How do I get out of this?

[lenasemenkova]

I have an order that was marked complete in February, with 5* and all. We ended up doing another, unrelated project after that.

In April, the buyer comes back to my inbox with “so the boss wants you to revise some things in the initial design” (the first order I had with them). It was quick so I did it, no questions asked. Which now, when I think about it, was a huge mistake on my part.

In 2 weeks later, she comes back with the revisions again. And the problem is, they are not specific. What I can deduce is that “the boss” doesn’t like something but doesn’t elaborate at all and the buyer (who refers to the boss as “an old man she wants to make happy”) just bombards me with general stuff like “creative”, “professional”, “clean”, “high-end”.

The problem with the “clean” and “high-end” is that it’s a photo-based design and I wasn’t given any photos to work with. They just gave me the website link where to my endless surprise (the company provides printing services) 99% photos the products they wanted me to feature were low quality/poorly lit. That’s just to provide the context of how they see themselves vs. what is actually there to work with. And to provide perspective about designing “high-end” visuals with dark grainy pictures.

Technically, in this situation, I’d just tell the buyer that extra revisions are $15/a round and I can do them forever if they have the money and can provide a comprehensive list and then send them the offer. And usually, we’d be done after 1 round.

But here, given that I’m 2 orders in with them already, I really don’t want any more in case things turn unpleasant. I also don’t want to do anything for free to give an impression I’m okay with “making the old man happy” 3 months after approved delivery. To be honest, I don’t want to deal with them at all.

I am really tempted to block them, my hand’s just itching, but I have a suspicion it won’t end well for me.

It’s also a top buyer, btw, of course, it is.

And now I’m stuck. The order was $90 (with extras) so I don’t see them leaving me alone anytime soon. They also have no idea what they want so I don’t see it going anywhere. It reeks of an eventual CS refund to me and I’d rather not spend any more of my time on the project if that’s the case.

The only thing I can do to unstuck myself is to refund them but that’s highly undesirable given the amount of work it took. If it was a basic single order I’d be off this train at this point.

What should I do?

[amylancaster]

I would just be honest with them and take this as an opportunity to educate them. Let them know that unfortunately, you can no longer give them free revisions, and if their boss needs more revising, then he will need to come up with the cash. Either you’ll get paid more, or they’ll leave you alone, so it’s a win/win for you.

[uk1000]

If they had any unused revisions left when they completed the order originally you could allow that many revisions by message. I don’t think it’s possible to refund after it’s complete (not normally anyway - maybe contacting CS could help). But the order was accepted initially with a review so it shouldn’t need a refund. If they didn’t have unused revisions you could ask them to create an order for the new work (new updates to the original project).

Also you could ask them for high quality, high res example images that they like/to use for inspiration/to get an idea what they mean but not for copying and maybe politely tell them issues with the images they have shown you on the webpage (too low res/grainy).

[lenasemenkova]

If they had any unused revisions left when they completed the order originally you could allow that many revisions by message. I don’t think it’s possible to refund after it’s complete (not normally anyway - maybe contacting CS could help). But the order was accepted initially with a review so it shouldn’t need a refund. If they didn’t have unused revisions you could ask them to create an order for the new work (new updates to the original project).

Also you could ask them for high quality, high res example images that they like/to use for inspiration/to get an idea what they mean but not for copying and maybe politely tell them issues with the images they have shown you on the webpage (too low res/grainy).

I don’t provide unlimited revisions. They’ve used all the revisions included in the offer and then some.

They don’t have better photos. To my requests to send me photos they just respond with the website link every time and say “this is what we have”.

The order can be refunded via CS after it was closed if you request it. Not that I’m actively considering the option right now, but it can be done (and surprisingly, shockingly quickly).

[lenasemenkova]

I would just be honest with them and take this as an opportunity to educate them. Let them know that unfortunately, you can no longer give them free revisions, and if their boss needs more revising, then he will need to come up with the cash. Either you’ll get paid more, or they’ll leave you alone, so it’s a win/win for you.

I’d do that in a heartbeat if it wasn’t for the chargeback issue. I’d rather have 1-2 orders canceled now than 3 orders canceled later with me wasting more time on them. This is what is making me pause before sending more offers out.

[hanshuber16]

I don’t provide unlimited revisions. They’ve used all the revisions included in the offer and then some.

They don’t have better photos. To my requests to send me photos they just respond with the website link every time and say “this is what we have”.

The order can be refunded via CS after it was closed if you request it. Not that I’m actively considering the option right now, but it can be done (and surprisingly, shockingly quickly).

It might be hard to do, but try not to think of the consequences (refund of the previous orders, chargeback, etc) that might occur if you deny their request. Be firm in your approach with them, and try to make them understand that although they have already exceeded the current # of free revisions that come with the order, that’s not the main issue here.

Try and make them understand that the issue here is that they’re unable to come up with more specific instructions or helpful material (context, photos, etc) required to meet their requirements.

Tell them that your ability to meet their requirements is directly tied to their ability to come up with relevant material and specific instructions. If they are unable to do that, that’s on them and not you.

Despite all this, if they are unable to come up with anything good, I’d just redeliver the exact same thing again and ask them to give more specific instructions/more helpful material if they want something better delivered. Unfortunately, I don’t see any other option. It is not like you can do anything either with the limited info. you have available to you, right?

If they still don’t understand and keep pestering you non-stop, I’d succumb to the temptation and bid adieu to them forever (despite the repercussions that might have).

#notworthit 😿

[misscrystal]

Tell them the truth, briefly and firmly and then tell customer support that there is a request for more work on the order, and the job was done. Tell CS you do not want to refund them and they are making improper requests and you wish to block them and ask if that is ok. Tell them it was back in February this was completed.

Tell the buyer simply that this order was completed and at this point you can’t do any more to it and hope they find someone else who can help them and better meet their needs. No need to go into details. Then block them.

The reason for notifying CS about it is to tell them this was done two months ago and you can’t help the buyer further and don’t want them to get a refund.

[cyaxrex]

I have an order that was marked complete in February, with 5* and all. We ended up doing another, unrelated project after that.

In April, the buyer comes back to my inbox with “so the boss wants you to revise some things in the initial design” (the first order I had with them). It was quick so I did it, no questions asked. Which now, when I think about it, was a huge mistake on my part.

In 2 weeks later, she comes back with the revisions again. And the problem is, they are not specific. What I can deduce is that “the boss” doesn’t like something but doesn’t elaborate at all and the buyer (who refers to the boss as “an old man she wants to make happy”) just bombards me with general stuff like “creative”, “professional”, “clean”, “high-end”.

The problem with the “clean” and “high-end” is that it’s a photo-based design and I wasn’t given any photos to work with. They just gave me the website link where to my endless surprise (the company provides printing services) 99% photos the products they wanted me to feature were low quality/poorly lit. That’s just to provide the context of how they see themselves vs. what is actually there to work with. And to provide perspective about designing “high-end” visuals with dark grainy pictures.

Technically, in this situation, I’d just tell the buyer that extra revisions are $15/a round and I can do them forever if they have the money and can provide a comprehensive list and then send them the offer. And usually, we’d be done after 1 round.

But here, given that I’m 2 orders in with them already, I really don’t want any more in case things turn unpleasant. I also don’t want to do anything for free to give an impression I’m okay with “making the old man happy” 3 months after approved delivery. To be honest, I don’t want to deal with them at all.

I am really tempted to block them, my hand’s just itching, but I have a suspicion it won’t end well for me.

It’s also a top buyer, btw, of course, it is.

And now I’m stuck. The order was $90 (with extras) so I don’t see them leaving me alone anytime soon. They also have no idea what they want so I don’t see it going anywhere. It reeks of an eventual CS refund to me and I’d rather not spend any more of my time on the project if that’s the case.

The only thing I can do to unstuck myself is to refund them but that’s highly undesirable given the amount of work it took. If it was a basic single order I’d be off this train at this point.

What should I do?

And now I’m stuck. The order was $90 (with the extras) so I don’t see them leaving me alone anytime soon. They also have no idea what they want so I don’t see it going anywhere. It reeks of an eventual CS refund to me and I’d rather not spend any more of my time on the project if that’s the case.

Regarding the first order, if you have already completed extra revisions FOC, now is the time to put your foot down. If they ask for more, remind them that you do not offer unlimited revisions. Then remind them that since you have obliged such a request already, you have been more than fair but will now need to charge for more.

With the second order, bombarding you with generic revision requests is a red flag in itself. Tell your buyer that it is not possible for you or anyone to increase the quality of the images they are providing links to. In this case, you can only revise content if they can provide better source material.

Also, remind your buyer that Fiverr only mandates that you revise content up to 3-days after delivery. Because of this, while you can offer paid revisions if your buyer can provide better photos, your buyer should not expect to be able to request an unlimited amount of free revisions going forward.

Honestly, I’d then either block this buyer after you have revised their content or (if they request custom offers instead of ordering directly) I’d simply say I can’t help with subsequent projects.

I occasionally have buyers like this. From experience, not blocking them or laying down the law early, leads to them taking more liberties as time goes on. This causes stress and disrupts your future workflow.

[misscrystal]

And now I’m stuck. The order was $90 (with the extras) so I don’t see them leaving me alone anytime soon. They also have no idea what they want so I don’t see it going anywhere. It reeks of an eventual CS refund to me and I’d rather not spend any more of my time on the project if that’s the case.

Regarding the first order, if you have already completed extra revisions FOC, now is the time to put your foot down. If they ask for more, remind them that you do not offer unlimited revisions. Then remind them that since you have obliged such a request already, you have been more than fair but will now need to charge for more.

With the second order, bombarding you with generic revision requests is a red flag in itself. Tell your buyer that it is not possible for you or anyone to increase the quality of the images they are providing links to. In this case, you can only revise content if they can provide better source material.

Also, remind your buyer that Fiverr only mandates that you revise content up to 3-days after delivery. Because of this, while you can offer paid revisions if your buyer can provide better photos, your buyer should not expect to be able to request an unlimited amount of free revisions going forward.

Honestly, I’d then either block this buyer after you have revised their content or (if they request custom offers instead of ordering directly) I’d simply say I can’t help with subsequent projects.

I occasionally have buyers like this. From experience, not blocking them or laying down the law early, leads to them taking more liberties as time goes on. This causes stress and disrupts your future workflow.

From experience, not blocking them or laying down the law early, leads to them taking more liberties as time goes on.

^^^^This. They see you as a pushover the first time you do something extra for free and keep coming back to milk the kindness cow as much as possible.

They also see you as a pushover if you are too wordy in your explanations of why you can’t help them. Also if you do too much needless chatting or spend too much time on them. These things make a manipulative buyer see you as an easy naive pushover.

[cyaxrex]

From experience, not blocking them or laying down the law early, leads to them taking more liberties as time goes on.

^^^^This. They see you as a pushover the first time you do something extra for free and keep coming back to milk the kindness cow as much as possible.

They also see you as a pushover if you are too wordy in your explanations of why you can’t help them. Also if you do too much needless chatting or spend too much time on them. These things make a manipulative buyer see you as an easy naive pushover.

They see you as a pushover the first time you do something extra for free and keep coming back to milk the kindness cow

And as we all know, when you over milk the kindness cow, your wealth calf eventually dies of malnutrition. 😑

[misscrystal]

They see you as a pushover the first time you do something extra for free and keep coming back to milk the kindness cow

And as we all know, when you over milk the kindness cow, your wealth calf eventually dies of malnutrition. 😑

Regarding manipulative buyers, they will test you. They will send messages trying to rope you into longer explanations or conversation. They will try various ploys to see where your boundaries are. Be aware and vigilant always in your communications, when you get messages that are different, odd, lengthy. These are tests of how gullible you are.

Sometimes these are genuine but nine times out of ten, if it seems too long, too odd or different, be aware you may be dealing with a manipulator. Having strict boundaries for how much your communication is and aware when it veers off track from the order requirements is needed.

Doing work for free or going above and beyond the original order without pay is you being taken advantage of, especially if it is delayed past the first 24 hours after the delivery.

It’s a hard lesson to learn if you are a nice person but it’s better to be very strict rather than too easy and eager to please. It requires good judgement for when it’s uncalled for to do something extra.

[acdesignstudio]

It might be hard to do, but try not to think of the consequences (refund of the previous orders, chargeback, etc) that might occur if you deny their request. Be firm in your approach with them, and try to make them understand that although they have already exceeded the current # of free revisions that come with the order, that’s not the main issue here.

Try and make them understand that the issue here is that they’re unable to come up with more specific instructions or helpful material (context, photos, etc) required to meet their requirements.

Tell them that your ability to meet their requirements is directly tied to their ability to come up with relevant material and specific instructions. If they are unable to do that, that’s on them and not you.

Despite all this, if they are unable to come up with anything good, I’d just redeliver the exact same thing again and ask them to give more specific instructions/more helpful material if they want something better delivered. Unfortunately, I don’t see any other option. It is not like you can do anything either with the limited info. you have available to you, right?

If they still don’t understand and keep pestering you non-stop, I’d succumb to the temptation and bid adieu to them forever (despite the repercussions that might have).

#notworthit 😿

It might be hard to do, but try not to think of the consequences (refund of the previous orders, chargeback, etc) that might occur if you deny their request. Be firm in your approach with them, and try to make them understand that although they have already exceeded the current # of free revisions that come with the order, that’s not the main issue here.

Try and make them understand that the issue here is that they’re unable to come up with more specific instructions or helpful material (context, photos, etc) required to meet their requirements…I’d succumb to the temptation and bid adieu to them forever (despite the repercussions that might have).

This is the most sensible course to me. It seems that anything else that you might do to placate them or prevent them from retaliating is allowing yourself to be strung along longer. I do feel that you are being strung along, whether intentional or unintentional. Accept your lesson learned, that you should never have done extra revisions at all or provided additional free services. Don’t keep paying the price for a mistake made by allowing yourself to be strung along in a project from which your heart has already exited. If you’re done you’re just done. I feel that you have no more enthusiasm for the project, whether you offer additional free or paid services. If they seem to be stubborn clients, what other option would you have other than blocking? Good luck to you whatever you decide.

[humanissocial]

Personally, I would definitely tell them that what they are asking for is out of scope and that they needed to give you concrete, objective requests at the onset of the order in the requirements section. These are subjective and after-the-fact. Totally unreasonable.

[eoinfinnegan]

I think it is worth mentioning that Chargebacks are relatively uncommon occurrences, even when things go sour with a client for whatever reason. I would suggest that you don’t worry about them when deciding how to handle a client. Of course, it is still a possibility but I have had 2 out of nearly 2000 orders and yes, not every client I have is 100% happy (for whatever reason).
I don’t do cancellations unless it is an issue on my side or if it is in my own best interests; if chargebacks were common I would have more than 2.
This might help too:

We all get them: Buyer wants a discountBuyer wants a free sampleBuyer wants more than he has paid forBuyer asks for a revision which is actually completely different to what was orderedBuyer wants to discuss something at length before/after an orderBuyer wants to cancel after deliveryVery often, people on the forum complain about this type of buyer and label them as “bad buyers”. However, that is not always the case and I would suggest that the number of actual “bad buyers” is signific…

[lenasemenkova]

Thank you for the advice everyone. I think I did get myself worried about the repercussions and the possible buyer’s motivation way too much and forgot that I wasn’t the one in the wrong. Some firmness won’t hurt in this case.

The buyer’s off to look for better photos they claim they have somewhere and we agreed to give it another (singular) go if the photos are up to a standard. If not, I’ll decline to engage any further and we’ll see how that goes.

[guilarteluis]

the decision is yours tell him straight away that you are not going to make free revisions since they do not have a clear idea of ​​what they really want you to do at work and only general ideas are not very clear. Success in your decision, that everything comes out in the best way for you

[yipeeenterprise]

And now I’m stuck. The order was $90 (with the extras) so I don’t see them leaving me alone anytime soon. They also have no idea what they want so I don’t see it going anywhere. It reeks of an eventual CS refund to me and I’d rather not spend any more of my time on the project if that’s the case.

Regarding the first order, if you have already completed extra revisions FOC, now is the time to put your foot down. If they ask for more, remind them that you do not offer unlimited revisions. Then remind them that since you have obliged such a request already, you have been more than fair but will now need to charge for more.

With the second order, bombarding you with generic revision requests is a red flag in itself. Tell your buyer that it is not possible for you or anyone to increase the quality of the images they are providing links to. In this case, you can only revise content if they can provide better source material.

Also, remind your buyer that Fiverr only mandates that you revise content up to 3-days after delivery. Because of this, while you can offer paid revisions if your buyer can provide better photos, your buyer should not expect to be able to request an unlimited amount of free revisions going forward.

Honestly, I’d then either block this buyer after you have revised their content or (if they request custom offers instead of ordering directly) I’d simply say I can’t help with subsequent projects.

I occasionally have buyers like this. From experience, not blocking them or laying down the law early, leads to them taking more liberties as time goes on. This causes stress and disrupts your future workflow.

Hi, That is something I don’t want to experience, I’m a professional graphic designer and do a lot of design in the past. I never offer graphic design like logos, menu, and many more. Only offer Photo editing like background removal, put photos in one. I don’t get a problem with my clients. " That’s the bright side".

The Dark side is, I don’t get many projects.