Decline by Client

[hkay77]

I am new here and just had a situation in which a client invited me to his job post. Very cheap rates for writing a LOT of words but I entertained it for the work experience (new, no ratings). However, twice (since I am a writer) I asked him what i was writing the articles for? He ignored it the first time, and when he sent me the 'test assignment' a second time, I responded that I would be glad to write the test article if he could tell me what I was writing for. Not only did he not answer me, he declined the proposal and then proceeded to block me from messaging him further.

As a writer (with no mention of ghost writing) I wanted to know. Does this decline show? Is this appropriate behaviour? Do I not have a write to know WHAT I am giving my blood-time for writing so cheaply? Just curious.

THANKS!

[tyerc]

I hope a moderator gives you an answer, sounds like a very unprofessinal client.

[csjarmitage · Accepted solution]

A lot of mistakes almost happened here, so it's good that this project didn't move forward.

First, you didn't have a contract so you would never have been paid for your work. Second, you almost sold your services at rock bottom prices which would have likely locked you into low rates for a long time to come. Why would a client be interested in paying you a decent rate if your profile shows you're willing to work for peanuts?

Rejecting your proposal doesn't impact your profile negatively.

[hkay77]

I replied to Christy first, but you ALL have given me great advice and MUCH to think about! THANK YOU!

Actually, the client started a contract but I had said that I wanted to know how he was figuring the word count and assignments against his budgeted payment. He had a fixed price on it AND I wanted to know what I was writing for, I wouldn't proceed without the information. He then replied with one sentence asking me to write the test article, for a small payment and answered nothing I had asked. Again, I did not accept it but messaged him asking for the information to be clarified first, what was I writing for. He then said he hired another freelancer and blocked me from messaging him in the future. His feedback seems to be for very small amounts too, no one seems to stay for the big ticket price.

Anyway, everyone gave me great advice and I really appreciate it!

Heather

[versailles]

---

@Heather K wrote:

He then replied with one sentence asking me

---

This is a strong clue indicating that you were dealing with either a scammer or a farmer (is there even a real difference between the two?).

Farmers need fluff content for the cheapest rate possible, they are subcontractors of other people who can themselves be subcontractors and so on. The final client is far away and farmers have zero clue about anything. They won't speak to you, they have no time nor interest for this.

Scammers are the same thing, but they don't even want to pay the miserable low rates that the farmers are paying.

[hkay77]

Rene,

Thanks for the information. I have heard about people who subcontract out content and that was why I was concerned. It doesn't help me or my portfolio to write something that I cannot use or track where it goes. It is a great first experience to have, so I am weary of 'farmer flags' in the future! I am sure you are correct that he is just a 'content mill collector'.

Thanks for the reply!

Heather

[gilbert-phyllis]

It can be worthwhile to accept projects for slightly lower pay than you are aiming for, to get your job history going. You might land a few jobs for clients who are price-sensitive enough to take a chance on a newbie. But don't settle for "very cheap rates for writing a LOT of words" because those clients are not interested in quality and will not help you establish a credible reputation here.

Don't waste time with any client that can't or won't clearly tell you what they need and how they are going to use it.

Don't write 'test articles' or any other sample work unless you are being paid. The client can set up a very small contract--$5-10--to pay you for writing a sample. BTW, if the client asks for free work, it's a violation of UW's ToS and you should flag it.

No contract = no impact on your record. But once you accept a contract, then anything besides an excellent outcome is potentially going to hurt you. So be careful, especially in the beginning when (1) you are inexperienced yet eager, not a good combination for sound judgment [we've all been there!], and (2) you don't yet have a track record of successful projects with good feedback to cushion you in the event of something going sideways and you wind up with not-so-good feedback.

I have found it useful to pretend I'm a client and search for the kind of freelancer i want to be, and see what other people here are doing successfully. Who can you find with credentials comparable to yours, who seems to be thriving here? What kinds of projects are they doing? What do their profiles look like/ Etc.

Good luck!

[cylver1z]

Hello Heather,

I'm sorry to hear that. Aside from the advises given to you by our community members in this thread, I can only recommend that you should only start doing work once a contract has been created. You may also check out these articles to help you be protected with your payment whether it is a fixed price contract or an hourly contract and avoid questionable jobs. Thank you.

[yitwail]

Heather, I agree with Christy, the client may have done you a favor declining your proposal. One thing to remember is that a client who pays low rates can be as hard as or harder to please than a client paying higher rates. So while it's ok to work for modest prices until you get a few jobs under your belt, you want to avoid being pidgeonholed as a budget rate freelancer.