Is contesting the Fiverr CS even worth it?

[acossidente]

Today I woke up to roughly 60 USD being forcefully taken out of my balance.

Long story short: a client bought a gig, received their delivery, let the order be automatically completed, and then asked for a revision later. I was happy to comply, but told them that it would have had to wait until i cleared my schedule. Note: I am a professional writer and usually deal with 6-10 clients/week. 10 days pass, guy gets impatient, leaves a 1* review and requests a refund.

Now: leaving a 1* review on a job that you yourself let autocomplete - no matter the reason - should be considered an abuse of the Fiverr review system. That, at least, according to the ToS. We discussed that with CS and - apparently - the ToS is as valuable as toilet paper when buyers are involved.

I don’t really care for the review either way, since I’m still receiving plenty of orders and inquiries. It’s no secret that Fiverr’s impartiality lies with the buyers rather than the sellers and that such an approach will damage the company in the long run. After all, why would professionals continue to pay a toll if that doesn’t guarantee them some sort of protection?

That said: should I contest the fact that this refund is a blatant breach of the ToS -the document states that no refunds will be issued on grounds of personal taste- or just accept the abuse and let it slide? It’s not even for the money… 60 -20%-33% in taxes turns into little more than 30 bucks.

My trust in the platform is irremediably damaged either way, but would going through the hassle of opening a ticket and having to deal with automated responses even be worth it?

[rankinfinite]

The buyer is claiming that you didn’t answer his messages and also misbehaved with him.

[acossidente]

The buyer is claiming that you didn’t answer his messages and also misbehaved with him.

The “nasty message” that he referrs to was an answer to his continuous messaging and to his threats to ask for a refund in the first place.

It was a professionally-written passive response reminding him that Fiverr forces us to complete active orders in time and that his - a completed one - would not be prioritized. I actually have someone look over these things before I send them. As I said, I’m a professional.

[rankinfinite]

The “nasty message” that he referrs to was an answer to his continuous messaging and to his threats to ask for a refund in the first place.

It was a professionally-written passive response reminding him that Fiverr forces us to complete active orders in time and that his - a completed one - would not be prioritized. I actually have someone look over these things before I send them. As I said, I’m a professional.

I have been regular here for about 8-9 days, and lots of sellers are complaining that Fiverr CS doesn’t remove reviews anymore.

[acossidente]

I have been regular here for about 8-9 days, and lots of sellers are complaining that Fiverr CS doesn’t remove reviews anymore.

Yep, they don’t. They should but it’s fine either way. I got guys praising my skills left, right, and center.

Point is: if someone can just request (and receive) a refund for a completed job, what stops fraudulent buyers from abusing the system and getting stuff done for free? I have several orders that are automatically marked as completed, should I start worrying that all of them could be refunded out of the blue?

You’ll agree that, from a freelancer’s perspective, this is a huge risk!

[rankinfinite]

Yep, they don’t. They should but it’s fine either way. I got guys praising my skills left, right, and center.

Point is: if someone can just request (and receive) a refund for a completed job, what stops fraudulent buyers from abusing the system and getting stuff done for free? I have several orders that are automatically marked as completed, should I start worrying that all of them could be refunded out of the blue?

You’ll agree that, from a freelancer’s perspective, this is a huge risk!

I feel you. I have been there. But it’s always CUSTOMER first for any platform. Forget about it and chill.

[acossidente]

I feel you. I have been there. But it’s always CUSTOMER first for any platform. Forget about it and chill.

Yeah, I know that too unfortunately. I guess just letting it be is the most viable approach. Even paying someone for a formal takedown notice would cost more than what that transaction was worth to begin with. Luckily, Fiverr isn’t my primary source of income.

Still, it would be great to see this platform working with sellers rather than against them. The passive aggressive “get to work, hurry!” messages you get every time an order is 24 hours from its deadline and the lack of safety definitely don’t help creating a comfortable and encouraging working environment!

Oh well! May this serve me as a lesson for future interactions! The ToS can and will be freely interpreted when buyers are involved!