Inappropriate Use of Modification Requests

[markrharris]

Hello! I am relatively new here. I started with Fiverr in April. Generally, my experiences have been quite good.



Right now, I am having a difficult situation with a Buyer. I delivered the $10.00 writing order on Monday, July 20, at 14:34. Therefore the Buyer has until Thursday, July 23, at 14:34 to review the order. Today is Wednesday, so we are one day and several hours away.



I got a “Modification Request” on the order this morning, so naturally I looked to see what the requested modifications were. There were none. The Buyer sent a message saying that she would review the order and get back to me by Friday. Therefore, I believe she was using the “Modification Request” feature to buy time.



Unfortunately, I see on the Order Page that once the modifications have been requested, a 6-hour clock is running. I do not want to get dinged for late delivery. In my first month at Fiverr, when I was still learning how to use the system (and dealing with Buyers who were new to it as well), I had a couple of flubs around the delivery time issue, so I am sensitive to this.



I tried re-delivering the original piece so as to re-set the clock, but that didn’t work. So I put in a Mutual Cancellation request, AND a ticket to Customer Support. I explained to the Buyer as politely as I could that the “Modification Request” feature is for actually requesting modifications, NOT for buying time to review the work. She apparently hasn’t so much as looked at the piece yet.



Any thoughts?

[misscrystal]

Hi Mark!
I don’t understand what you mean by this “I tried re-delivering the original piece so as to re-set the clock, but that didn’t work.” It would show that you did respond to the modification request. After that I would have relaxed, as you resent the work to her.
There would be nothing more after that you could do.

After that all she could do would be to keep putting in modification requests and as long as you responded to them promptly you would be delivering your end of the bargain.

I think the cancellation request at this stage was a needless panic reaction which would allow her to get free work, something to be avoided at all costs.

[escape]

I think i know what marhrharris ment. I am in the same situation with late delivery cause i deliver always 1 day before and got modifications. Then the display saying I am to late with delivery… Thats realy bad…when sellers deliver in time but get modifications. Sometimes i can´t deliver any modification in a hour! Then we have also many times an diiferent time zone. I think markrharris got an modification for the buyer will “buy more time”! And this makes him to an late deliver seller, like me but i had realy modifications to deliver. This should Fiveer change, when we ounce deliver in time or the buyer buy more time the clock should not running! it doesnt matter if we have to do an modification or not, ounce delivered is delivered in time.

[markrharris]

Hi misscrystal,

When I re-submitted the original work, the Buyer (or the system) bounced back at me with another Modification Request, therefore I was in the same situation as before. My Mutual Cancellation Request may well have been premature. I am still learning how to use the system to best effect.

Hi silberma1976,

It is certainly possible that running late on a Modification Request does not mean much, but the 6-hour clock running down looks scary!

[franklopez511]

this website has ALOT to fix before they can do what they are trying to do, i have noticed several bugs in the system that has gone unnoticed and this are good reasons why you might not get the exposure you need for your business

[markrharris]

The Buyer agreed to the Mutual Cancellation Request, and good riddance to her, too. If a Buyer canot review and approve a measly 500-word blog post within the 3-day review period, I don’t want to work with her.

[thecreativeguys]

Reply to @markrharris: I am not sure why it just bounced back on you, that is not normal.

Also, don’t let these type of buyers get off the hook with free things just because they “need to review it”

Keep playing your part, keep delivering and I will tell you that at one point you’ll see the order marked.

[markrharris]

Reply to @thecreativeguys: I think it bounced back as another “Modification Request” because the Buyer deliberately hit that button again. That is the only explanation. And since I had already explained to her that I was re-submitting the original assignment in order to re-set the clock so that I didn’t get dinged for late delivery, I have to suspect that she was toying with me. I have read elsewhere in this Forum about Buyers who overuse the “Modification Request” feature on purpose so as to wear Sellers to a frazzle and get them to request a Mutual Cancellation, at which point, as misscrystal warned me, they have the work for free. Is that what happened here? Well, it could be.

I don’t mind so much, though. It’s a learning experience.

[Guest article_profits]

This doesn’t sound like much. It doesn’t speak well of your professionalism…you could have been a litl more patient with her…

[julipalmer7]

I think in the future @markrharris before you deliver the work add a watermark, I think a user suggested it here so that the buyer knows that its just a pre delivery of the work and if the buyer is satisfied you can deliver without the watermark.

[bisouschouchou]

This sounds VERY familiar, as I just experienced seller using the delivery feature, WITHOUT sending the product, one day AFTER due date, requesting I use the modification feature and give him two hours to do and send the design. But instead took another 13 hours to submit anything to me, and it was not what I asked for in our very detailed conversation prior to order. He was soon busy and not available to respond to a message (after his extention) I sent asking if he had intention on delivering. I asked for a revision (a first for me here) one it was sent (again with details and attached pic references). Sent something I didn’t ask for. I lost my patience at that point because it felt disrespectful. I left a short, but concise one star feedback. He was very much available to respond asking that I please remove the negative ding. He then tried cancelling, but I declined.

I’m curious. When you say you had a couple timing flubs, what are you saying?

[bisouschouchou]

Btw, I didn’t realize I could possibly get a refund. I had chocked it up as a loss…no product (I didn’t get a file) and no refund.

[bisouschouchou]

Reply to @franklopez511: I also think they should allow feedback and a money back option.
I got nothing but the run around with an order that was due on the 18th, and seller was up to yesterday giving loads of excuses as to why he was late…without communicating that he would be prior to due date expiry.

[markrharris]

Re the question about the timing flubs: A Buyer ordered five substantial articles that needed to be prepared in a particular order, but he ordered them all at once. My bad, I should have realized that would be a problem, and should have requested that the five orders be staggered, or suggested that I make a new Custom Offer after each article was completed in turn. Nowadays, that is what I would do. As it was, I could not finish all five articles within the single delivery period.

Re professionalism: Well, I did what I felt I had to do. I think it is best not to defend my professionalism beyond that, but let my work and rating speak for themselves. I might perhaps have been more patient, and will consider that next time. Temperamentally, though, I have always been one to bail at the first sign of red flags, and I honestly think that inclination has served me well over the years.

[markrharris]

I think the core issue for me is: Is it proper for a Buyer to use the "Modification Request: feature - in this case, twice - without in fact requesting any modifications? At the very least, you could say that using a feature for a different purpose than it was intended for creates confusions.

I had a Buyer a month ago who put in an order without giving any instructions or specifications. I requested clarification twice, received none, and after three days put in the Mutual Cancellation Request. As best as I can tell, having to cancel an empty order like that hurts me in the Fiverr algorithm, but has no effect whatsoever on the Buyer.

I think that because this is a “bargain” website and the name Fiverr reinforces that perception, there will always be a small subset of Buyers who play around, have their fun, maybe try to game the system. I want to be sensitive to the red flags - not hyper-sensitive, but sensitive.

[markrharris]

Reply to @toutou123: Oh, I do get that, and I’m not inflexible. I’ve had those little situations come up too, and usually it’s no big deal. But there are Buyers out there who would like to get something for nothing, and they use little tricks, one of which I may have fallen victim to today. I’ll learn from it.