First time buyer. Seller cancelled. What did I do wrong? (very long post...sorry)

[garebehr]

I ordered a gig for 5 variations of a logo design. Prior to ordering, I messaged the seller and told her (I’m assuming based on the name and photo) that I was a first time buyer and was unsure of the process and asked her what I would receive for my five bucks. I explained in my initial message what my business is, the services we offer and the target market. I told her I was struggling with how to combine two different elements of the business and hoped that as a graphic designer, she could design something that would be appropriate. I also asked her a technical question regarding a PNG file. The response I got back from her "yes you are right PNG transparent file has no background so you can use it anywhere ,let me know your budget , attach any example of logos that you like related to your work and what you would like in your logo design ?“



I was a little confused as to letting her know my budget as this is fiverr and looking at her gigs, she offered the basic, 5 logo variations, and then extra gigs for additional work. She also stated in her profile that her designs were original and not copied and/or modified from other sources. I ordered the gig and bought an extra gig for “make sure that quality will prevail and use some cool fonts” (her words). I figured if I didn’t like what she came up with I was only out 10 bucks. I messaged her with the order that I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted the logo to look like, but again restated what the business was. I was leaving creative design to her. I did say that I was looking for something that would combine two distinct services we offer but wasn’t sure how to do that myself.



Upon receipt of the order, she sent me a message with a questionnaire to fill out and stated to fill it out EXACTLY as she had written it, which I did. One of the questions was regarding text above icon or text plus icon. I stated in the questionnaire that I wasn’t sure that I wanted an icon, but if she could come up with something that would fit, I’d be interested in using it. She also asked about color. As I’m not a graphic designer, I left color choice up to her. I truly didn’t have a preference.



On delivery date, I received 5 “icons” with a message from her telling me to review them and let her know which one I wanted to use, and she would add the name. I didn’t like any of them. I responded immediately with the following message



” Thank you for trying to incorporate the music with the photography aspect. I appreciate the effort. However, as I wasn’t sure up front if I even wanted an icon, I’ve decided to simply use a text only logo. If you can complete that as I described in the first message, I’d be most grateful.The feeling I’m trying to convey to customers is elegant, yet modern. Classy, yet fun."



The order was then marked as complete. A couple of days later, as I had not received a response to my latest message, I sent the following



"I have not yet heard from you as to when I will have my logo. You sent me “Icons”, not a logo as requested and paid for. In your message with delivery of “Icons”, you stated I should pick which one I wanted and you would add the wording. I stated in my reply that I did not want an icon and to just complete the logo. I see that the order is now marked as complete. Please create a “logo”, with the wording and the tag line I described in my request, as per YOUR instructions and complete this order. "



She responded with “You can show me what you like”.



I then sent this: "Let’s try this one more time…



I want a TEXT ONLY logo with the name of my business. I want a tag line that reads “XXX”. I want you to design it with a balance of elegance and modern styles in mind, if possible. If this is not possible, an elegant design would be better. I do NOT want an icon. I am allowing you to choose a color scheme that you feel would be appropriate for the design I’ve requested as you are the graphic designer and are supposed to have experience with logo design. I thought I was pretty clear in both my initial request when I ordered the gig as well as in the follow up when you sent samples of icons."



She responded by asking what kind of font I wanted and confirming that I didn’t want any graphic elements. My response:



"I did not like any of the graphics you sent me. If that’s what you’ve got, then no, I do not want any graphic elements. As for what font, I thought that’s what I was paying you to design. You’re a graphic designer (or at least that’s what you advertise yourself to be, I’m having my doubts).



Even though I don’t know exactly what I want it to look like (if I did, I’d design the thing myself), I told you what the business is - XXX. I told you what it should say - XXX. I gave you a tag line “XXX”. I told you I wanted something that combined Elegance (weddings) with corporate events (modern) if possible. I told you that if that’s not possible, to sway more toward the elegant side. So I guess that would mean a more cursive type of font.



If I knew this was going to be this difficult, I would not have purchased your gig. Please hold up your end of this agreement and deliver what was promised."



On April 5th she cancelled the order stating “The buyer did not gave me proper instructions”.



Did I screw up somewhere? If I knew what I wanted my logo to look like, I wouldn’t need to hire a graphic designer. I’d have done it myself. I hope this is not a case of what do you expect for 10 bucks.

[Guest aywebservices]

Hi there



No you didn’t. You told the seller that you need a text logo. So it’s on the graphic designer to prepare the concepts and show them to the seller for a review.

I have mentioned that on my gigs that I will prepare 4-5 concepts of your logo, you can choose the one you like. If you want more customization i would be glad to do it for you for free. I have also mentioned that I am providing money back guarantee, so for instance if the buyer didn’t like the four concepts i have provided I can provide him a refund if he wants. Usually it doesn’t happen but if it happens I am a designer & I am sure i will be able to provide him/her with other concepts.



If you are looking for a logo of your choice with unlimited revisions & a source file just $5, you can have a look at my gig & order. Your satisfaction is guarateed.

Fiverr is the world's largest freelance services marketplace for lean entrepreneurs to focus on growth & create a successful business at affordable costs

[garebehr]

This was a top rated seller might I add.

[Guest aywebservices]

Top Rated seller doesn’t mean that there is no one else who can compete with them. They surely have skills & they must have done hard work to acheive that level but sometimes it happens that top rated sellers have a lot of orders in queue & they don’t want to stuck at a particular one or spend too much time on one order. That may be a reason.

[fonthaunt]

I will give you some honest feedback as a seller (first) and a buyer (second) since I have sold more than bought but I have spent nearly $100 on gigs myself. Now - SUPER long post in response! (This is long enough that I wrote it really for @garebehr and if you aren’t in the mood for a novella - skip it!) 🙂



What you did right:



Trying to be clear, letting her know you were new, asking what you get for $5, selecting what seemed like a good extra, replying professionally in the early stages.



The biggest thing you also did right was to just accept the cancellation since it was just not a good buyer/seller match and that does happen.

What you did “wrong”:



“Wrong” isn’t quite the right word here but I’ll clarify. It is clear from your copy/paste that you did get understandably frustrated with the seller and you conveyed that to her in your writing. The only reason I picked that as a “wrong” is that in that circumstance, almost any seller who isn’t just pulling a scam would cancel at that point. They think they might not be able to make you happy and they might end up with a bad rating/review which can hurt sellers here quite a bit.



It is great that she actually offered to cancel because you get a Fiverr credit to get what you really want and she doesn’t get her sales damaged.



Top Rated Sellers usually get there because they do have some skills (some a lot, some a little) and they have either good Customer Service, use cancels to avoid problem transactions, or both. That doesn’t mean every TRS is a match for every buyer.



As a buyer newbie, overall you did just fine! It would be tough for you to get a decent logo even with only text for a Fiverr price. $10 is a nice price for just something to use until you have a better idea of what you need. You should have received your $10 back (without processing fee) and now you can spend up to $10 (not more) on another logo gig. The processing fee is already done so as long as you don’t spend more than $10 you are in good shape.



From what I can see, your 2 biggest complications are that you wanted a seller who could communicate very well and you wanted someone to do some of the thinking for you. Yes, a designer should be able to choose nice colors and nice fonts, especially when the extra specifies fonts. A non-Fiverr designer, though, might involve you in multiple online conferences or back-n-forths to try out colors and fonts and get live feedback. Fiverr doesn’t have an easy way to do that and a designer like that would run you over $100.



Try again! Find a seller who not only advertises they speak one of the languages you do, but who you can message and get responses that show they are fluent in a language that you speak. (This doesn’t always matter with graphic design, but in your case, it does.) Pick a few sellers that match that criteria, message them, let them know that you are certain about X,Y, and Z but not so sure on color and font. Ask them if they are comfortable doing a little guesswork and running ideas by you.



Pick someone who has a longer delivery time (don’t choose a 24-48 hour gig) because otherwise they won’t have time to have that back-n-forth without running late. If you are willing to go out of your way a little to find the right match, maybe even 2 matches and spending your $10 credit plus another $5-10 on a separate person to give you some comparisons, you could end up with a beautiful logo for $10-20, leave your sellers great reviews for their efforts, and go away another happy Fiverr buyer. If you instead demand 10 days of conversation in 24 hours or $300 worth of work for $10 - this is not a good deal for you and maybe use your credit to buy a Fiverr “silly” gig as a gift or a post for your blog or a psychic reading just for the heck of it!

[sincere18]

I think there were a few problems with the way you ordered and your instructions…



you went into this saying things like:



"…I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted the logo to look like, but again restated what the business was. I was leaving creative design to her. I did say that I was looking for something that would combine two distinct services we offer but wasn’t sure how to do that myself."



Then you also said…

"One of the questions was regarding text above icon or text plus icon. I stated in the questionnaire that I wasn’t sure that I wanted an icon, but if she could come up with something that would fit, I’d be interested in using it. She also asked about color. As I’m not a graphic designer, I left color choice up to her. I truly didn’t have a preference."



No where in these original instructions does it look like you said I WANT A TEXT ONLY LOGO. Buying graphic design work is a challenge for many people. I think what happened is you didn’t know what you wanted, you said you would be open to icons if she came up with something that worked to combine the businesses, then she gave you icon logos and you decided you didn’t like any of them, and now realize as the process goes forward that a text only logo is DEFINITELY what you want and you can now be very clear about.



Let me ask you this…when she asked for samples 5 logos that you liked, did you send the seller anything?



I think it’s better for you that the seller cancelled the job and you can go find another logo designer. This time you should show them at least 5 website pages with logos on it that you like, and also show them 5 that you hate. But it sounds like now you are more clear and know what you want. Sometimes you have to pay for that. I think this is just a learning experience about buying creative and design work.



Also, you need to ask with any gig you buy how many revises are included. If someone says they will design 5 logos for you, ask about revises. Does it mean that out of the 5 you can pick one and make changes on it? And how many rounds of changes.

[gailbunning]

I agree with the above, why keep working with a seller who isn’t fitting your needs anyway… It’s better to wash your hands of it and move on!



Hopefully you’ll have a better experience the next time.