5 Things Not to Do When You Receive a Bad Feedback

Sooner or later, you will receive a bad feedback. It happens to everyone, because it's impossible to make every single client happy. Negative feedback will lower your overall ratings and it might slow down your business on Fiverr, so feeling frustrated is completely understandable. It's best not to act out on that frustration, though, or you risk making things worse.

Here are some things to avoid when you receive a bad feedback:

1. Answering with a Vengeful Feedback of Your Own

It's tempting to tell that buyer exactly what you think of him/her. It's tempting to offend them and to try to hurt them as much as they've hurt you. Don't. It will just make you look unprofessional. One negative feedback won't necessarily make buyers choose someone else – they are aware that it's impossible to make everyone happy – but acting like a child having a temper tantrum will. Buyers want to work with a professional, not with someone who can't control his/her temper.

2. Spamming the Buyer and Demanding a Glowing Review

Repeatedly messaging the buyer and begging them to change the review to 5 stars is considered harassment, and could get your messaging disabled (or your account banned, depending on the exact nature of your messages). With the new Feedback Revision Policy, you're allowed to request feedback revision through the Resolution Center, but you can't do it repeatedly for the same order. Furthermore, repeatedly using this option can get you banned from Fiverr.

3. Spamming Customer Support and Repeatedly Demanding Feedback Removal

Before the new Feedback Revision option, if you could prove that you had done exactly what was requested and that the feedback wasn't justified, it was possible to contact Customer Support with the proof and ask for their help. Now, though, sellers can only get the feedback changed if they contact the buyer through the Resolution Center and request feedback revision, and if the buyer agrees to do it. The only exception is if the buyer has clearly violated Fiverr's Terms of Service (for example, the buyer was abusive); if that's the case, Customer Support will remove the feedback, but if it isn't, they won't. Keep in mind that spamming Customer Support, harassing them, being rude to them, or repeatedly demanding feedback removal even after they told you it wasn't possible has never been a good idea. Customer Support is there to help all users; harassing them isn't going to help anyone, and could get you banned from Fiverr.

4. Naming and Shaming in the Forum

If you can't get the feedback removed, it might feel tempting to rant in the forum. It's perfectly fine to do that, as long as you don't break Forum Rules (in other words, as long as you don't name the buyer). However, keep in mind that, depending on the nature of the buyer's feedback, it's possible for the other users to think that the buyer was right, and to openly tell you so. If that happens, remember to stay polite to all forum users, and carefully think about what they told you, and about the ways to improve your service.

5. Spamming Other Sellers

Messaging other sellers to beg them to buy from you is considered spamming, and it's forbidden by Terms of Service. Even if you're afraid that, after the bad feedback, you won't be able to make more sales, begging other sellers to buy from you is still spamming, and it's still forbidden. Begging them to help you remove the negative feedback is also spamming – and pointless, because there's nothing a seller can do to help you.

Don't panic. Don't get abusive. Don't spam. Use the tools you have at your disposal, and if they don't work, move on.

A negative feedback isn't the end of the world, and it isn't the end of your business on Fiverr, either.

Keep moving.

More Work in Progress

Do you make plans, and then go and do something else? I do, and it's not necessarily bad, as long as some progress is made. After all, there's so much to do, and the day only has 24 hours; as long as something is done, it's good, or at least that's how I see it.

Last time, I said I would create a gig for scripts for kinetic typography videos, and I did. I also said I would create a gig for writing inspirational articles, but I still hesitate to do it. Will I like it? What if people only want to order in bulk? Will the clients expect the impossible, or demand something that I don't actually offer? I'll probably create it anyway, sooner or later, and then deactivate it if I don't like the outcome. Just not yet.

The questionnaire for video scripts? Not done yet. Not good. Being more active on the blog? Not as much as I'd like to, but I hope I'm getting there. Tweaking the gigs some more? Yes, and will keep doing it. Being more active on Twitter? Yes. Also, I have activated the Catwriter Facebook page again, and now I'm thinking about the stuff I could post there that I don't post elsewhere (otherwise, what's the point? Why would anyone want to look at the same stuff on all the social media?).

More progress: learning new stuff. I know way too little about advertising and about using social media in general (well, I'm not exactly social myself), so I've read Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy, and Crush It!: Why Now Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk. The next one I intend to read on the subject is Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World, also by Gary Vaynerchuk. A businessman teaching me how to tell a story? Sure, why not? He's great at it, and I'm always looking to improve.

I keep thinking that I could have done more. Well, I could have. It's always possible to do more. But then I look at what I've actually done (the stuff I'm posting here is related to being a freelance writer on Fiverr; I do other things, as well), and I think to myself that this isn't bad. It could have been better, but it's still not bad. Not bad at all.

5 Things to Do When a Client Becomes Abusive

It's rare, but it happens: some clients on Fiverr either start out abusive, or become abusive down the road, for whatever reason (a misunderstanding, or their own client pressures them, or cultural differences, or...). You might be afraid of a negative review, but you're not obliged to tolerate abuse, and in most cases, as long as you remain calm and professional, you will get help.

So, what to do if your client is abusive?

1. Try to Communicate

If the situation doesn't cross a certain line (for example, the client tells you that he/she wishes you were dead), it could be a misunderstanding, so politely explaining what's going on from your point of view might help. Remind the client what they requested of you, and what, exactly, you did to fulfill that request. Remind them that you want them to be happy with your service, and ask them to explain why they're not satisfied. It could have been just the language barrier and/or cultural differences, so this approach is definitely worth a shot.

2. Stay Polite and Professional

No matter how abusive the client becomes, remember to stay polite and professional. If necessary, step away, calm down, and then respond to the client. Harassment is strictly forbidden by Fiverr's Terms of Service; neither you nor the client are allowed to break the ToS, and if your response is unprofessional, you could get yourself in trouble. Besides, if someone is abusive on purpose, nothing will anger them more than seeing that they're not affecting you.

3. Document Everything

Make screenshots of the entire conversations, both in the inbox and on the order page. That way, if the abusive client doesn't quickly calm down, you have all the proof you need to support your case.

4. Contact Customer Support

If the client refuses to behave reasonably, and keeps abusing/threatening you, submit a ticket to Customer Support, briefly and politely explain the situation, send them the screenshots, and ask for their help and advice. Keep in mind that, due to the Privacy Policy, they can't tell you what they did with the abusive client (other than telling you that they have removed the negative feedback, if you have received it).

5. Be Patient

Sometimes Customer Support is surprisingly fast. Sometimes it might take them time to get back to you (say, they have a ton of tickets to respond to, so you have to wait for your turn). Don't open multiple tickets (it will just slow the whole thing down), patiently wait for the Customer Support to answer you, and once they do, don't forget to thank them for their help. If you feel that they didn't help you and if you disagree with their decision, it's still a good idea to stay polite; kindness and politeness will always get you much further than "yelling" at someone already swamped with work and complaints.

In short, stay calm, polite, and professional, don't break any rules yourself, and in most cases, you will receive the help you need.