fiverr reserves the right to put any account on hold or permanently disable accounts due to breach of these terms of service or due to any illegal or inappropriate use of the Site or services. Violation of Fiverr's Terms of Service may get your account disabled permanently."

 

I would be extremely mindful before filing disputes through PayPal in regards to Fiverrs processing fees. You agreed to these processing fees per the Terms of Service: "Processing fees are added at the time of purchase where a buyer can review and accept the total amount requested to pay. These fees cover payment processing and administrative fees."

 

It's pretty cut and dry if you ask me.

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