The Customer is ALWAYS right (Even when they're not). A hard lesson in maintaining a 100% JSS score.

[garrinevan]

I never considered / gave a second thought to sending a "Statement of Work" here on Upwork. This isn't a built-in "feature" of Upwork. So if you don't know, you don't know.

I had a recent situation where I did everything right for this client's account. And yet, the client was not seeing the result they expected to see. I thought we were on the same page. But a week later, after completing the bulk of the work, the client changes the scope of the project entirely.

So at this juncture, I have one of two options: (1) Tell the client I will gladly do the additional work, for a fee (which client will not be happy with whatsoever); or (2) Tell the client I will gladly do the additional work, at NO CHARGE. Despite the client not clearly communicating what he wanted from the start.

If I choose option #1 above, I can almost certainly expect my Job Success Score to take a hit. So it's a lose-lose situation. I either suck it up and work for free, or run the risk of a drop in my JSS.

Lesson Learned: Expectations need to be crystal clear and *in writing*, from the start. Not just milestones with associated price tags. But hashing out the DETAILS of what the client expects and what the freelancer agrees to do for the client.

Curious to hear your thoughts freelancers. What are some of the things you've very reluctantly agreed to, to keep the client happy and maintain your JSS?

[feed_my_eyes]

Did you tell the client that the additional work was out of scope and how much it would cost, or are you just assuming that they'll give you a bad review if you don't do it for free? If you do a good job for a client, chances are they'll want to work with you again, so they're not going to want to burn their bridges by giving you bad feedback. 

I see that you're top rated, so you're allowed to remove one feedback review every 10 contracts/3 months. That's to ensure that if you get the occasional bad client, they can't tank your JSS, which actually gives you a lot of power to deny this client free work without worrying about repercussions (even though you've acknowledged your error in not setting clear expectations from the beginning).

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Garrin H wrote:

What are some of the things you've very reluctantly agreed to, to keep the client happy and maintain your JSS?

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I don't let people walk all over me, but if a client wants something small, or if I've made a mistake in setting expectations, I'll take care of it. Good customer service pays off in repeat business, and that means a lot more to me than maintaining my JSS. If your clients are happy, your JSS will take care of itself anyway.

[garrinevan]

Christine, excellent advice. For the time being, I've set up a followup call to discuss this Wednesday. I think he's happy that I reached out to him after the fact, just to check in and discuss how things are going. I'll have the out of scope conversation with him on Wednesday. And yes, I was assuming that he would give me a bad review if I don't do it for free. I definitely don't want people to walk all over me either, but I'm concerned about losing business with a lower JSS. I've seen the impact that can have previously and I'm working hard to keep that 100% JSS score.

[wlyonsatl]

Hi, Garrin.

I've been working on Upwork and one of its predecessor platforms for a number of years. One lesson I have learned is that I need to tell a potential client what I will and will not do to fulfill their project requirements. 

This starts with my initial proposal, which is usually over 800 words long and is usually accompanied by a checklist of what the client does and does not expect me to include in my work. After my initial Upwork ZOOM call I send to the prospective client a copy of that checklist, so once the project gets under way I can refer back to that checklist if the client decides to bring significant new work to the project.

I also only do hourly projects, so the client knows from Day One that more work will require more billable time from me and will increase the cost of the project for the client.

Under no circumstance should you agree to significant additional work without additional pay from the client. In fact, if the client requires free work from you then you should send them this link specifically stating that it is a violation of Upwork's TOS for a client to require free work from a freelancer:

https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500007578942-What-kind-of-jobs-aren-t-allowed-on-Upwor...

Of course, ideally you can negotiate well and get the client to agree to more pay for more work. But if the client does not agree to more pay for more work, tell him you're done, wish him well and close the project on Upwork's system.

I hate to see any freelancer fall victim to the tyranny of the Job Success Score. If you're Top Rated, use that perk to remove the client's feedback, if it comes to that.

Good luck!