End contract w/out feedback?

[26a4bdc5]

Can I end a contract without leaving public feedback?  The system doesn't allow me to do so. I'm not especially satisfied with the work, but don't want to state this publicly.

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

re: "Can I end a contract without leaving public feedback? The system doesn't allow me to do so. I'm not especially satisfied with the work, but don't want to state this publicly."

Yes.

You CAN end a contract without leaving public feedback.

You do NOT need to state anything publicly.

Although the standard user interface presents a free-form text field that asks you to leave comments/written feedback about the contract, you DO NOT NEED TO DO SO.

You can leave that blank.

The system will even ask you a second time to write something.

But you can decline to do so, and the system will let you close a contract WITHOUT ANY WRITTEN FEEDBACK AT ALL.

This is actually quite easy to do, as long as you are familiar with the process.

Furthermore, you are NOT REQUIRED to evaluate the freelancer in each of the 6 evaluation categories that ask for star feedback (between 1 and 5 stars). If you simply click on 5 stars for all categories, and do so without thinking about it, then this will let you complete closure of the contract.

Clicking on "5" for all categories without actually thinking about the categories counts morally the same as "not leaving feedback," in my opinion. Because these are just numbers that you're entering in order to finish the screen. This doesn't count as "genuine feedback."

[xdzain461]

re: "Clicking on "5" for all categories without actually thinking about the categories counts the same as "not leaving feedback." Because these are just numbers that you're entering in order to finish the screen. This doesn't count as "genuine feedback."

Sounds strange... Is 5-Star feedback with no text not counted as a genuine one?

[prestonhunter]

re: "Is 5-Star feedback with no text not counted as a genuine one?"

Upwork's software system is unable to know the difference between sincere versus expedient star ratings.

But it is my opinion that I bear no moral accountability as a client if I click five stars without thinking about it.

It is not my fault that Upwork requires indicating star ratings.

So I view clicking on them as fives without thinking about it as a morally acceptable, expedient way to "close an account without leaving feedback."

Petra below offers an excellent piece of information, pointing out that if the client gets the freelancer to close the contract, the client never needs to leave feedback of any kind.

[petra_r]

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Preston H wrote:

Upwork's software system is unable to know the difference between sincere versus expedient star ratings.

But it is my opinion that I bear no moral accountability as a client if I click five stars without thinking about it.

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that does not mean that stars with no text are not genuine feedback.

[prestonhunter]

Petra, this has always been my advice to clients who want to close a contract but don't want to evaluate a freelancer.

What would your advice be to clients who want to close a contract themselves, but don't want to evaluate the freelancer?

Simply clicking all fives and leaving no written feedback is the most fair and equitable way to do so.

[petra_r]

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Preston H wrote:

What would your advice be to clients who want to close a contract themselves, but don't want to evaluate the freelancer?

Simply clicking all fives and leaving no written feedback is the most fair and equitable way to do so.

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Sure. That doesn't make the statement that 5 stars with no comments  "doesn't count as "genuine feedback."" - any more true. 

You see from Zain's startled response what happens. Uncorrected, this kind of statement leads to freelancers then pestering clients for feedback changes to add words to stars because they were told that stars without text  "don't count as "genuine feedback."

[bfb51de4]

this no longer works. The system will not let you end a contract  without public comment, no matter how many times you hit the button 🙂

[prestonhunter]

re: "this no longer works. The system will not let you end a contract without public comment, no matter how many times you hit the button"

But you can still close a contract without writing anything.

The system requires users to click on star feedback.
But you don't need to leave written comments.

[petra_r]

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David P wrote:

this no longer works

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It never worked.

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David P wrote:

The system will not let you end a contract  without public comment, no matter how many times you hit the button 🙂

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You can end a contract without leaving a comment, all you have to leave is stars. If you don't want to do that, encourage the freelancer to close the contract, then you don't have to do anything at all.

[petra_r]

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Kathryn D wrote:

Can I end a contract without leaving public feedback?  The system doesn't allow me to do so. I'm not especially satisfied with the work, but don't want to state this publicly.

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Ask the freelancer to end the contract.

That way you don't have to leave feedback.

Zain M wrote:

Sounds strange... Is 5-Star feedback with no text not counted as a genuine one?

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No, that's nonsense.