My first bad review - from a competitior

[inka_iskandar]

Long story short, he/she is a seller in the same category with my gig which is cartoons. I tried to ask them to edit their review since he/she only comment that my work is good, but they decline. CS also told me that bad review from competitor isn’t a violation to their TOS which is weird but yeah nothing I can do about it.

Did I handle it well?

[mridul4567]

you did the right thing explaining it in the reply

[theratypist]

In TOS, (under orders) “Users with the intention to defame competing sellers by ordering from competing services will have their reviews removed or further account status related actions determined by review by our Trust & Safety team.”

https://www.fiverr.com/terms_of_service

[psychicbunny]

In TOS, (under orders) “Users with the intention to defame competing sellers by ordering from competing services will have their reviews removed or further account status related actions determined by review by our Trust & Safety team.”

https://www.fiverr.com/terms_of_service

In TOS, (under orders) “Users with the intention to defame competing sellers by ordering from competing services will have their reviews removed or further account status related actions determined by review by our Trust & Safety team.”

https://www.fiverr.com/terms_of_service

Good eye. @inka_iskandar save that screenshot and send it to Fiverr Support in a NEW email.

Competitors leaving negative reviews is definetly against the policy. Not every support member knows every rule of the TOS so it is your job to do proper reaearch and give them proof letting them know that it is not right. Keep us up to date!

PS - I don’t do orders for other Psychics. I think @misscrystal does the same as well. Too complicated.

[inka_iskandar]

In TOS, (under orders) “Users with the intention to defame competing sellers by ordering from competing services will have their reviews removed or further account status related actions determined by review by our Trust & Safety team.”

https://www.fiverr.com/terms_of_service

Thank for the information. Maybe CS won’t delete the review because he/she still comment that my job was good and the overall rating is 2.7 maybe it have to be a 1 star review with a rude comment? I’d never know 😅

[inka_iskandar]

In TOS, (under orders) “Users with the intention to defame competing sellers by ordering from competing services will have their reviews removed or further account status related actions determined by review by our Trust & Safety team.”

https://www.fiverr.com/terms_of_service

Good eye. @inka_iskandar save that screenshot and send it to Fiverr Support in a NEW email.

Competitors leaving negative reviews is definetly against the policy. Not every support member knows every rule of the TOS so it is your job to do proper reaearch and give them proof letting them know that it is not right. Keep us up to date!

PS - I don’t do orders for other Psychics. I think @misscrystal does the same as well. Too complicated.

I will! Will come back for an update 🙂

[psychicbunny]

I will! Will come back for an update 🙂

I will! Will come back for an update 🙂

No problem, just make sure to be VERY polite when asking.

[theratypist]

Thank for the information. Maybe CS won’t delete the review because he/she still comment that my job was good and the overall rating is 2.7 maybe it have to be a 1 star review with a rude comment? I’d never know 😅

Yeah, maybe his intention wasn’t to defame you? At least we know there really is something in the TOS regarding defaming from competitors. 🙂

[psychicbunny]

Yeah, maybe his intention wasn’t to defame you? At least we know there really is something in the TOS regarding defaming from competitors. 🙂

Yeah, maybe his intention wasn’t to defame you? At least we know there really is something in the TOS regarding defaming from competitors. 🙂

Is 2 1/2 stars considered a negative review? I forgot if it was. If it is still considered a “good” review (meaning it does not show up in the Negative Review section) then it’s not that big of a deal as it will kind of disappear over time with the rest of the OPs good reviews. But if it is a negative review I would definetly let Fiverr know. That’s not fair.

Update: I don’t see the review anymore…Did Fiverr remove it?

[fonthaunt]

Yeah, maybe his intention wasn’t to defame you? At least we know there really is something in the TOS regarding defaming from competitors. 🙂

Is 2 1/2 stars considered a negative review? I forgot if it was. If it is still considered a “good” review (meaning it does not show up in the Negative Review section) then it’s not that big of a deal as it will kind of disappear over time with the rest of the OPs good reviews. But if it is a negative review I would definetly let Fiverr know. That’s not fair.

Update: I don’t see the review anymore…Did Fiverr remove it?

I think 3 stars is a good review and anything less is a negative. Still, if the OP’s buyer says that he wouldn’t buy again or recommend even though he liked his delivery, CS may not be able to call that deliberate defamation.

Your advice to ask Support again, VERY politely and with screenshots is the best option. If they say no again, though, it’s probably a lost cause. Even if they agree that it’s manipulative, they might send the buyer a warning but not remove the review for the seller. I don’t think it ever hurts to appeal if you do so without spamming or being unprofessional, though.

[solwonder]

How did it work out for you?

[mynameiismud]

Considering the new threshold for mainting level status is set at 4.8 stars over 60 days, anything less should be considered bad at this point unfortunately 😔

[misscrystal]

Yeah, maybe his intention wasn’t to defame you? At least we know there really is something in the TOS regarding defaming from competitors. 🙂

Is 2 1/2 stars considered a negative review? I forgot if it was. If it is still considered a “good” review (meaning it does not show up in the Negative Review section) then it’s not that big of a deal as it will kind of disappear over time with the rest of the OPs good reviews. But if it is a negative review I would definetly let Fiverr know. That’s not fair.

Update: I don’t see the review anymore…Did Fiverr remove it?

Update: I don’t see the review anymore…Did Fiverr remove it?

They must have. 2 stars is considered a bad review.

[inka_iskandar]

Yeah, maybe his intention wasn’t to defame you? At least we know there really is something in the TOS regarding defaming from competitors. 🙂

Is 2 1/2 stars considered a negative review? I forgot if it was. If it is still considered a “good” review (meaning it does not show up in the Negative Review section) then it’s not that big of a deal as it will kind of disappear over time with the rest of the OPs good reviews. But if it is a negative review I would definetly let Fiverr know. That’s not fair.

Update: I don’t see the review anymore…Did Fiverr remove it?

It’s still there unfortunately

[inka_iskandar]

I have messaged them, saying:

Hi there Fiverr CS team 🙂

I’m just here to ask further about the TOS that stated: “Users with the intention to defame competing sellers by ordering from competing services will have their reviews removed or further account status related actions determined by review by our Trust & Safety team.” (picture 1)

I feel that my buyer/competitor is violating that rule because they never ask for a revision, commented that my work was good yet give me a bad rating. (picture 2)

It’s okay if after reviewing my case you still don’t consider this as a violation, but if it’s true, I just want an explanation as to why this isn’t considered a violation of the rule?
It will be helpful for me to understand Fiverr’s rule better so next time there will be no misunderstanding about this kind of issue again.

Kind regards,
Inka

---

Then I got an answer from CS Roberto today, he said:

Hello Inka,

Thank you for contacting us regarding the buyer’s behavior toward you.

We are reviewing the buyer’s behavior with our Trust & Safety Team. Due to our Privacy Policy, we won’t be able to share any details about the buyer or the actions taken.

Remember, at the end of the day, feedback is all about your buyer’s experience, and not about building up your own account. If a buyer leaves negative feedback, this can be a chance to learn and improve by reflecting on what might have gone wrong with the order.

We’re here if there’s anything else we can help you with

---

After that, I got my first warning!!
The issue was improper usage of Fiverr.
They said that they ask me not to try to manipulate or find workarounds to ‘trick’ the system.

Now I’m confused, it’s as if I’m in the wrong just because I’m asking about the TOS 😅
(maybe I should change the title to: my first warning - from asking a question)

[misscrystal]

I have messaged them, saying:

Hi there Fiverr CS team 🙂

I’m just here to ask further about the TOS that stated: “Users with the intention to defame competing sellers by ordering from competing services will have their reviews removed or further account status related actions determined by review by our Trust & Safety team.” (picture 1)

I feel that my buyer/competitor is violating that rule because they never ask for a revision, commented that my work was good yet give me a bad rating. (picture 2)

It’s okay if after reviewing my case you still don’t consider this as a violation, but if it’s true, I just want an explanation as to why this isn’t considered a violation of the rule?

It will be helpful for me to understand Fiverr’s rule better so next time there will be no misunderstanding about this kind of issue again.

Kind regards,

Inka

---

Then I got an answer from CS Roberto today, he said:

Hello Inka,

Thank you for contacting us regarding the buyer’s behavior toward you.

We are reviewing the buyer’s behavior with our Trust & Safety Team. Due to our Privacy Policy, we won’t be able to share any details about the buyer or the actions taken.

Remember, at the end of the day, feedback is all about your buyer’s experience, and not about building up your own account. If a buyer leaves negative feedback, this can be a chance to learn and improve by reflecting on what might have gone wrong with the order.

We’re here if there’s anything else we can help you with

---

After that, I got my first warning!!

The issue was improper usage of Fiverr.

They said that they ask me not to try to manipulate or find workarounds to ‘trick’ the system.

Now I’m confused, it’s as if I’m in the wrong just because I’m asking about the TOS 😅

(maybe I should change the title to: my first warning - from asking a question)

Hello, I’m confused too. I assume that they thought the “it was good” comment was not defamatory, in spite of giving you only two stars.

I don’t see that review as harmful to you actually. The two stars are not justified, but he did leave a nice comment, so my suggestion is to let this matter drop and try to put it behind you. I do not see any damage to your fiverr business over this.

[inka_iskandar]

Hello, I’m confused too. I assume that they thought the “it was good” comment was not defamatory, in spite of giving you only two stars.

I don’t see that review as harmful to you actually. The two stars are not justified, but he did leave a nice comment, so my suggestion is to let this matter drop and try to put it behind you. I do not see any damage to your fiverr business over this.

I guess you’re right, misscrystall. Now I’m more worried about the warning they gave me, I’m not worried anymore about the rating. I just wish they eliminate the “Buy again or recommend” point in the rating system, it’s very misleading for a lot of people.

[bappymustafiz]

Oops…never mind hope you will get better next time brendon_reimer

[jessica_jaid]

The “competitor” in question has a total of ONE REVIEW so that’s hardly competition if you ask me. While you’ve got over a OVER A HUNDRED ratings and you’re sitting pretty on an overall rating of 5STARS. I understand the gut-wrenching feeling of receiving less than 5stars because of the hardwork you put in. But I don’t see a problem here. Keep progressing and avoid controversial characters, and trust me, from the beginning of a discussion you’ll know when you meet them.

[misscrystal]

I would ask them why they think you are trying to trick the system. That does not make sense based on what you have said, unless there is some other reason for it.

[inka_iskandar]

I would ask them why they think you are trying to trick the system. That does not make sense based on what you have said, unless there is some other reason for it.

I really want to do that but now I’m afraid that if I ask, they will use it as an excuse to give me another warning that leads to my demotion 😅

[fonthaunt]

I really want to do that but now I’m afraid that if I ask, they will use it as an excuse to give me another warning that leads to my demotion 😅

Did you get the warning in the ticketing system or in your Fiverr inbox?

[inka_iskandar]

Did you get the warning in the ticketing system or in your Fiverr inbox?

I would say it’s neither. The warning appears when I open Fiverr’s main site, I have to push the ‘confirm’ button first before it landed me on the usual home page. Is this unusual?

[fonthaunt]

I would say it’s neither. The warning appears when I open Fiverr’s main site, I have to push the ‘confirm’ button first before it landed me on the usual home page. Is this unusual?

No, it’s not unusual, that means it’s probably related to things that were said via the ordering/message system. So, the warning is either over something you said to a buyer in the ticket/ordering system or something you said that made them think you are trying to break the rules. It could just be over you asking the buyer to edit the review depending on how you worded it. It can get really dicey discussing reviews. If Support didn’t think the buyer was trying to defame you, you don’t have other options there.

I don’t think you have to worry about your tickets, but I also wouldn’t pursue any other fixes for the review at all. The warning will be on file with your account and can effect your level evaluations for a couple of months. Just move on and be super careful about buyer interactions, especially over the next two evaluation periods.