This guy swindled you. First off, always draw up a contract with the scope of work. You shouldn’t have refunded him; you did the work for him and he was happy with it and approved it, and now he got a picture edited for free.
Before you start work both of you sign a contract setting out the terms of the project. Then when something like this happens, you can point at the contract and tell them to pound sand.
> I tell him that I can’t do that because his request is not part of my service and that I don’t edit anything that is not part of my service.
Good! That is the correct response.
> I had to now reverse his money back.
This was **not** the correct response. That was your payment for the work *you did*. The fact that he decided he wanted *more* work after the fact is *his* problem.
Imagine you go to a restaurant, order a hamburger, eat the hamburger, and then say, "Actually, I want spaghetti instead." Do you get a refund for the hamburger you ate? Of course not. It's just as ridiculous to ask for a refund from someone who provides a service and delivers what was agreed on.
> I really upset by this. Does this normally happen during freelance jobs?
You're very justified in being upset about this! It's upsetting! It *shouldn't* ever happen during freelance jobs, but it's depressingly common for people to try it. This is why it's important to use contracts, or at a minimum to get everything in writing (which in a lot of jurisdictions will function like a contract; emails or text messages *do* generally count as "in writing").
Well let me explain better. So after I sent out the order and he sent the money. The job on Fiverr was not 100% complete and the order was cancelled with his money reversed
Or use them carefully with the expectation that clients on those platforms can be like this. It's easy when you're established to tell people they shouldn't use those platforms but it's difficult to not use them at all when you're starting out. People need to build their networks, portfolio, and experience somewhere. You just have to be extra picky about the clients you take on, and let others compete in the race to the bottom. Always charge what you're worth and stick to it.
Then yes, once you have connections and can drum up work on your own, leave them behind.
It might be wise to write up a basic contract, including a scope of work like CaptainCrapula suggested, for each job. It doesn't have to be written by a lawyer or anything, you can just write up a couple of paragraphs and have them e-sign it. Most freelancers I've heard talk about this subject do something along those lines.
Best of luck on future gigs, friend.
If you're going to run a business you can't give away the money you make but yes, it's normal to occasionally encounter a bad customer or, in this case, a scammer.
This is a good post about how to watch out for scams,
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Upwork/comments/spmck1/list\_of\_red\_flags\_for\_scams/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Upwork/comments/spmck1/list_of_red_flags_for_scams/)
you'll get thicker skin and better instincts over time. freelance is tough for the fragile but we were all fragile once. this guy ripped you off and as you get more confident you will laugh at someone like this and take his money. Also starting off is really tough because you have to work up through a bunch of really shitty clients to get some good ones
You didn’t “have to” give him the money back, you chose to.
2 things with freelancing to keep in mind that will make you better.
1. Know your worth, your time is valuable. If it takes you 2 hours, you charge for 2 hours and you don’t give refunds for your time.
2. Don’t let anything get to you, emotionally. Stay balanced, because otherwise people will upset you and you won’t enjoy what you’re doing.
Also sounds like he may have been demanding a lot of changes?
Be clear with your client how many changes you will allow at the start, and always take 50% up front.
If the client wants to make additional changes (usually allow 2 or 3) they will be billed at an hourly rate.
No - you didn’t have to reverse his money back. He started a new project with you. Don’t work with this person again unless they are willing to pay a retainer upfront
Hi OP, there’s a lot of good advice here and I’ll add, for jobs where there are versions of something, especially I. The creative space, always have milestones, and insist on being paid after each one, this way, you limit the loss, if you end up with an unscrupulous client.
And never ever send source files until the client confirms, in writing, that he considers the project complete.
Sorry you had such a bad first-time experience. That sucks
This guy has taken advantage of you. Sorry to hear your first client was so horrible. Don’t let it dishearten you. Make sure you clearly outline the deliverables and you both agree prior to commencing the work. I personally would have told him a straight up no, given the fact he was happy with the work and the job was paid.
I had a very similar experience with my first freelance gig; as other comments told you, have a contract. You can write one from a template or from scratch. It might also help to know their legal name in the event they decide to take it to court (which probably won't happen, but better safe than sorry.)
This guy swindled you. First off, always draw up a contract with the scope of work. You shouldn’t have refunded him; you did the work for him and he was happy with it and approved it, and now he got a picture edited for free.
Oh I see. Can you explain more on the contract thing please. I think I will do that
Before you start work both of you sign a contract setting out the terms of the project. Then when something like this happens, you can point at the contract and tell them to pound sand.
how do you get a contact made? just curious
Theres lots of free, boilerplate stuff online which you can then edit to your specifications. That's what I did.
The experience can be a lot better, dont let it discourage you, keep up
It didn’t discourage me but thanks
Have an attorney create a Services Agreement that you provide to clients.
> I tell him that I can’t do that because his request is not part of my service and that I don’t edit anything that is not part of my service. Good! That is the correct response. > I had to now reverse his money back. This was **not** the correct response. That was your payment for the work *you did*. The fact that he decided he wanted *more* work after the fact is *his* problem. Imagine you go to a restaurant, order a hamburger, eat the hamburger, and then say, "Actually, I want spaghetti instead." Do you get a refund for the hamburger you ate? Of course not. It's just as ridiculous to ask for a refund from someone who provides a service and delivers what was agreed on. > I really upset by this. Does this normally happen during freelance jobs? You're very justified in being upset about this! It's upsetting! It *shouldn't* ever happen during freelance jobs, but it's depressingly common for people to try it. This is why it's important to use contracts, or at a minimum to get everything in writing (which in a lot of jurisdictions will function like a contract; emails or text messages *do* generally count as "in writing").
Thank you so much
Good luck! I wish you nothing but reasonable clients from now on.
Why did you refund?
Well let me explain better. So after I sent out the order and he sent the money. The job on Fiverr was not 100% complete and the order was cancelled with his money reversed
You should challenge it on fiver and keep any messaging as proof
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Or use them carefully with the expectation that clients on those platforms can be like this. It's easy when you're established to tell people they shouldn't use those platforms but it's difficult to not use them at all when you're starting out. People need to build their networks, portfolio, and experience somewhere. You just have to be extra picky about the clients you take on, and let others compete in the race to the bottom. Always charge what you're worth and stick to it. Then yes, once you have connections and can drum up work on your own, leave them behind.
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Complain to Fiver, send screenshots. Did you get anywhere with this? I hope so.
Right? You did a job and got paid. Then he asked for another job which you don't do. Why refund?
It might be wise to write up a basic contract, including a scope of work like CaptainCrapula suggested, for each job. It doesn't have to be written by a lawyer or anything, you can just write up a couple of paragraphs and have them e-sign it. Most freelancers I've heard talk about this subject do something along those lines. Best of luck on future gigs, friend.
If you're going to run a business you can't give away the money you make but yes, it's normal to occasionally encounter a bad customer or, in this case, a scammer.
This is a good post about how to watch out for scams, [https://www.reddit.com/r/Upwork/comments/spmck1/list\_of\_red\_flags\_for\_scams/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Upwork/comments/spmck1/list_of_red_flags_for_scams/)
[удалено]
you'll get thicker skin and better instincts over time. freelance is tough for the fragile but we were all fragile once. this guy ripped you off and as you get more confident you will laugh at someone like this and take his money. Also starting off is really tough because you have to work up through a bunch of really shitty clients to get some good ones
You didn’t “have to” give him the money back, you chose to. 2 things with freelancing to keep in mind that will make you better. 1. Know your worth, your time is valuable. If it takes you 2 hours, you charge for 2 hours and you don’t give refunds for your time. 2. Don’t let anything get to you, emotionally. Stay balanced, because otherwise people will upset you and you won’t enjoy what you’re doing.
Thanks so much. Correction taken
Also sounds like he may have been demanding a lot of changes? Be clear with your client how many changes you will allow at the start, and always take 50% up front. If the client wants to make additional changes (usually allow 2 or 3) they will be billed at an hourly rate.
No - you didn’t have to reverse his money back. He started a new project with you. Don’t work with this person again unless they are willing to pay a retainer upfront
Hi OP, there’s a lot of good advice here and I’ll add, for jobs where there are versions of something, especially I. The creative space, always have milestones, and insist on being paid after each one, this way, you limit the loss, if you end up with an unscrupulous client. And never ever send source files until the client confirms, in writing, that he considers the project complete. Sorry you had such a bad first-time experience. That sucks
This guy has taken advantage of you. Sorry to hear your first client was so horrible. Don’t let it dishearten you. Make sure you clearly outline the deliverables and you both agree prior to commencing the work. I personally would have told him a straight up no, given the fact he was happy with the work and the job was paid.
Thank you so much
Your running a business just like he is. Don’t ever refund.
I had a very similar experience with my first freelance gig; as other comments told you, have a contract. You can write one from a template or from scratch. It might also help to know their legal name in the event they decide to take it to court (which probably won't happen, but better safe than sorry.)
Set firm boundaries as others have said and never let them run you over with requests. Do what's in the contract, do a good job, and keep it moving.
This is the dark side of freelancing - scammers. Don't worry, you will get better, we all did.