My client canceled the project

[hommasi-younes]

Hi, I Just had the worst client. she wanted a logo for her website she already had one but wanted me to make a new one. I did everything she asked. but she always said NO (not in a polite way of course) she even gave me some examples and I am sure I did everything like she described but still NO. I made a lot of logos for her but she didn't like any of them. my logos were clearly better than the one she had ( I can prove that)  so now that she has canceled the contract how does that affect my job success score level? is there ant way to fix this? I can show some parts of our chat and even I can show you guys the logos. I just don't want to lose my score because of this client. 

[prestonhunter]

Younes:

Clients are allowed to cancel or close a contract at any time, for any reason.

Is it possible that an unhappy client's feedback (including private feedback) will negatively impact your JSS?

Yes. That is possible.

Is it guaranteed?

No.

But whether this particular contract affects your JSS or not, there is no mechanism at Upwork through which you can send chat logs and logo files to "prove" that you don't deserve negative feedback.

I looked at your profile.

You have completed 30 jobs. And you have a 99% JSS.

This is excellent!

You should really NOT be worrying about ONE SINGLE CLIENT who did not appreciate your work. I don't think this will negatively impact you.

If you had zero earnings for the contract, then that is not ideal. But I really don't think a single contract like that will change your score.

(And regardless of whether you worry or not, there is no way to "fix" this by talking to Upwork and proving your side of things.)

[hommasi-younes]

thank you so much Preston, for your clear answer. but what if I cancel the contract first does that affect my job score? like when a client is not very clear about their needs. or maybe looking for free job.

[lysis10]

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Younes H wrote:

thank you so much Preston, for your clear answer. but what if I cancel the contract first does that affect my job score? like when a client is not very clear about their needs. or maybe looking for free job.

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Every contract affects your score. If she's not happy, then of course it's gonna be negative. You can use the perk.

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

re: "what if I cancel the contract first does that affect my job score? like when a client is not very clear about their needs. or maybe looking for free job."

That is a legitimate question.

JSS is not influenced by whether it is the client or the freelancer who cancels a contract. So TECHNICALLY it does not matter who "goes first."

BUT: Who goes first MAY impact factors that DO influence JSS and/or show up on your profile page.

If you (the freelancer) close a contract, you MUST leave feedback.

If the client closes a contract, she MUST leave feedback.

If the freelancer closes a contract, and the client NEVER goes to her Upwork account to leave feedback for the contract, including NEVER RESPONDING to Upwork's messages asking for feedback, then there will be NO FEEDBACK from the client.

Freelancers LIKE to receive positive feedback from clients. But what if the client is unsatisfied? Then maybe it is BETTER to receive NO feedback than negative feedback.

When a freelancer closes the contract himself, the client may well leave feedback. But there is a POSSIBILITY that she won't leave feedback. There is no such possibility if she closes the contract herself.

The other big factor is whether or not there is any payment. This DOES impact JSS. Zero-pay contracts are not good for JSS.

If you have already been paid SOMETHING, then it doesn't matter who closes the contract.

If this is a fixed-price contract, and you're on your first milestone, and you have not been paid yet, there is no way for the freelancer to close the contract without refunding the money.

If the client wants to close the contract, she must release the escrow money to the freelancer, or get the freelancer's permission to have the money refunded back to her.

So if either side summarily closes a fixed-price contract while an escrow payment is still in play, their decision to close the contract will have an impact on whether money is paid out or not.

If you have 30 contracts and 99% JSS, I doubt that closing one contract and having no pay for it will have a significant impact on your JSS. It might not have any impact at all.

[hommasi-younes]

THANK YOU SO MUCH.