Refunds From Fiverr

[j9pestel]

I am a buyer and tried several times to use some services on fiverr. The first time, the seller ignored me after I sent my order and it was never completed, so I requested cancellation a few days after the job was supposed to be completed. The second time, the seller I was in contact with had to cancel the order due to a family emergency. Again I received a refund. These were two different jobs that I needed done, by the way.

I am trying to get in touch with fiverr customer service - which does not seem to exist - to find out how to get the money put back into my bank account instead of my “fiverr account” because at this point, I’m not very enthusiastic about using fiverr again.I just want my money back and we can call it even.

Has anyone else had this issue with not getting any response from “customer service”? Please let me know.

Something is not feeling right here.

[myskillsforsale]

I’m sorry you’ve had such a bad experience with your Fiverr sales. Getting accustomed to the Fiverr platform can take some time and I sincerely hope you stick around a little longer and try out more responsible sellers (Level 2, or Top Rated Sellers) so you can see how amazing Fiverr can be.

That being said, if you want to return your money to your account, you do have to submit a ticket to Fiverr Customer Support. It does exist, but they are only human and there have been a lot of bugs lately which have increased the usual wait time as both buyers and sellers are submitting tickets with a variety of issues.

I think you can get your money back in your account, but it may take a fairly long time. Fiverr is not partial to chargebacks and I believe there is a limited number of times you may withdraw to your account (though that may not matter to you, if you intend to not use the platform every again).

So if you submitted a ticket over a week ago and haven’t heard back, submit another one. Explain your situation briefly and politely and then wait for the best. Badgering, multiple tickets, or inappropriate behavior will certainly not help you get your money returned to your bank account!

In the mean time, you could shop around for a better seller and see what Fiverr really has to offer.

[j9pestel]

Hi There Myskillsforsale; Thank you for your reply and for trying to give fiverr a better “face” to the public. However, it has now been about a week since my first email to their “Customer Service” and still no answer - they didn’t even acknowledge that I sent them an email. Any company that I have dealt with that is truly reputable at least has an email that they send back to you to let you know they have received your email…

I do not believe they have a “customer service” department. I will not be taking your advice to find a “better seller” on fiverr because from I have seen all I am doing is sending whoever runs this “service” my money and there is noting more to it.

I am going to be making sure I tell as many people as possible to avoid fiverr, and since I am getting the feeling there is fraud involved here, I am going to send a complaint to the AZ Attorney General on Monday.

I don’t know if you are really a “seller” here or one of the “staff” but consider this the warning to fiverr of legal action due to suspected fraudulant activity.

[taverr]

Hi, A lot of buyers use Fiverr daily and they are truly satisfied. But in some cases this might go wrong. There are a lot of other sellers you can give a try for your services. 😃

[Anna]

Customer support does exist I can assure you that. They reply to every ticket they receive but sometimes it can take a couple of days.
Did you check your spam folder? Maybe you have missed the email somehow?
Also, when you create a ticket with CS you receive an email with a confirmation link. You need to click on that link to activate the ticket. If you failed to do so it won’t get through. Maybe that’s the problem?

I hope this helps you understand the process.

Just for your information. When you signed up with Fiverr you acknowledged Fiverr’s Terms of Service. All refunds turn into Fiverr credit which will have to be spend on fiverr.

[j9pestel]

Thank you, but my issue is no longer with the “sellers” it is with fiverr itself and their lack of customer service.

[j9pestel]

So far I have sent them two (2) emails. I did check my spam folders as well as my inbox. I never received anything from their supposed customer service.

As for their terms of service, that would be fine if I intended to use Fiverr again. At this point that is not a very likely probability, therefore, by law I believe they would not have the right to just keep someone’s money. Especially when no services other than emails to and from the seller were received.

I thank you for attempting to explain their system, but from my experience it does not seem their system works.

[Anna]

Give it a few days. If you don’t hear back you can always reach out via social media to inquire about your ticket number.

Best of luck with everything

[j9pestel]

Thank you. Have a wonderful evening.

[fonthaunt]

I am wondering if you actually used the Customer Support page. You are saying that you sent them email, but what you need is a single polite ticket with a ticket number. They do answer properly sent tickets that are confirmed. Just for info, none of us replying are paid staff, we are sellers/buyers/volunteers so all we can offer is a virtual cup of tea and advice.

I see you seem to have decided on legal action instead, which is fine, but a ticket would get you a lot further. If you do want to initiate action via the AZ Attorney General you may want to pass along relevant info. (I’ve found the AG offices in AZ and TX useful when applicable although this probably isn’t one of those situations.) It is legal for companies to refund as store credit and it’s in the ToS you agreed to on sign-up, but CS does make exceptions at times if they are fully aware of your issue.

Be sure to let the AG know that Fiverr HQ is in Tel Aviv. The Customer Support team members are just employees and a legal representative would have to start with the Fiverr Legal department instead of CS. Best of Luck!

[j9pestel]

Hi There;

Thank you for trying to help. I just sent them a third email. I made sure I checked where I was clicking and the link does say “Contact Customer Support”.

I know it is legal for stores to offer store credit and I wouldn’t have an issue with that except that from my experience so far, I have no intention of ever using fiverr again, and since the funds in question are for refunds from sellers that did not fulfill their tasks, then all I did was pay the money to send emails back and forth to some strangers that I thought were supposed to perform a job.

With that in mind that no jobs were performed and I will not be using fiverr again, I believe I should be able to get my money back.

But, we’ll see. I just sent them a 3rd email. I have absolutely no confidence it will be answered.

[myskillsforsale]

Wow, I’m a bit late to the reply game here, it seems.

I don’t know how you’d like me to prove that I’m a real seller or that Fiverr is legitimate and the such. I’m sure any documentation that I could provide you (my blog which links to Fiverr, my Paypal statements, my own personal records of orders and audio files/writings produced with 100% originality) would be shot down or judged to be fraudulent. Ah well, I can only provide you with information and if you choose not to use it to your advantage, I suppose that’s not really my fault.

Still, I’ll make another effort even if your mind is too made up to be changed.

Firstly, in regards to finding a better seller… Your money is already a credit on the site. You aren’t “sending whoever runs this ‘service’ [your] money” because it’s already here. So you may as well take advantage of it. Though, for the sake of my fellow sellers, perhaps that’s not the the best advice.

But, as you won’t take it, we’ll go over how to get your money back:

As fonthaunt replied earlier, Customer Support isn’t an email, it’s a ticket. It is real, as I’ve dealt with them multiple times (I can show you the emails, though I suspect you’d claim the screenshots are photoshopped or otherwise altered) and, as I said earlier, they are humans and take time to work. In any of our posts which say “Customer Support” the words “Customer Support” are blue in color; clicking them would take you to a page from which you click another button to submit a ticket. Perhaps you’ve struggled to find that button; here is the link from which you may directly submit a request, not extra buttons required: http://support.fiverr.com/hc/en-us/requests/new Remember to be polite; harassment will not get you anywhere. If you feel you cannot judge the tone of your message adequately, perhaps have someone else give it a once over to ensure there isn’t much attitude in it. Simply state that you attempted an order, it didn’t pan out, and that you’ve decided not to continue using the Fiverr platform and would like to know how to facilitate the credit withdraw into your account.

Regarding your threats of legal action:

Fiverr is not a US based company; I believe they are based in Israel (could be wrong, but it’s definitely not the US) so if you feel like talking to US officials, feel free… but recognize that you’re not going to get very far and that, honestly, “the authorities” or whomever probably don’t care, especially about a few dollars. I am assuming, of course, that you were not naive enough to spend hundreds of dollars on a site you had never used before. Then again, as you didn’t read the Terms of Services enough to understand how refunds are delivered and neglected to research the website before using it, maybe you are out more money than you’re willing to throw away. Perhaps, even, you’re out enough money that dealing with and paying for the legalities to get your refund deposited into your account is worth it.

But more likely, it would seem to me, is that it is “the principle of the thing” which is frustrating you. It appears you were unaware that refunds are in Fiverr credit which are not easily withdrawn and you feel gipped. Alas, that is not Fiverr’s fault. I am legitimately sorry you had a bad experience on Fiverr but it seems that the entirety of your poor experiences with this website (from the original seller to your refund) were due to your lack of research. Had you chosen a more competent seller or read the Terms of Service or even read reviews of Fiverr from around the web, your knowledge base would likely have provided you with enough information to make a different decision. Namely, to not use a site which processes refunds as store credit or allows anyone to sign up as a buyer or seller.

Go ahead, take this up with any legal authority that will listen. Fiverr has been around for a few years now and has completed millions of transactions. The same exact situation you are in has happened before and Fiverr is still here. Your complaint in AZ is not going to shut it down because there is no fraudulent activity. It is not fraud to return funds as store credit, which is what you blindly agreed to when you signed up. Let’s not continue the stereotype of an entitled American who can’t take personal responsibility, shall we?

Best of luck in the rest of your endeavors, Fiverr-related and not.
–MSFS