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I was given a 1 star feedback because I didn't do a refund... is this fair?


lilithx

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So I was just given a 1 star feedback for not issuing a refund. Am I obligated to refund if the buyer requests it?

The problem I have was that I asked questions about the book cover design before the gig was completed but never received a response from the buyer. The buyer was somewhat vague in what he considered to be his standards. After I finished the cover and asked him what he thought, I didn’t receive a response till after the gig time expired. He requested a refund and the issue stated that the design was “poor” but in his message he stated I did a good job but it wasn’t to his standards of the samples given, yet to be honest I feel l did better than the samples given.

His only standards were to use shadows and light processes in which I added to mine but the samples he gave didn’t even have these features.

Anyways, I just don’t think the 1 star was fair being that it was based solely on the reason that I did not refund him. What would you do in this situation? He doesn’t seem to answer any of my questions and doesn’t want to work with me to resolving anything.

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Take it and move on. There is nothing you can do. You did the work and you deserve to be paid. It’s so sad the buyer never gave you the opportunity to modify the design. Leave a reply to the feedback. Stay professional and as previously mentioned, move on. Good luck ; ).

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So I was just given a 1 star feedback for not issuing a refund. Am I obligated to refund if the buyer requests it?

The problem I have was that I asked questions about the book cover design before the gig was completed but never received a response from the buyer. The buyer was somewhat vague in what he considered to be his standards. After I finished the cover and asked him what he thought, I didn’t receive a response till after the gig time expired. He requested a refund and the issue stated that the design was “poor” but in his message he stated I did a good job but it wasn’t to his standards of the samples given, yet to be honest I feel l did better than the samples given.

His only standards were to use shadows and light processes in which I added to mine but the samples he gave didn’t even have these features.

Anyways, I just don’t think the 1 star was fair being that it was based solely on the reason that I did not refund him. What would you do in this situation? He doesn’t seem to answer any of my questions and doesn’t want to work with me to resolving anything.

I just don’t think the 1 star was fair being that it was based solely on the reason that I did not refund him.

You can leave a review of this buyer that says exactly this, and a one star review of them.

You can say:

the buyer demanded a refund but didn’t give clear instructions about what he wanted.

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Take it and move on. There is nothing you can do. You did the work and you deserve to be paid. It’s so sad the buyer never gave you the opportunity to modify the design. Leave a reply to the feedback. Stay professional and as previously mentioned, move on. Good luck ; ).

Take it and move on. There is nothing you can do. You did the work and you deserve to be paid. It’s so sad the buyer never gave you the opportunity to modify the design. Leave a reply to the feedback. Stay professional and as previously mentioned, move on. Good luck ; ).

Yea, it’s just irritating because I had 5 stars and now I’m down to 4.4. In general, should I just do a mutual cancellation if they request a refund? I feel like a lot of people can scam honest sellers this way. Anyways, thanks for your input.

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I think refund is better than 1 star review

I think refund is better than 1 star review

Well, I agree to this, but how would I have known he would given a 1 star because he didn’t get a refund? Should I just assume that all buyers that are declined a refund will give 1 star?

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It happens and yes 1star isn’t fear if you did your best but still it happens sometime (assuming seller did best job) cause

  1. Buyer order from someone else and he just want a refund.

  2. In some cases he just don’t want to pay.

  3. He is a middle man like he is seller and got this from another buyer. In this case what happens to him and his client you don’t know but you are in the middle of it now 😦

These are my best guess

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It happens and yes 1star isn’t fear if you did your best but still it happens sometime (assuming seller did best job) cause

  1. Buyer order from someone else and he just want a refund.

  2. In some cases he just don’t want to pay.

  3. He is a middle man like he is seller and got this from another buyer. In this case what happens to him and his client you don’t know but you are in the middle of it now 😦

These are my best guess

It happens and yes 1star isn’t fear if you did your best but still it happens sometime (assuming seller did best job) cause

Buyer order from someone else and he just want a refund.

In some cases he just don’t want to pay.

He is a middle man like he is seller and got this from another buyer. In this case what happens to him and his client you don’t know but you are in the middle of it now 😦

These are my best guess

Yes, I’m suspecting #2 or #3. Something just seems off.

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Take it and move on. There is nothing you can do. You did the work and you deserve to be paid. It’s so sad the buyer never gave you the opportunity to modify the design. Leave a reply to the feedback. Stay professional and as previously mentioned, move on. Good luck ; ).

Yea, it’s just irritating because I had 5 stars and now I’m down to 4.4. In general, should I just do a mutual cancellation if they request a refund? I feel like a lot of people can scam honest sellers this way. Anyways, thanks for your input.

In general, should I just do a mutual cancellation if they request a refund?

Everyone will have a different take on this. I personally wouldn’t refund unless you feel like you are unable to do the job, or unable to provide what the client is asking for. In this case you did the job. The communication could have been a bit better but again nothing you can do but learn from this experience.

A lot of sellers choose to refund because they are scared of a negative feedback. We don’t live in a perfect world. And I simply wish sellers would stop doing this.

This was an unfortunate situation and I understand your frustration. The buyer shouldn’t have asked for a refund. He should have given you the opportunity to revise it. If a buyer is asking for a full refund immediately after the delivery, this should be a red flag right there. Probably not the first time.

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In general, should I just do a mutual cancellation if they request a refund?

Everyone will have a different take on this. I personally wouldn’t refund unless you feel like you are unable to do the job, or unable to provide what the client is asking for. In this case you did the job. The communication could have been a bit better but again nothing you can do but learn from this experience.

A lot of sellers choose to refund because they are scared of a negative feedback. We don’t live in a perfect world. And I simply wish sellers would stop doing this.

This was an unfortunate situation and I understand your frustration. The buyer shouldn’t have asked for a refund. He should have given you the opportunity to revise it. If a buyer is asking for a full refund immediately after the delivery, this should be a red flag right there. Probably not the first time.

This was an unfortunate situation and I understand your frustration. The buyer shouldn’t have asked for a refund. He should have given you the opportunity to revise it. If a buyer is asking for a full refund immediately after the delivery, this should be a red flag right there. Probably not the first time.

I get the feeling it isn’t his first time. It was right after the gig ended, he asked for a refund. It was definitely a red flag I should have caught. Next time I know what to look for.

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Take it and move on. There is nothing you can do. You did the work and you deserve to be paid. It’s so sad the buyer never gave you the opportunity to modify the design. Leave a reply to the feedback. Stay professional and as previously mentioned, move on. Good luck ; ).

Yea, it’s just irritating because I had 5 stars and now I’m down to 4.4. In general, should I just do a mutual cancellation if they request a refund? I feel like a lot of people can scam honest sellers this way. Anyways, thanks for your input.

should I just do a mutual cancellation if they request a refund?

You will do a lot of free work if you do. If you honestly did a good job, keep the money and the review will roll off when you get more good ones.

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I think refund is better than 1 star review

Well, I agree to this, but how would I have known he would given a 1 star because he didn’t get a refund? Should I just assume that all buyers that are declined a refund will give 1 star?

Should I just assume that all buyers that are declined a refund will give 1 star?

Some might, but if you give them a refund, you’re encouraging bad behavior, and showing them that they can get your work for free.

If you mention in your response to the buyer’s review that you have received one star not because of the quality of your work, but simply because the buyer wanted a refund, it might serve as a warning to other people who are looking to scam you.

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Newer sellers without many reviews are in a much harder position in this kind of case.

If you refuse to give a refund you may get a bad review which will possibly hurt your sales.

If you give a refund you lose money you worked for. It might take some sacrifices like this sometimes for new sellers who have to accept that things will be hard for them in the first year or two for this reason.

One solution is to make sure you know you are delivering work that is exceptional, and giving amazing service and fast good communications at all times. You really do have to be one of the best at what you do to overcome this kind of obstacle.

If you know you are the best and delivering excellent service for every order, then if it happens that someone demands a refund you know it’s because they are thieves, and not because of anything you did wrong, so it makes it easier to decide how to proceed.

I’ve only had it happen one time in almost five years. In my opinion it happens mostly because people are very unhappy with what they got, although sometimes you do get someone who just wants free work.

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It is not fair to get a 1 star review but it is what it is. It is part of the business, it adds up to your experience here on Fiverr, You can also explain why the buyer gave you a 1 star in the response to it.

A refund is not in anyway better than a 1 star review. You did the job the best you could, you communicated with the buyer within the time frame required to have the job done and there was no reply. So, you gave your best, get rewarded for your work and move on. That you have a 4.9 rating now will have little or no effect on your business.

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It is not fair to get a 1 star review but it is what it is. It is part of the business, it adds up to your experience here on Fiverr, You can also explain why the buyer gave you a 1 star in the response to it.

A refund is not in anyway better than a 1 star review. You did the job the best you could, you communicated with the buyer within the time frame required to have the job done and there was no reply. So, you gave your best, get rewarded for your work and move on. That you have a 4.9 rating now will have little or no effect on your business.

That you have a 4.9 rating now will have little or no effect on your business.

Well, it actually is a 4.5. I can no longer do Buyer Requests, so it does actually affect my business.

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So I was just given a 1 star feedback for not issuing a refund. Am I obligated to refund if the buyer requests it?

The problem I have was that I asked questions about the book cover design before the gig was completed but never received a response from the buyer. The buyer was somewhat vague in what he considered to be his standards. After I finished the cover and asked him what he thought, I didn’t receive a response till after the gig time expired. He requested a refund and the issue stated that the design was “poor” but in his message he stated I did a good job but it wasn’t to his standards of the samples given, yet to be honest I feel l did better than the samples given.

His only standards were to use shadows and light processes in which I added to mine but the samples he gave didn’t even have these features.

Anyways, I just don’t think the 1 star was fair being that it was based solely on the reason that I did not refund him. What would you do in this situation? He doesn’t seem to answer any of my questions and doesn’t want to work with me to resolving anything.

You’re not obligated to refund, although your client can ask customer service for a refund and get it.

The buyer is also not obligated to give you 5 stars, 3 stars, or even review your gig. The reviews are entirely optional, and they don’t have to be fair. You can defend your work when you reply the gig.

His only standards were to use shadows and light processes in which I added to mine but the samples he gave didn’t even have these features.

That’s why you’re supposed to go more by the instructions than the samples. Maybe your client doesn’t know how to find the right samples. Maybe he wanted the work to look like the samples but with shadows and light processes.

What would you do in this situation?

Move on and hope the next customer is better.

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That you have a 4.9 rating now will have little or no effect on your business.

Well, it actually is a 4.5. I can no longer do Buyer Requests, so it does actually affect my business.

Sorry to hear that, I didn’t know sellers with 4.0+ ratings can’t send offers on buyer request. That is quite ridiculous somehow. All the same, I am of the opinion if you are confident about your work, then you will get more buyers and getting 5.0 reviews that will neutralise this negative one won’t be an issue. In the mean time, you can respond to the review and give your opinion of the matter.

You can also gain from your experience, when you get orders in the future and the buyer is vague as to his requirement. you might decide not to proceed with the order till the buyer responds. Should the order run late, send a time extension and if after this the buyer does not respond it is enough reason to cancel. That way you are sure of not giving out your work for free to buyers who are setting you up to fail.

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You’re not obligated to refund, although your client can ask customer service for a refund and get it.

The buyer is also not obligated to give you 5 stars, 3 stars, or even review your gig. The reviews are entirely optional, and they don’t have to be fair. You can defend your work when you reply the gig.

His only standards were to use shadows and light processes in which I added to mine but the samples he gave didn’t even have these features.

That’s why you’re supposed to go more by the instructions than the samples. Maybe your client doesn’t know how to find the right samples. Maybe he wanted the work to look like the samples but with shadows and light processes.

What would you do in this situation?

Move on and hope the next customer is better.

That’s why you’re supposed to go more by the instructions than the samples. Maybe your client doesn’t know how to find the right samples. Maybe he wanted the work to look like the samples but with shadows and light processes.

That’s the thing. I did add shadows and light processes. I did everything he mentioned in the instructions as well as what he had in his images. That’s what I don’t understand.

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Sorry to hear that, I didn’t know sellers with 4.0+ ratings can’t send offers on buyer request. That is quite ridiculous somehow. All the same, I am of the opinion if you are confident about your work, then you will get more buyers and getting 5.0 reviews that will neutralise this negative one won’t be an issue. In the mean time, you can respond to the review and give your opinion of the matter.

You can also gain from your experience, when you get orders in the future and the buyer is vague as to his requirement. you might decide not to proceed with the order till the buyer responds. Should the order run late, send a time extension and if after this the buyer does not respond it is enough reason to cancel. That way you are sure of not giving out your work for free to buyers who are setting you up to fail.

Sorry to hear that, I didn’t know sellers with 4.0+ ratings can’t send offers on buyer request. That is quite ridiculous somehow. All the same, I am of the opinion if you are confident about your work, then you will get more buyers and getting 5.0 reviews that will neutralise this negative one won’t be an issue. In the mean time, you can respond to the review and give your opinion of the matter.

I had a 5.0 rating before the 4.5 rating. I left a response to his feedback and stated only the facts and kept it professional.

You can also gain from your experience, when you get orders in the future and the buyer is vague as to his requirement. you might decide not to proceed with the order till the buyer responds. Should the order run late, send a time extension and if after this the buyer does not respond it is enough reason to cancel. That way you are sure of not giving out your work for free to buyers who are setting you up to fail.

You make a good point. From now on, if they don’t respond to any questions that I have during the order process, I think I’m just going to cancel it. If I extend the duration, they may just get upset and say that I was late.

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Sorry to hear that, I didn’t know sellers with 4.0+ ratings can’t send offers on buyer request. That is quite ridiculous somehow. All the same, I am of the opinion if you are confident about your work, then you will get more buyers and getting 5.0 reviews that will neutralise this negative one won’t be an issue. In the mean time, you can respond to the review and give your opinion of the matter.

I had a 5.0 rating before the 4.5 rating. I left a response to his feedback and stated only the facts and kept it professional.

You can also gain from your experience, when you get orders in the future and the buyer is vague as to his requirement. you might decide not to proceed with the order till the buyer responds. Should the order run late, send a time extension and if after this the buyer does not respond it is enough reason to cancel. That way you are sure of not giving out your work for free to buyers who are setting you up to fail.

You make a good point. From now on, if they don’t respond to any questions that I have during the order process, I think I’m just going to cancel it. If I extend the duration, they may just get upset and say that I was late.

if they don’t respond to any questions that I have during the order process, I think I’m just going to cancel it.

For me that’s a huge red flag. I can’t work with anyone who ignores my questions and disappears. I cancel those. There is no reason for any buyer to do that. Usually I see they are online.

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That’s why you’re supposed to go more by the instructions than the samples. Maybe your client doesn’t know how to find the right samples. Maybe he wanted the work to look like the samples but with shadows and light processes.

That’s the thing. I did add shadows and light processes. I did everything he mentioned in the instructions as well as what he had in his images. That’s what I don’t understand.

I think you just got a difficult client that doesn’t know how to communicate, that only knows quality when he sees it.

This happens sometimes. The fantasy of having gigs with 0 negative reviews is just that, a fantasy. Everyone will get a negative review eventually. No matter how nice you are to clients, how accommodating, someone at some point will give you 1-star.

Besides, I think it violates the Terms of Service if you tell clients “If you’re unable to give me 5 stars, please click “resolution center” and start the refund process.”

Even if Fiverr were to allow that, there will be buyers that think: “I paid for this gig! I have the right to review this gig! This seller is dishonest and I will use my review to let everyone know.”

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So, I just had an idea for people who do graphic design tasks… What I could do from now on for people that I’m unsure of is create a watermarked image of what they’re requesting to see if they like it and if they do, they can order the gig and get the un-watermarked version. That way there is no question in the quality of work they would receive. What do you think? Is this allowed?

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  • 1 month later...

So, I just had an idea for people who do graphic design tasks… What I could do from now on for people that I’m unsure of is create a watermarked image of what they’re requesting to see if they like it and if they do, they can order the gig and get the un-watermarked version. That way there is no question in the quality of work they would receive. What do you think? Is this allowed?

I don’t know if it’s allowed, but why bother? They’re going to love or hate your work whether it has a watermark. Don’t think that because you have a watermark, you won’t get bad reviews.

What you can do is remind buyers they can ask for a modification if they don’t like your work. I limit modifications/revisions to 1, others do 2. I don’t recommend unlimited revisions.

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I don’t know if it’s allowed, but why bother? They’re going to love or hate your work whether it has a watermark. Don’t think that because you have a watermark, you won’t get bad reviews.

What you can do is remind buyers they can ask for a modification if they don’t like your work. I limit modifications/revisions to 1, others do 2. I don’t recommend unlimited revisions.

Why wouldn’t it be allowed? As long as they are making their payment through the Fiverr platform it shouldn’t really matter.

They’re going to love or hate your work whether it has a watermark.

That goes without saying, but when there isn’t an actual order involved, there’s no pressure on either side. The buyer knows exactly what they would get if they were to place an order. It’s more work for the seller, but in my opinion it’s entirely worth it. At least it has been for me. If they don’t want your work, that’s more things I can just add to my portfolio - it’s a win win for me either way.

What you can do is remind buyers they can ask for a modification if they don’t like your work. I limit modifications/revisions to 1, others do 2. I don’t recommend unlimited revisions.

I make it pretty clear that unlimited revisions are offered on any of my gigs, but guess what? There are some people that if they do not like the first thing you offer them, they won’t even accept any revisions. That’s where the problem lies. They don’t even give you a chance to make any revisions or give you the option to work with them. I offer unlimited revisions within means, ie, changing text, font styles or colors - I don’t see a problem with this and the buyer feels more comfortable with your service rather than limiting them on simple things. But, this really depends on what line of work you’re offering.

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Why wouldn’t it be allowed? As long as they are making their payment through the Fiverr platform it shouldn’t really matter.

They’re going to love or hate your work whether it has a watermark.

That goes without saying, but when there isn’t an actual order involved, there’s no pressure on either side. The buyer knows exactly what they would get if they were to place an order. It’s more work for the seller, but in my opinion it’s entirely worth it. At least it has been for me. If they don’t want your work, that’s more things I can just add to my portfolio - it’s a win win for me either way.

What you can do is remind buyers they can ask for a modification if they don’t like your work. I limit modifications/revisions to 1, others do 2. I don’t recommend unlimited revisions.

I make it pretty clear that unlimited revisions are offered on any of my gigs, but guess what? There are some people that if they do not like the first thing you offer them, they won’t even accept any revisions. That’s where the problem lies. They don’t even give you a chance to make any revisions or give you the option to work with them. I offer unlimited revisions within means, ie, changing text, font styles or colors - I don’t see a problem with this and the buyer feels more comfortable with your service rather than limiting them on simple things. But, this really depends on what line of work you’re offering.

I just want to finish the job ASAP. Why make two deliveries when you can make one? Why complicate your life?

As for “unlimited revisions,” you’re basically begging your clients to be difficult and picky. I once had a client offered to buy my gig again because he wanted yet another revision, so I agreed. Then he wanted to buy my gig again, and I ended up telling him. “Listen, I appreciate all your orders but at this point, I’m out of ideas. Why not hire the following sellers?” I gave him a list of my competitors, people I trust.

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