Cancel a contract without leaving feedback?

[reenajacobs]

I started a contract with a client but decided to go in another direction. There's no feedback to provide, as I did not accept any work from her. When I choose the button to "cancel contract," it sends me to the "end contract" screen. Canceling a contract is different from ending a contract, at least in my mind. I'd like to cancel the contract, as if we have nothing in place.

I have no feedback that would benefit other clients, as there's nothing to say.

How can I resolve this issue?

[prestonhunter]

Renee:

I think you are spending way too much time thinking about this.

If a contract gets closed for which less than $1.00 was paid out, then the contract WILL NOT appear on the profile page of any freelancer, and it will not appear in a client's list when a freelancer looks at that client's record.

So... if you are closing a contract on which no work was done, just do whatever is expedient. If you are asked to click star scores, then go ahead and click whatever you want. Click all perfect scores. If you are asked to fill in a text box, then leave it blank. Or simply type "thank you."

Nothing you do will appear anywhere, so don't worry about it.

[reenajacobs]

Way too much time thinking? That's an odd comment. I should be careless and thoughtless how I treat freelancer? No. I don't think that's the right answer. I'd rather think thoroughly about a decision than not at all or haphazardly.

On the other hand, the rest of what you've said is extremely helpful. I imagine it's useful to quite a few clients who've goofed when hiring a freelancer, as I have. Would you happen to have a link in Upwork that supports your answer? I'd hate to click whatever and find it affects the freelancer.

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

You can read this:

Earnings on your profile

...which includes this snippet:

"Contracts take about 24 hours to appear on your profile after your client pays at least $1.00. Contracts not meeting this minimum are hidden from your profile and excluded from your work and feedback history."

[reenajacobs]

Thank you, Preston!

You are awesome!

[salve_gwapa]

Excluded but will go down the JSS. Mine decreased at 11%. Client cancelled the Contract. My 100% went down to 89%, so discouraging. 

[petra_r]

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@Renee T wrote:

On the other hand, the rest of what you've said is extremely helpful. I imagine it's useful to quite a few clients who've goofed when hiring a freelancer, as I have. Would you happen to have a link in Upwork that supports your answer? I'd hate to click whatever and find it affects the freelancer.

---

 Please give the freelancer full marks on both bits of private feedback you will be asked to leave, as a contract without earnings AND poorer or no feedback would significantly hurt the freelancer's Job Success Score which would be terribly unfair.

To be honest if I was the client and I changed my mind I would pay the freelancer a fair bonus / part of the milestone for wasting their time.

When a freelancer is hired they change their schedule to plan for that work, turn down other work, start to work or at least prepare, talk to the client etc etc. In my opinion a fair client who decides not to go ahead after "signing" a contract pays at least a token of appreciation for that.

[reenajacobs]

In most situations, I'd agree, Petra. If I hire a freelancer and they provide shoddy work, I'll even pay for that. I just don't keep them on. In this case, a gross error was made on the part of the freelancer, which made me question her integrity. I let her know, but in the meantime, I hired the runnerup.

She said she'd sent the wrong document and would send the right document. However, she said she couldn't find the document she meant to send. She chalked it up as her fault and a lesson learned.

I don't know what happened on her end. However, I could see myself making a similar mistake and mixing up documents.

Should she be paid anyway? I don't think so. I can't imagine she expects to be paid for sending the wrong document. I know I wouldn't. She even agreed to a refund of the deposit.

Should I penalize her for human error and ruin her reputation? I think that would be incredibly insensitive and even cruel.

Should I give her high scores for her lack of detail and inability to resolve the situation? I don't think so. How can I be sure it's not her normal mode of operation? That wouldn't be fair to other clients who attempt to hire her.

I want to give her the benefit of the doubt; that it was an honest error. However, I don't think she should get paid for failing to deliver the right document. I also don't want to penalize her for being human. I have no idea how great her work would have been if she'd sent the right document. In fact, if she'd found the document and sent it immediately, I likely would have kept her and the other freelancer on board. That's if the quality of her work was decent.

[petra_r]

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@Renee T wrote:

In most situations, I'd agree, Petra. If I hire a freelancer and they provide shoddy work, I'll even pay for that. I just don't keep them on. In this case, a gross error was made on the part of the freelancer, which made me question her integrity. I let her know, but in the meantime, I hired the runnerup.

Should she be paid anyway? I don't think so.

---

 Ah OK, in that case you should give HONEST (private) feedback. It sounded from your previous posts like you just changed your mind and decided to go in a different direction! This was clearly not the case and yes, please give honest private feedback. The feedback system only works when clients and freelancers are honest.

[petra_r]

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@Preston H wrote:

1)  you are asked to click star scores, then go ahead and click whatever you want

2) Nothing you do will appear anywhere, so don't worry about it.

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1) Is there any particular reason you want to get that freelancer's JSS damaged by pretending "it doesn't matter what she clicks?"

2) It "appears on the JSS calculation."

Edited to add: With further information this is no longer entirely relevant as the contract was not cancelled without work done, but because the freelancer scr*wed up."

[tlsanders]

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Petra R wrote:

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@Preston H wrote:

1)  you are asked to click star scores, then go ahead and click whatever you want

2) Nothing you do will appear anywhere, so don't worry about it.

---

1) Is there any particular reason you want to get that freelancer's JSS damaged by pretending "it doesn't matter what she clicks?"

2) It "appears on the JSS calculation."

Edited to add: With further information this is no longer entirely relevant as the contract was not cancelled without work done, but because the freelancer scr*wed up."

But, still good that you pointed it out, as other clients reading the thread might carry that misinformation forward and accidentally hurt freelancers who haven't done anything wrong.

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[freshwig2013]

I don't like that we are forced to leave feedback either.  Here is what I just did.

Private Feedback: Not likely to work with again, rating 0.
Public Feedback: 5 Stars

I've seen in other threads people have said why wouldn't you want to warn another client?  Because my boss does not pay me to help other companies, that is why.  I'm sorry if my needs don't fit the box you have created for me.  I came here to get a few freelancers and one of them was a complete dud, and I don't want to have negative feedback linked to my account in any way.  I think a lot of the defenders (whom in other threads were getting pretty heated) are behind the keyboard too much, and forget that some of us work in a physical office where no other vendor service requires star feedback when sending the invoice to the billing department.  We pick up the phone, we order a service, we pay.  Upwork is a bit different, and obviously needs to be given the nature of what it is, but please think about that before you dismiss those of us who don't want to leave feedback - your view may be skewed if your entire business is behind a computer screen.

I see a big disconnect between what clients need (to save time, and to save face) and what Upwork offers (public record).  It is a bit of a marketing thing, we don't leave our dirty laundry anywhere else but Upwork seems to require it - except the way out is for me to leave 5 star reviews that will actually hurt future clients.

Too bad we can't stay neutral.  I don't know what the perfect solution is, I just know that there is friction between what our needs are, and what Upwork's ecosystem requires.

[reenajacobs]

Thank you for sharing. You make a good point. Most businesses or consumers don’t leave reviews. It’s unfortunate we have to force it.

I don’t think leaving 5 upfront and 0 on the back is the best way either. Sure Upwork make get the real picture, but it doesn’t help the next business reading the reviews, which is what Upwork makes it seem like the reviews are meant to do.

It’d be nice if the gave an option for us to make our review private or public, if the insist on us providing one.

I’m not here to destroy anyone’s business. The interactions I have with a lot of freelancers are pleasant, even if there work is lacking. I prefer to give them private feedback in that case, which I do. I don’t need to hurt their business too.

[purplepony]

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@Richard M wrote:

I don't like that we are forced to leave feedback either.  Here is what I just did.

Private Feedback: Not likely to work with again, rating 0.
Public Feedback: 5 Stars

I've seen in other threads people have said why wouldn't you want to warn another client?  Because my boss does not pay me to help other companies, that is why.  I'm sorry if my needs don't fit the box you have created for me.  I came here to get a few freelancers and one of them was a complete dud, and I don't want to have negative feedback linked to my account in any way.  I think a lot of the defenders (whom in other threads were getting pretty heated) are behind the keyboard too much, and forget that some of us work in a physical office where no other vendor service requires star feedback when sending the invoice to the billing department.  We pick up the phone, we order a service, we pay.  Upwork is a bit different, and obviously needs to be given the nature of what it is, but please think about that before you dismiss those of us who don't want to leave feedback - your view may be skewed if your entire business is behind a computer screen.

I see a big disconnect between what clients need (to save time, and to save face) and what Upwork offers (public record).  It is a bit of a marketing thing, we don't leave our dirty laundry anywhere else but Upwork seems to require it - except the way out is for me to leave 5 star reviews that will actually hurt future clients.

Too bad we can't stay neutral.  I don't know what the perfect solution is, I just know that there is friction between what our needs are, and what Upwork's ecosystem requires.

_______________________________________________________________________

Richard, IMO attitudes such as yours are definitely part of the problem; not part of the solution.

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[colettelewis]

Pat, I more than second that.

Richard if you feel you could never work with a freelancer again that is fair enough, but to give a five-star feedback is simply confusing. A zero recommend could massively impact the freelancer's JSS, but the freelancer will not have the faintest idea why, because of a glowing public 5/5.

If you were to give an honest appraisal (without writing a book about it) in the public feedback the freelancer would at least know where he or she went wrong and might attempt to do something about it. 

[kat303]

I don't like that we are forced to leave feedback either.  Here is what I just did.

Private Feedback: Not likely to work with again, rating 0.
Public Feedback: 5 Stars

Richard. - I can't tell you how many freelancers post on here, "My JSS droped to XX% but I have all 5 star reviews on the jobs I completed. Why did my JSS drop so much?"

We freelancers, when we see posts like that usually tell the poster that the client probably gave you a 6 star Public review, but a poor Private review. And that is just what you did. You talk about deceiving and airing "dirty laundry" but you become exactly the person that did that although you say you want to be fair etc.

To be fair, you should have given an honest and fair Public assessment of this freelancer WITH a review as to why. You could have stated on the freelancers review section a short version of what happen. Something like,

This review is low because the freelancer made a gross error. She sent the wrong document to me and could not find the correct one to send. Her work may have been stellar, or shoddy, but since I have no way of reviewing it I felt I had to give this review.

Would it have hurt her? maybe, and maybe not. By explaining why you gave a poor public review IS the correct way to be, as you say honest. and fair. And you Can stay netural = by leaving honest explanations. Doing so doesn't reflect back to you and it doesn't warn other clients, It just gives your assessment as to why you rated this freelancer the way you did. 

[reenajacobs]

When you force a large percentage of people to do things they don't want to do, you're going to get results you don't like. You'll get some people who'll step in line and follow rules like sheep. You'll get some who are passive aggressive and kind of follow instructions but skew results in a big way. You'll get some folks who just outright refuse and leave the system. Then you have those all along the spectrum and even those who work outside the box.

I don't subscribe to Richard's methods. However, Upwork has created a system that forces people into corners. When you force people into corners, you shouldn't be surprised when you get unwanted results.

[colettelewis]

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@Renee T wrote:

When you force a large percentage of people to do things they don't want to do, you're going to get results you don't like. You'll get some people who'll step in line and follow rules like sheep. You'll get some who are passive aggressive and kind of follow instructions but skew results in a big way. You'll get some folks who just outright refuse and leave the system. Then you have those all along the spectrum and even those who work outside the box.

I don't subscribe to Richard's methods. However, Upwork has created a system that forces people into corners. When you force people into corners, you shouldn't be surprised when you get unwanted results.

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 __________________________________

That is so right! I wish Upwork would take your post and act on it accordingly.

[mccarthys]

I have contracts going back five years.

I don't recall the quality of the work.

I would like to end these contracts without giving feedback, because I have no useful comments to make.

[petra_r]

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Kit S wrote:

I have contracts going back five years.

I don't recall the quality of the work.

I would like to end these contracts without giving feedback, because I have no useful comments to make.

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Just end them with 5 stars and no comment. In dubio pro reo.

[mccarthys]

Why do these 'community gurus' keep insisting on some workaround that satisfies only Upwork?

[melaniekhenson]

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Renee T wrote:

When you force a large percentage of people to do things they don't want to do, you're going to get results you don't like. You'll get some people who'll step in line and follow rules like sheep. You'll get some who are passive aggressive and kind of follow instructions but skew results in a big way. You'll get some folks who just outright refuse and leave the system. Then you have those all along the spectrum and even those who work outside the box.

I don't subscribe to Richard's methods. However, Upwork has created a system that forces people into corners. When you force people into corners, you shouldn't be surprised when you get unwanted results.

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There's something I'm a little confused about with this idea. So in other words: if a particular client wants to put out inaccurate feedback because he feels "forced" into leaving the feedback, is he okay with other clients feeling that way and possibly misleading him about future hires?

This whole system is for clients. Supposedly, it's so that clients can make an informed choice on a solid freelancer. If clients are angry that they think they're hiring someone great, but they wind up with a dud, blame attitudes like Richard's. (shrug) It is what it is. If that's your attitude, that is 100% fine, but expect that attitude from others as well in that case. Why should they even bother being accurate if they think it doesn't work, since they hired someone based on feedback that looked great but they wound up with poor work?

I'm not peeved or anything. I really just don't get it. Are other clients still supposed to do the work for the clients who refuse to do "extra work" (leaving feedback that makes sense)? Or should everybody throw inaccurate stuff out there just to show Upwork where it's at? I do not understand this mindset. 🙂 The FB system is for you, Clients. 🙂 It's the Yelp of the UW platform, except here you get the freelancer's entire history, not just feedback left when someone felt like it. Done correctly it's a helpful feature for clients. (Done incorrectly out of spite, well, that's where things go wonky, and TBH, this explains a lot...see the Freelancers board if you're not sure what I'm talking about.)

OTOH, if you really dislike it, you can go to different platforms where feedback isn't required and take your chances. There are freelancers everywhere. You can't swing a dead cat in practically any area of the globe without hitting a freelancer, so you're definitely not forced into anything. You can find them on Facebook if you wish. Or Google for them. We're all over the place, so...I don't know...I don't get the "I'm putting my foot down" attitude...it seems so odd. I thought a huge draw for Clients choosing Upwork was the reviews. You want to get them (from other clients) but you don't want to give them? (???) Again...you're talking Yelp-style in that case, where a percentage of clients have an awful experience but simply never say so and they simply walk away because it's easier and they're over it, and as a Client possibly hiring that freelancer in the future you're rolling the dice.

Just my $.02 and perhaps I'm missing something. This is just what came to mind for me when I read this thread.

[reenajacobs]

I think you are missing something. There is no simple canceling a contract. You’re required to leave feedback and a rating If you cancel a contract, for whatever reason. It’s has nothing to do with the quality of work. If you as a contractor decide you don’t want or need the work, you still need to leave feedback and a rating, even if you receive nothing/accept nothing. Unless things have changed (after all, this is an old thread), leaving feedback with a rating on a canceled contract isn’t available. And a rating isn’t Always helpful.

It’s like going to restaurant, getting to the door, reading the menu outside, and realizing you’re allergic to everything available, then moving on. Should you leave a starred review? What rating? 1 for not meeting my allergy standard? 5 for at least posting the menu? 3 just to leave something? I have no problem alerting people or sharing my opinion or what happened. My problem is having to put a rating, when it’s not applicable.

[tlsanders]

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Richard M wrote:

I don't like that we are forced to leave feedback either.  Here is what I just did.

Private Feedback: Not likely to work with again, rating 0.
Public Feedback: 5 Stars

I've seen in other threads people have said why wouldn't you want to warn another client?  Because my boss does not pay me to help other companies, that is why.  I'm sorry if my needs don't fit the box you have created for me.  I came here to get a few freelancers and one of them was a complete dud, and I don't want to have negative feedback linked to my account in any way. 

It's interesting that you don't want negative feedback to a freelancer to mar your record

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

I'd be far more reluctant to work with someone who has announced that he has no compunctions about lying to protect his own interests than one who gave the occasional freelancer a negative rating.

[salve_gwapa]

Why 0 Private Feedback? And 5 Star Public Feedback? Very contradictory.

If a Freelancer is a Complete Dud, then give at least a Public Feedback that tells the Public what's the Truth about the Freelancer and that's UpWork purpose also. 

Is this your Vengeance to the Freelancer for his/ her JSS expectation?

You chose to hire him/ her. Had you screened your applicants well?