canceled contract

[carloslobo28]

Hi, I got a contract last night, client said would take five minutes, ended up taking an hour. Client start making questions I didn't understand and ended the contract and said nothing. Now I can dispute or refund, what is bes is the budget was 5, will he have the chance to give feedback in anyway? It's no my faul client is quite unprofessional, put in the message what needed translation first, said to translate first a sentence to see my skills and before I could so sent an offer. Then start making the questions very bad formulated I couldn't understand in the meanwhile I was translating what was required. So how can I get free from feedback from him? Will not be worse to dispute the case? I delivered the work.

[varungs · Accepted solution]

• Yes, if you were paid for the contract, the client can leave both public and private feedback for you.
• Usually, it's the freelancer's job to appraise the scope of the work, since a client can't reliably tell you how much time you will take to complete a job. Only you would know that best. If a client says "this job will take 5 minutes", you can discuss the scope and then correct them. Don't jump in assuming that they're right from the get-go.
• Communication issues are normal and it doesn't mean that the client is necessarily "unprofessional". There could just be some sort of language barrier or other misunderstanding. 

I think it would be in your best interest to end the contract. You two are not a good match for each other. Your JSS is good, so one bad job shouldn't be too much of a big deal in the long run. Plus, if I were you, I would just refund the client in order to get rid of the public feedback. $5 isn't very much compared to your overall earnings.

[carloslobo28]

Ok Varun, saved my day, thanks!

[yitwail]

Carlos, if you submitted work, I think you should dispute so you can get paid, but if the client cancelled before you submitted the work, then you should refund.

[carloslobo28]

That is the thing John, client ended the contract while I was finishing work, so I complete and delivered anyway and say him to pay as a bonus. I think I should be paid, other way clients are supposed to have the right to play with us. Anyway I've to give up my 5. 

[yitwail]

Sorry to hear that, Carlos. A client should at least give you the chance to do your job, and this client didn't. I'm not surprised that he didn't give you a bonus either. So this will hurt your JSS, because it's a contract ending without payment. I hope your next client is more considerate.

[petra_r]

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John K wrote:

Sorry to hear that, Carlos. A client should at least give you the chance to do your job, and this client didn't. I'm not surprised that he didn't give you a bonus either. So this will hurt your JSS, because it's a contract ending without payment. 

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The client ended the contract, so left private feedback.

Currently contracts that end without payment, but with good private feedback, don't hurt the JSS.

Contracts that end with no payment and no or poor private feedback, do.

[yitwail]

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Petra R wrote:

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John K wrote:

Sorry to hear that, Carlos. A client should at least give you the chance to do your job, and this client didn't. I'm not surprised that he didn't give you a bonus either. So this will hurt your JSS, because it's a contract ending without payment. 

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The client ended the contract, so left private feedback.

Currently contracts that end without payment, but with good private feedback, don't hurt the JSS.

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But can they possibly improve JSS? For instance, 10 contracts with no payment but all perfect 10 private feedback?

[petra_r]

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John K wrote:

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Petra R wrote:

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John K wrote:

Sorry to hear that, Carlos. A client should at least give you the chance to do your job, and this client didn't. I'm not surprised that he didn't give you a bonus either. So this will hurt your JSS, because it's a contract ending without payment. 

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The client ended the contract, so left private feedback.

Currently contracts that end without payment, but with good private feedback, don't hurt the JSS.

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But can they possibly improve JSS? For instance, 10 contracts with no payment but all perfect 10 private feedback?

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I have no idea, that doesn't sound like a very likely thing to happen, does it?

[bundie702]

A word to the wise: Jobs always take longer than the client says, and very few jobs take five minutes. Clients who make this claim always seem to pay a fixed amount rather than hourly, and usually a very low one.

[prestonhunter]

re: "client said would take five minutes"

The client said?

Unless the client is hiring for a timed consultation period or tutoring session or something like that, it isn't up to a client to say how long a task will take.

If I go to a bakery and ask them to bake a birthday cake, it's not up to me to to tell them how long it will take, or much it will cost.

As a freelancer, if I don't know everything about a task beforehand, then the contract needs to be an hourly contract.