When Should You Leave Negative Feedback on Fiverr?

Negative feedback is a scary thought for many sellers on Fiverr. But as a buyer you have a right to leave this, right?

Well, yes, but I want to ask buyers to really think about using that thumbs down button. Does your seller really deserve this? One thumbs down can really affect a seller’s ability to make money on the site. Is that something you really want to do?

Some of the times I suggest against leaving feedback is if:

·         You asked for more than the gig offered, and the seller stuck to his or her gig description

·         You were given something the gig detailed, but it was just not quite to your personal preference. This is the case with article writing (unless it is quality, which I’ll cover in a minute), logo design, graphic art and other similar gigs.

·         When the seller has modified the work for you, sometimes as a good-will gesture.

Of course, there are certain times that leaving negative feedback on Fiverr is more than expected. Here are some of the times that it is beneficial to leave your thumbs down.

When the Quality Is Just Shocking

There is a difference between personal preference and quality. Poor quality means that typos are everywhere, grammar is atrocious, and it just sounds like it has been spun (in the case of articles). Videos and graphics will have their own quality needs.

If it is just one typo in a 500 word article, I wouldn’t leave negative feedback on Fiverr for that. People are human and make mistakes. You also want to consider whether there is a difference between US and UK spelling, which could create the look of typos (but isn’t actually the case).

When the Fiverr Seller Hasn’t Delivered as Promised

Fiverr sellers state everything they will deliver in their gig description. It’s there to tell you what you can expect and when to not bother ordering.

If you’ve read through it and offered a job that meets the gig description, then you should expect a timely delivery. Remember to check out the gig deadlines for when you can expect the order by—you will also see a countdown appear on your gig.

When a seller doesn’t deliver as promised, you have every right to leave a negative vote. However, there are a few actions to take first:

·         Request a modification

·         Contact the seller to find out why the work was not as expected

·         Ask for a refund if the seller is not willing to make changes despite you having every right to.

Please note that a seller will not make changes where the limitations in the gig description have been met, or if you’re asking for more work without paying for extra. It’s not fair to expect a seller to ask for these.

If the seller doesn’t allow the refund and will still not deliver as promised, you have every right to leave negative feedback on Fiverr to warn others.

When It Is a Scam

There are scams on Fiverr. It’s important to do your research beforehand to avoid them, but you can’t catch them all. If you find that you are scammed, then do leave negative feedback. If you don’t need that $5, then I’d suggest keeping the gig just to warn others.

However, do note that just because you haven’t received everything you want does not mean that it is a scam. A scam is when someone has promised a product or service for the money you pay. So, if you’re promised a 400 word article on a given topic and you receive that, the seller has not scammed you. It may not be exactly as expected, but it is not a scam. You then need to determine whether you want to leave feedback due to poor quality, or request a modification. You could even get your money back.

There are a lot of people believing that the Facebook like and Twitter follower (and similar) gigs are scams. This depends on what has been promised in the gig. If the seller just promises a certain number of likes and nothing else and you receive them, it is not a scam. The likes may disappear afterwards, but you still received them. If the seller promised a certain number of real likes from certain countries, but you received likes from all over that disappear shortly afterwards (likely bots) then it is a scam.

The best thing to do is avoid all social media gigs that offer hundreds or thousands of likes. Most of them are bots, and they are against social media site rules. You could find your profiles banned.

Hopefully, you now have an idea of when to leave negative feedback on Fiverr. Think about the work that the seller has put into this, and if you don’t have anything nice to say (for personal taste) then consider not leaving feedback at all.

What to Do When a Fiverr Buyer Wants to Cancel

Cancellations affect sellers negatively. While the Terms of Service state that mutual cancellations have no affect on ratings (which is true), they are still calculated into the cancellation percentage. That is shown on the profiles after a certain amount, and it can harm the chances of reaching levels and the Top Rated Seller status.

There are times that Fiverr buyers will request a cancellation. I’ve had plenty of them who have done this. However, recently I’ve managed to stop the cancellations and gain orders out of them.

Here’s what to do the next time a Fiverr buyer wants to cancel.

Ask for a Clear Reason

Most of the time you’ll just get an “ordered by mistake” message. That doesn’t tell you, as a Fiverr seller, what’s gone wrong. Is your gig description not clear or did the buyer accidentally order?

It’s important to talk to your buyer and ask for a clear reason. There are times that it is malicious, but there are other times that the buyer thinks they have ordered the wrong gig. They may not even realize that you offer multiple gigs and can cover their needs.

Once you get a clear reason—or lack of one if it is malicious—you can move onto the next step. If it is malicious, cancel and report the seller to Customer Support.

Discuss Project Requirements

If the buyer has ordered the wrong gig but you can do the request, talk about the requirements for his/her project. Discuss any limitations that you have on your gig, and share the relevant one in a message.

This will help you both determine if you can work together. Remember to remain polite and courteous at all times. You’re trying to turn this into a sale.

When to Cancel

There are times that you can’t offer the buyer anything he needs. If this is the case, make sure you accept the cancellation.

There are also times that the Fiverr buyer will just want to cancel and find a seller he/she wants to work with. Honor that cancellation and move on.

If you do ever get a vibe that a customer is going to be hard work, there is nothing wrong with choosing to cancel. This is especially the case if there has been an issue on a project, and you’re sure the buyer is just going to leave negative feedback. I’d do this if I hadn’t already started the work. Now that I have a highly positive reputation, I’m willing to take a negative hit from an unscrupulous buyer. But that is a personal choice.

Hopefully you won’t get too many Fiverr buyers wanting to cancel. But the good news is you can turn it into a good sale. I’ve had positive feedback from the ones I’ve managed to prevent cancelling. Good luck!

Did you find this blog post helpful? Please feel free to share it with your Fiverr friends and help them deal with Fiverr buyers who want to cancel.

Why That Weight Gain Doesn’t Matter

Exercise is one reason for gaining weight one week.

Author note: I'm really sorry for the confusion of this post being on this blog. It was supposed to go on my blog Lose Weight With Alex. There you can find a range of tips for your weight loss, and my actual weight loss journey.
 
If you’re on a weight loss journey, you want it to be perfect. That means consistently losing weight to many people.

The problem is real-life isn’t perfect. There are a lot of factors that go into a good and steady weight loss, and now and then you will see a gain at the scales. In the last 20 months of on a weight loss journey I’ve had the odd week where I’ve gained weight. You can follow my weekly weight losses to see how I’ve done.

The odd weight gain doesn’t matter. It’s important to stop thinking about it as the end of your diet, and look at how far you’ve come. It’s also worth thinking about the reasons for that weight gain. You can then make changes if you need to, or remember that life is worth living!

You Can’t Stick to a Plan 100% of the Time

It’s virtually impossible to stick to any healthy eating or diet plan 100% of the time. You have a life to lead!

I follow Weight Watchers and even though it is designed to fit in with life, there are times that it doesn’t. There are times that I want to have fun and not think about what I’m going to eat or drink to stay within my points allowance.

Sometimes, you just want to be able to forget all about it. It’s only a day or a week at the most in some cases. There are times that it will be longer, especially if there is something difficult happening in your life.

Accept that there are going to be weeks where you go off, and accept the weight gain. It doesn’t mean your diet isn’t working!

Remember About Medication and Hormones

Medication does strange things to your hormones. If you change your medication, go onto new medication or stop taking it, you could find that your hormones change so much that you don’t lose weight one week.

This happened to me during my weight loss. I went on medication for a month and ended up seeing a weight gain. It was confusing at first since I’d stuck to the plan completely, but I put it down to hormones messing around.

Your body won’t always react the way you want, but it doesn’t mean the diet isn’t working.

Exercise Can Affect Your Weight Loss

You’ve done half an hour to an hour of intensive exercise every day of the week. You’re expecting to see an amazing weight loss.

Then you step on the scales and see a 2lb gain. It seems like the end of the world.

That is certainly not the case!

Exercise can halt your weight loss, especially the first week. Your body is just getting used to it, and your metabolism is affected. While exercise is supposed to speed up your metabolism, your weight loss can slow if you’re not eating to counter that metabolism increase. Your body worries that it will not get enough food so clings onto the calories instead of burning them.

Try eating a little more—you should never feel hungry on a sustainable, effective diet—and see how well you lose weight the next week. It’s a case of trial and error to find what works for you.

Gaining weight one week isn’t the end of the world. There are a lot of reasons it will happen, and it doesn’t mean your diet isn’t working. Think about changes in your life, and whether you’ve decided to give into real-life now and then. Look back on how far you have come, and make a promise that you will never go back to that.

Have you struggled with a weight gain now and then? Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments below.

Copyright Alexandria Ingham 2014. All rights reserved.

What Should You Do With an Abusive Buyer or Seller on Fiverr?

While most buyers and sellers on Fiverr will conduct themselves with patience and professionalism, there are always one or two bad eggs in the bunch. Some of these buyers and sellers become abusive. They can use disgusting words and phrases, and even become threatening.

I’ve had to deal with buyers like this, and I see it on the Fiverr forum as more and more deal with these abusive people.  The question many people have is what can they do about it?

It really depends on whether you have a gig open with them or not. Here are a few options to handle an abusive buyer or seller on Fiverr.

When You Have an Open Fiverr Gig

The first thing I would do is cancel the gig. There’s just no point in dealing with someone like this. Yes, you may lose out on money, but isn’t that better than the stress and aggravation that comes from dealing with these people?

It will also help avoid the issue of getting negative feedback that isn’t justified removed, if you’re a Fiverr seller.

Remain polite and explain that you have done everything you can and would like to cancel. Make it clear that the work (if you have done any) is not theirs to keep, though. Otherwise you could lose your work and your money.

If the buyer/seller refuses then contact Customer Support to have the gig cancelled and explain your reasons carefully.

Without a Fiverr Gig Open

Sometimes, the communication happens in the messages. It may be someone who has previously left feedback and is now looking for something for free. Or you may be dealing with someone who hasn’t even placed an order yet.

The best thing you can do is report the abusive person to Customer Support. There are chances that the account will be blocked.

You can quickly report messages by hovering over the message and clicking the “report” button that appears. This will mean the buyer/seller can no longer contact you via messages too.

Don’t Feed the Troll

Always avoid feeding someone who is like this. He or she is playing on hurting your feelings and scaring you. Remain polite and ask them to stop contacting you, and that you will no longer reply to messages.

Eventually, the person will be so annoyed that you’ve stopped communicating back that he or she will stop. It does mean the person moves onto someone else though, so there is one more thing you can do.

Report the Fiverr Buyer or Seller to Customer Support

Always report the person to Fiverr Customer Support. There have been instances of the staff not doing anything, so you need to play dirty.

Include the part of the TOS that makes it clear this type of behavior is not tolerated on the site.

Here is the specific part that you want to copy into your messages:

“Posting or sending adult, illegal, rude, abusive, improper, copyright protected, promotional, spam, violent, nonsense or any uncool stuff is strictly prohibited. Doing so will get your account blocked permanently.”

I would bold the “abusive” and “violent” parts to make sure the staff member sees it.

You can go one step further by requesting that the matter is dealt with, and failure to deal with the matter means that Fiverr is breaking its own terms of service. I’ve used that line in the past for something else, and it lead to a change in the terms of service and apology from Fiverr.

Nobody should have to deal with an abusive buyer or seller on Fiverr, but unfortunately it does happen. Remain calm, and don’t rise to the person’s attempts. Stop communication and press the report button immediately.