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jnassiri
Community Member

Is it better to dispute or issue refund?

My question: is it better to dispute a refund request that is ungrounded, or just issue the refund? Worst case for the dispute is that if I win and they give me a one-star review. Worst case for the refund is that my Job Success goes from 100% to less than that. Which is more important?

 

I was hired to prepare an executive summary for a cannabis company. I have extensive experience in this field - I've raised $3M+ in venture capital, and helped countless other companies do the same. The client was non-responsive and repeatedly apologized for being unavailable. After I delivered the final document, they requested a refund without explanation, and have been completely unresponsive.

 

It's for $350, so not a lot of money, but on principle I would dispute. However, I'm most interested in keeping my profile appealing and wondering whether it's better to take the hit on star rating or job success rate.

ACCEPTED SOLUTION
kat303
Community Member

You are top rated. If you get a negative review, you can use your top rated perk to remove both the public and private feedback. If you issue a refund, that would show as a job without payment and that would affect your JSS. 

 

If your work was shoddy, incomplete, not up to par, half done or full of errors and unnecessary content, then I would definitely say that you should issue a refund. Otherwise, I see No benefit in issuing a refund, If you refund your earnings, then you'll be without payment, not to mention the time and effort you put into this job. 

 

IMO you should dispute that refund request. 

 

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8 REPLIES 8
m_sharman
Community Member

Hi Justin,

I was in a similiar situation, while my client didn't request a full refund, it was significant. In my case, providing him with the requested refund and ending our contract was the best course of action. He gave me a five star review and we definitely won't work together in the future.

 

I'm not a huge fan of this approach in terms of potential abuse by clients, however from what I understand about the dispute process it's difficult to "judge quality" and UW prefers to stay out of it.  I'm sorry for the situation, I can say my radar is a lot sharper following this experience as I believe this is a ploy to get quality work for a lower rate.

kat303
Community Member

You are top rated. If you get a negative review, you can use your top rated perk to remove both the public and private feedback. If you issue a refund, that would show as a job without payment and that would affect your JSS. 

 

If your work was shoddy, incomplete, not up to par, half done or full of errors and unnecessary content, then I would definitely say that you should issue a refund. Otherwise, I see No benefit in issuing a refund, If you refund your earnings, then you'll be without payment, not to mention the time and effort you put into this job. 

 

IMO you should dispute that refund request. 

 

jnassiri
Community Member

Thank you, Kathy! I didn't realize I can get rid of negative reviews. Very much appreciate your help and advice. 

feed_my_eyes
Community Member

It's definitely fishy that they made no comments about your work until you delivered the final version, and then requested a full refund without even giving you a chance to make revisions. It looks like you've got a  pretty solid case of a client who's just trying to get work for free. I would go ahead and dispute it, then get the negative feedback removed.

Thank you, Christine!


Christine A wrote:

It's definitely fishy that they made no comments about your work until you delivered the final version, and then requested a full refund without even giving you a chance to make revisions. It looks like you've got a  pretty solid case of a client who's just trying to get work for free. I would go ahead and dispute it, then get the negative feedback removed.


Yes, this is an excellent point. Curious since it was a full refund request following NO communication, how UW might handle it?  

gilbert-phyllis
Community Member

There doesn't seem to be a client relationship worth trying to salvage, and the damage they can do with poor feedback is limited. In your shoes, I would politely decline to issue a refund. It's hard to imagine they'd go to arbitration over $350 unless they could make a case that you failed to deliver, which they cannot (unless you're holding out on us). Personally, I'd like to see you call their bluff.

petra_r
Community Member


Justin N wrote:

 

It's for $350, so not a lot of money, but on principle I would dispute. However, I'm most interested in keeping my profile appealing and wondering whether it's better to take the hit on star rating or job success rate.


As the contract has been ended, both the effect on the JSS and the star rating have already happened, even if they may not be visible yet.

 

So your choice is mainly between getting paid and not getting paid.

 

Miriam H wrote:

 

I was in a similiar situation, while my client didn't request a full refund, it was significant. In my case, providing him with the requested refund and ending our contract was the best course of action. He gave me a five star review and we definitely won't work together in the future.

 


Oh yes, that was where you bought yourself a nice shiny fake 5 star feedback in exchange a refund. That option is not open to Justin, even if he wanted to blatantly violate the terms of service (not to mention ethics).

 

 

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