Fiverr Community Forum

How do you say no without offending them?

Your Fiverr Experience Conversations
#1

This happens to me on occasion, some guy messages me:

“I am looking for you to write a script based on this example video, turn it into a 30 sec audio and a 60 sec audio (I am looking for both)… blah blah blah”

Then I tell him:

“Sorry, all my work is original, I don’t do work based on videos. I suggest you hire someone else. Good luck.”

Then he tells me:

“You could have made a friendlier response. I am new to this.”

WTF? What am I supposed to do? Why do buyers expect me to kiss their rears? Seriously, if you’re gonna treat me like a prostitute, at least pay me first. LOL

#2

Yeah i hate that to, i just lie and say i’m having tech problems and can’t do it right nowjust to keep him away :smiley:

#3

People get butthurt pretty easily. I try to soften the blow by coddling them. Don’t want to burn a bridge should they ever need something I do offer.

I had one person ask for a voice-synced audio recording in 8 hours for $5. Ridiculous. I told them I could perform the work for $15 (word number + sync price + immediate delivery) and they haggled me to the point where I just gave up.

I just said “I’m sorry I can’t perform the work you’re seeking. But, I am sure there are plenty of other sellers on Fiverr who can help you! I hope you find someone else, and best of luck here on Fiverr!”

This is also the same basic structure as my rejection message on a dating site. Works pretty well. People still get butthurt, but at that point it isn’t my problem.

#4

Good points. Customer service has been a struggle for me, so it’s good to read about what other people are doing.

I don’t know why some people are so desperate. If they can pay for 24/hour delivery, why do they demand it in 8-hours? If it’s a deadline, they should be the ones making an enticing offer: “Hi, I’ll give you $25 if you do this in 8 hours.”

#5

Deadlines can do funny things to people. It’s clearly their fault that they’ve left [whatever it is] to the very last minute. If they want good, fast and competent work, it’s time to bring out the big bucks and pay the last minute tax.

As for HOW DARE YOU REJECT ME people, I just imagine that they’re having a bad day and shrug. I have a very, very polite autoresponse that wishes them well in finding another seller which ensures I don’t snip, and even with that they sometimes come back later to say something along the lines of how big their project is and another seller is going to make lots of money. OK, why should I care? I didn’t want your work for whatever reason anyway, and with that kind of attitude, I’m quite glad we’re not working together. If anything, I feel for the poor monkey that they’ve hired…

#6

Ah, but don’t you know that $5 buys you the world? And, for an EXTRA $5 you’ll get the moon and stars, too! And free immediate delivery. That’s how it works here!

Sellers aren’t PEOPLE! They don’t have lives or standards or anything. Just keep pestering them and demanding they work for pennies. It works, I promise!

Oh, if you request a revision, sellers will throw in Mars, for free! Just to get a 5 star review.

Hopefully the annoying buyers choose to live on Mars and buy a $5 spacesuit… and realize why one should pay for quality.

/rant

#7

Put a spoonful of sugar on it, along with a plea of being not up to such a project.

Hello, I don’t feel that I could do a good job on your project. I won’t waste your time going into the reasons but thank you for considering me.
Wishing you good luck in your search for a seller for your project.

Remember no matter how nicely you put it, some people cannot handle rejection.

#8

I usually super-over-politely tell them I can’t do it because A. I’m not good enough, B. It’s not what I offer, C. I am getting really busy and I need to close my gigs for a while, D. What you are asking for and what you are willing to pay is very “tough” for me, and even make it sound like it is my fault. Hey I’m a Japanese, I’m good with that kind of stuff :stuck_out_tongue:
I add a little “I wish you the very best of luck, I can’t help you this time but please feel free to
contact me if you need any help for your future projects.”

This usually works. True, sometimes I get the “how dare you say no” messages, but that’s
something I can deal with.

#9

That’s good advice. Of course, the only danger is some of them might start begging you to take the order. The irony is that I would have done it if he had placed an order, when will buyers learn? When an order is placed, it’s hard to say no.

#10

Interesting point, but I would not want my words to haunt me. Everything online can be recorded. Imagine a screengrab of FastCopywriter saying he’s not good at writing radio. How would that look?

As my father taught me, “never s-word on yourself.”

However, I do like your B and C options. :slight_smile:

#11

I know what you mean about them just going ahead and placing the order.
There is always the technique of sending an expensive custom order to them. I’ve sent them for much higher than I ever thought they would accept but they did.

#12

I’m never afraid to say no to something if I’m not good at it, and I am honest about it…

#13

Me too. I am always honest.

#14

Some people are very sensitive. I think what you told to that person is already polite (I can be very sensitive too once in a while). Maybe what you told to that person did not have too much sugar in it, but as long as it was polite (and I personally think your reply was polite enough), then it is not your problem.

#15

Love your sarcasm. :slight_smile:

#16

I admit I can be very direct and demanding when I write. I’m rarely subtle. I think my favorite character on Seinfeld was the Soup Nazi. The one who would get angry and yell: No soup for you!

I’m trying not to me like that.

#17

That’s a good tip, thank you!

#18

LOL. Yeah, don´t be like that! :stuck_out_tongue: