Client wants to pay half of order

[rubberpenguin]

Hey guys!
I have been working on a project with a client and have produced sketched ideas for it.

They are happy with them, but they’ve had to step away from the project now as situations have changed for them.

They want to pay me for the work I have done and so have asked to pay for half the order price, which I am happy with.

Is there a way to do this without cancelling the order and recreating the offer for them?

Ideally I wouldn’t want to cancel the order (as I had to do it with a client recently who wanted me to copy another artists work – which I strongly disagree with) and this would reflect badly on me.

Any advice would be greatly received!

Thanks so much 🙂

[priyasumit786]

These is no such way to help you in that case.

If the he order was above $100 then you have the option to choose milestone but not after the offer is accepted.

[eoinfinnegan]

Unfortunately the only way to do this is a bit irritating but I have done it and it is what CS advise.

• Have the buyer create a new order for the reduced amount (use custom offer)
• Cancel the original order
• Complete the new order
• Buyer can request the refund to go back to their payment source but need to contact CS themselves when the cancellation has been done.
  When doing this, I usually say something like:

Unfortunately the only way to do this on Fiverr is (list the above steps). You can be sure that I will cancel the order - If I didn’t, you could go to CS and they would refund you based on this conversation. I appreciate your effort in doing this and hopefully Fiverr will create an alternative method for partial refunds soon.

This will count in your cancellation stats though, there is no way around that.

[rubberpenguin]

Unfortunately the only way to do this is a bit irritating but I have done it and it is what CS advise.

• Have the buyer create a new order for the reduced amount (use custom offer)
• Cancel the original order
• Complete the new order
• Buyer can request the refund to go back to their payment source but need to contact CS themselves when the cancellation has been done.

  When doing this, I usually say something like:

Unfortunately the only way to do this on Fiverr is (list the above steps). You can be sure that I will cancel the order - If I didn’t, you could go to CS and they would refund you based on this conversation. I appreciate your effort in doing this and hopefully Fiverr will create an alternative method for partial refunds soon.

This will count in your cancellation stats though, there is no way around that.

I thought that would be the case, thanks so much for your help!

[cyaxrex]

I’m sorry but there is no reason why you should cancel this order, or offer a partial refund.

Imagine ordering take out, taking the food and saying: "That’s great, unfortunately my dinner plans have changed. In this case, I will be taking this but not eating it. How about I pay you half the price to be fair?"

This smacks of a scam. That said, if you have already agreed, you are now bound to offer something like this.

[theratypist]

I’m sorry but there is no reason why you should cancel this order, or offer a partial refund.

Imagine ordering take out, taking the food and saying: "That’s great, unfortunately my dinner plans have changed. In this case, I will be taking this but not eating it. How about I pay you half the price to be fair?"

This smacks of a scam. That said, if you have already agreed, you are now bound to offer something like this.

I’ve always enjoyed your insights on anything problematic regarding buyers, Andy. Haha. Hope you are doing better!

[eoinfinnegan]

I’m sorry but there is no reason why you should cancel this order, or offer a partial refund.

Imagine ordering take out, taking the food and saying: "That’s great, unfortunately my dinner plans have changed. In this case, I will be taking this but not eating it. How about I pay you half the price to be fair?"

This smacks of a scam. That said, if you have already agreed, you are now bound to offer something like this.

This smacks of a scam. That said, if you have already agreed, you are now bound to offer something like this.

Nah, it sounds like a compromise where there was a change of plans -

I have been working on a project with a client and have produced sketched ideas for it.

This is a part of the project that has been completed - there is no “food waste” or half cooked meals still in the kitchen. The seller can just be paid for what they have done.

[cyaxrex]

I’ve always enjoyed your insights on anything problematic regarding buyers, Andy. Haha. Hope you are doing better!

I just say it like it is. I don’t think people appreciate how much time and money they napalm by being pushovers with problematic buyers.

It’s lovely to be nice. What feeds the kids and keeps a roof over your head is being nice to the right clients and not being treated like your time is expendable.

[rubberpenguin]

I just say it like it is. I don’t think people appreciate how much time and money they napalm by being pushovers with problematic buyers.

It’s lovely to be nice. What feeds the kids and keeps a roof over your head is being nice to the right clients and not being treated like your time is expendable.

I understand what you are saying…

It is a tricky one, as you do want to build future relationships. Though there is always that chance of it being a scam.

[cyaxrex]

This smacks of a scam. That said, if you have already agreed, you are now bound to offer something like this.

Nah, it sounds like a compromise where there was a change of plans -

I have been working on a project with a client and have produced sketched ideas for it.

This is a part of the project that has been completed - there is no “food waste” or half cooked meals still in the kitchen. The seller can just be paid for what they have done.

Yes, but this wouldn’t fly in the real world.

If you were a company which needed illustrations priced at 300 Euros and changed your mind about wanting them altogether, you would still be liable to pay.

• On taking on your project, a printer or illustrator may have turned down one or more similar projects
• A professional design/illustration company will have employees to pay and don’t get to say: “Sorry guys, everything you did yesterday was a waste of time.”
• Cancelling this order will have an adverse effect on this sellers business
• Because of the above, they need to calculate whether the half price cost which will (presumably) be paid, will cover the marketing costs, time and energy, required, to maintain their gig position and search exposure because of this cancellation

Cancellations aren’t free and if it doesn’t happen in the real-world, it shouldn’t happen here. Simple

[rubberpenguin]

I wouldn’t accept it if I had finished the work, though the client is willing to pay for what has been done, which I am happy with.

What I will do is make sure the client pays up what is owed with the new offer I will create and then cancel the other one.

It isn’t ideal, but within Fiverr it is the best solution.

[eoinfinnegan]

I understand what you are saying…

It is a tricky one, as you do want to build future relationships. Though there is always that chance of it being a scam.

Though there is always that chance of it being a scam.

I would say that of the thousand or so clients I have had, less than 0.1% have been bad, scamming or dishonest. That leaves 99.9% being good or “undecided” - logically, unless there are other reasons not to, I lean towards giving the benefit of the doubt as it is far more likely to be honest.

Yes, but this wouldn’t fly in the real world.

Not true, this type of thing happens all the time in the “real world”.

Changes to orders, reductions in orders, product returns etc.

I cancelled a hotel stay a while back, I paid 50% of the fee despite having booked the stay.

[cyaxrex]

Though there is always that chance of it being a scam.

I would say that of the thousand or so clients I have had, less than 0.1% have been bad, scamming or dishonest. That leaves 99.9% being good or “undecided” - logically, unless there are other reasons not to, I lean towards giving the benefit of the doubt as it is far more likely to be honest.

Yes, but this wouldn’t fly in the real world.

Not true, this type of thing happens all the time in the “real world”.

Changes to orders, reductions in orders, product returns etc.

I cancelled a hotel stay a while back, I paid 50% of the fee despite having booked the stay.

I cancelled a hotel stay a while back, I paid 50% of the fee despite having booked the stay.

A hotel booking is one thing. A business service is something completely different.

Fiverr is a discount market place. I’ve had relationships with printers, food suppliers, even national transport service providers. In every case, I or someone above me was able to secure preferential rates on goods and services, on the basis that we would be regular customers and would not do things like cancel orders at the last minute etc.

Even when preferential rates haven’t been in place, small orders of £200 - $500 on something like a new brochure design or ad in a national magazine, are not things which can realistically be cancelled after a last chance change of mind. Higher priced services, yes, you would expect there to be some kind of get out clause but that would be in a written contract.

Anyway, it is up to the seller but I would advise them to add a no-refunds clause into their gig. Either this or break ‘draft’ and final deliveries up into separate packages. (Or something like that.)

Whether it effects you personally or not, there does seem to be a trend of scammers targeting more creative services and newer sellers to the marketplace. Sellers should, therefore, try to be as firm as possible in situations like this.

[eoinfinnegan]

I cancelled a hotel stay a while back, I paid 50% of the fee despite having booked the stay.

A hotel booking is one thing. A business service is something completely different.

Fiverr is a discount market place. I’ve had relationships with printers, food suppliers, even national transport service providers. In every case, I or someone above me was able to secure preferential rates on goods and services, on the basis that we would be regular customers and would not do things like cancel orders at the last minute etc.

Even when preferential rates haven’t been in place, small orders of £200 - $500 on something like a new brochure design or ad in a national magazine, are not things which can realistically be cancelled after a last chance change of mind. Higher priced services, yes, you would expect there to be some kind of get out clause but that would be in a written contract.

Anyway, it is up to the seller but I would advise them to add a no-refunds clause into their gig. Either this or break ‘draft’ and final deliveries up into separate packages. (Or something like that.)

Whether it effects you personally or not, there does seem to be a trend of scammers targeting more creative services and newer sellers to the marketplace. Sellers should, therefore, try to be as firm as possible in situations like this.

Not sure how a hotel (or any kind of service) booking should be construed as different to what we do.

But anyway, we are not going to agree on this so I’ll leave it there.

I agree that sellers should be vigilant about looking out for scams etc but at the same time, even if your claim that there is a trend of scammers is true, they still make up a tiny minority of sales. I think some sellers do themselves more damage by assuming everyone is a potential scammer than by allowing the benefit of the doubt.

In the OP’s case, they state they are happy with the agreement to split the difference.

[woofy31]

I’m sorry but there is no reason why you should cancel this order, or offer a partial refund.

Imagine ordering take out, taking the food and saying: "That’s great, unfortunately my dinner plans have changed. In this case, I will be taking this but not eating it. How about I pay you half the price to be fair?"

This smacks of a scam. That said, if you have already agreed, you are now bound to offer something like this.

I’m sorry but there is no reason why you should cancel this order, or offer a partial refund.

I remember you said you were going to refuse cancellations, mistake or not - how did that work out for you?

For I recently had a situation where me & the buyer talked in Inbox, he decided to order after all the talks, then he asked to cancel immediately after ordering because his partner ordered a similar service and mine wasn’t needed.

I refused to cancel, because the service was between me and him, not his partner, and I don’t care what his partner did or didn’t do - I shouldn’t be held responsible for his partner’s actions that I have no control over or knowledge of.

The buyer told me he contacted CS, and within a couple of minutes (while I contacted them myself) CS already had cancelled his order, without hearing my side of the story, without seeing that it was not a mistake order as they thought, but an intentional order where the buyer suddenly changed his mind based on third-party actions.

---

What I’m trying to tell you, @cyaxrex , is that I’ve tried doing it your way, but I realized that you cannot refuse cancellations no matter how much you try - CS will refund the buyer almost instantly upon request, and before you even get the chance to submit a CS ticket yourself 😕

True, we can try to refuse although mostly to no avail, but we have no power whatsoever to say “No” to a buyer, which should be one of the benefits of the “gig economy” that Fiverr created:

[…] More importantly and when needed, remember how “No” can be the most powerful word in preserving your freelancer-client relationship. You went into the gig economy to free yourself from the chains of being an employee and control your own destiny. If your client is standing in the way of that, it’s possible they owe you more than just the money they’re paying you.

[cyaxrex]

I’m sorry but there is no reason why you should cancel this order, or offer a partial refund.

I remember you said you were going to refuse cancellations, mistake or not - how did that work out for you?

For I recently had a situation where me & the buyer talked in Inbox, he decided to order after all the talks, then he asked to cancel immediately after ordering because his partner ordered a similar service and mine wasn’t needed.

I refused to cancel, because the service was between me and him, not his partner, and I don’t care what his partner did or didn’t do - I shouldn’t be held responsible for his partner’s actions that I have no control over or knowledge of.

The buyer told me he contacted CS, and within a couple of minutes (while I contacted them myself) CS already had cancelled his order, without hearing my side of the story, without seeing that it was not a mistake order as they thought, but an intentional order where the buyer suddenly changed his mind based on third-party actions.

---

What I’m trying to tell you, @cyaxrex , is that I’ve tried doing it your way, but I realized that you cannot refuse cancellations no matter how much you try - CS will refund the buyer almost instantly upon request, and before you even get the chance to submit a CS ticket yourself 😕

True, we can try to refuse although mostly to no avail, but we have no power whatsoever to say “No” to a buyer, which should be one of the benefits of the “gig economy” that Fiverr created:

[…] More importantly and when needed, remember how “No” can be the most powerful word in preserving your freelancer-client relationship. You went into the gig economy to free yourself from the chains of being an employee and control your own destiny. If your client is standing in the way of that, it’s possible they owe you more than just the money they’re paying you.

I remember you said you were going to refuse cancellations, mistake or not - how did that work out for you?

For the most part, well. If I have delivered work, there is no way I am agreeing to cancel. This results in cancellation tennis and often a lot of abuse from buyers/scammers before they give in and leave a 1-star review.

If a buyer orders and the order doesn’t start prior to a buyer requesting cancellation, I still decline. I say what I can do, ask the buyer to let me know if we can reach an agreement, and advise them that if no agreement can be reached, they will need to contact Fiverr CS to explain why they need to cancel. - 9/10 the order just stays in never started limbo.

If a buyer wishes to cancel mid-way through an order and I have started work, I reject this and prioritize delivery.

The buyer told me he contacted CS, and within a couple of minutes (while I contacted them myself) CS already had cancelled his order, without hearing my side of the story, without seeing that it was not a mistake order as they thought, but an intentional order where the buyer suddenly changed his mind based on third-party actions.

BUT YES…

This is where the beautiful yet seemingly tripping people at CS messed up my strategy completely.

I have had 2 sizable orders now, both of which have been delivered complete, both of which have been canceled immediately by CS, and both of which have resulted in the buyers using my work.

What has really grated me with the last order, is the fact that the buyer told me “not to waste his time or mine” by attempting to not let him get away with his scam.

So yes, Fiverr is not a place to take especially seriously as a seller at present. The fact that you can deliver work and not be paid at the whim of CS is ridiculous. However, most buyers seem (thankfully) not to be aware of how to even contact Fiverr CS. In this case, my strategy does still work to some extent.

Thankfully, I’ve since blowtorched the online reputation of my most recent ‘cancel and run with the work’ client. - And scored a new daily writing gig with a cryptocurrency blog outing ICO scams for the trouble! This being the case, yes, it is impossible to stand up to cancellations etc. My point about being a pushover, though, still stands.