Hostile Client after Delivery

[dcompres94]

Hey, so i am fairly new to the upwork scene and had just landed my second job.

Although fairly easy, i thought i could use the good review for my profile.

Anyways long story short, Excited about landing another proposal i finished the job quickly exactly as agreed and sent him a dropbox link to his file.

So after this, the client started pointing out things that are issues from Dropbox built in player. But also suggesting that i did not use the audio file he provided.

Even though i sent him proof that it indeed was the file he provided me with, he became more hostile and did not settle for anything but a refund, a refund, a refund.... for a $10 job by the way.

So my question is, does anyone have any tips on avoiding this type of situation? or how to deal when you come across clients like these? i really am kind of bummed out that this was such an easy job and i did it Perfect, yet still a very very unhappy angry client.

[tlsanders]

Never take a $10 job. Seriously.

A lot of newcomers make the same mistake you did, but bottom-of-the-barrel clients are often the most demanding, hardest to please, most likely to demand extra work without paying for it, etc. 

[grahammjohnn]

This.

Also, don't fall into the trap of thinking that a quick 5 star rating will somehow help your stats. I used to think this way, but discovered that a long term client that doesn't end a contract, but rather keeps assigning you milestones is a far better client to have.

Most $10 clients are malicious, and very rarely end up giving you the 5 star rating that they promised. 

Play the long game on UpWork and you will be rewarded with a strong profile and some brilliant clients.

[prestonhunter]

A person who would demand a $10 refund for an Upwork job is not somebody I would want to work with.

If I hire a freelancer on Upwork to do a job for $10 and I'm disappointed with the result, then I simply will not work with that freelancer again and I'll hire other people to do the work. But to demand a $10 refund AND be verbally abuse? No, that's not right at all.

As a practical matter, if I'm disappointed with the results after spending $10, I should realize that it may take more than $10 to get the quality I need for this type of project.

[brittanyjasper]

Yeah, that is a perfect example of a nightmare client on Upwork. Even if they didn't like the work, it is absurd to waste your time like that and expect to not compensate you for it. Especially over $10.

Tiffany is spot on with her recommendations, the cheaper clients definitely tend to be the most demanding and hardest to please. 

I've learned to be really specific about what jobs I apply for on here as well as taking a good hard look at the client's history on Upwork. If they are time wasters, they usually have a history of it and most freelancers are not afraid to be honest in their reviews in the hopes of warning other freelancers. 

Your portfolio of work is always going to be your strongest point, so don't worry about taking cheap jobs just to get a good rating. There are a lot of amazing clients on here that will respect your time and work. It gets better as you learn the platform more and what jobs to avoid. Hope this helps!