Will renegotiating a fixed price contract from $200 to $65 hurt my JSS?

[cdstallcup]

I have an open job for $200 with two milestones, one for $150 and a final one for $50. After a first draft the client decided he doesn't want articles - he's going to turn the material into a TED talk instead. He suggested he pay me $65 and end the contract. I'm agreeable, but will doing that lower my JSS score? Thanks, Denise

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

This will not hurt JSS at al!

Go ahead with this, with no worries.

[cdstallcup]

Thanks so much, I appreciate the quick response - I'll let the client know we can go ahead with the change, Denise

[dsmgdesign]

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Preston H wrote:

This will not hurt JSS at al!

Go ahead with this, with no worries.

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Are you certain about that? I have been in a similar situation where the client changed his mind, I took less than what the contract was for to get out of it, and my JSS dropped. I've always heard that nobody knows for certain what factors go into calculating the JSS. Upwork won't reveal it, as it gives freelancers the ability to "beat the system" or words to that affect. 

[prestonhunter]

David:

Yes. I am certain.

Changes in total dollar payout have NEVER had any impact on JSS.

Having a zero-pay contract DOES impact JSS negatively.

But $65 is not a zero-pay contract. Something like this is simply not part of the calculation.

Although it is true that Upwork does not publish the precise calculations used for JSS, it is very public about what factors go into JSS.

The drop in your own personal JSS that you observed was due to other reasons. It was not caused by accepting a different total amount on a fixed-price contract.

[petra_r]

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David S M wrote:

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Preston H wrote:

This will not hurt JSS at al!

Go ahead with this, with no worries.

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Are you certain about that?

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Preston is, and so am I.

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David S M wrote:

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I have been in a similar situation where the client changed his mind, I took less than what the contract was for to get out of it, and my JSS dropped.

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Then the client left poor (private) feedback or it was something else altogether

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David S M wrote:

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 I've always heard that nobody knows for certain what factors go into calculating the JSS.

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Most things are pretty transparent. People just like to make it much more complicated and obscure and find reasons other than client satisfaction that affected their score.

Things that hurt your JSS:

1. Contracts that end in NOTHING (ever) paid or stay open for 2-3 months with NOTHING (ever) paid.
2. Poor feedback (private or public)
3. Good contracts falling out of your caculation window without new good contracts entering it, because that can alter the percentage of good v bad in the window, hence change the JSS
4. Apparently, in some rare cases, a bad dispute outcome can affect it (I have never seen evidence of that though)

Things that help your JSS:

1. Repeat clients / longterm active contracts
2. Good public and private feedback
3. Bad contracts falling out of your caculation window without new bad contracts entering it because that can alter the percentage of good v bad in the window, hence change the JSS

That's just about it unless you do something extreme like close 20 contracts at once without feedback.

But for 99% of profiles the above applies

[lysis10]

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David S M wrote:

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Preston H wrote:

This will not hurt JSS at al!

Go ahead with this, with no worries.

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Are you certain about that? I have been in a similar situation where the client changed his mind, I took less than what the contract was for to get out of it, and my JSS dropped. I've always heard that nobody knows for certain what factors go into calculating the JSS. Upwork won't reveal it, as it gives freelancers the ability to "beat the system" or words to that affect. 

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That's because a lot of clients want to avoid confrontation and just come up with something because they don't like the product. So in reality, they are firing you but want to pay you something for your time without going through a big ordeal of arguing over what it is they don't like. So you get a low private score. I would hazard a guess this is what happened with the OP. Just part of the game.

[kat303]

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Denise S wrote:

I have an open job for $200 with two milestones, one for $150 and a final one for $50. After a first draft the client decided he doesn't want articles - he's going to turn the material into a TED talk instead. He suggested he pay me $65 and end the contract. I'm agreeable, but will doing that lower my JSS score? Thanks, Denise

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Did you complete all of the requirements of the first milestone? If so, then you should be paid for what was agreed to ($150) for the first milestone. Freelancers are completing projects only to have the client say, this is not what I want, And then go on to ask for a refund or a lot less money then what was deposited. WAY too many clients are now doing this. I guess word gets around. Just say you don't like it, or don't need it, and ask for a refund. You're sure to get one. 

IMO I think you should reconsider that "agreement" You are being taken advantage of. 

Of course, if you haven't finished 100% of the scope of work listed for the 1st milestone, then you should only be paid a percentage of what's in escrow in relation to the percentage of work you did do. 

[prestonhunter]

I'm certain that what Jennifer refers to happens a LOT: Clients not liking what they receive, but they don't want to argue about it.

I don't think we can know for sure if that is what happened in the original poster's case. The client could be completely honest about simply having a change of plans.

Also: Sometimes a client runs into money problems and doesn't want to say as much. Because it can be embarrassing.

[petra_r]

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Preston H wrote:

Also: Sometimes a client runs into money problems and doesn't want to say as much. Because it can be embarrassing.

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Then the client would be racing to leave glowing feedback.

A client who does not want to leave feedback would have left poor feedback if forced to do so.