How/When to respond to feedback

[ofureo]

I am a new freelancer. I recently completed two jobs. I have 2 ongoing. The client for the second one I completed ended the contract after the first milestone and gave me a feedback of 3.45 saying I kept demanding for more work even after he told me he was interviewing others. I intend replying the feedback publicly with this response:

"After I completed the first milestone which he said were great pieces, I simply asked him about his plans going forward with the job. This I believe he perceived as being demanding. I was just putting value on my time. He could have been more straightforward. Anyway, working with him was fine while it lasted."

Please should I response to his feedback or ignore it. How does this affect my job success score on Upwork? I an concerned as this is my second feedback. The first was 5 stars.

[AndreaG]

Hi Ofure,

It's up to you to decide if you want to reply to the client's feedback. Please know that your reply to their feedback has no effect on your Job Success Score. You can learn about how your JSS is calculated here.

[prestonhunter]

re: "How/When to respond to feedback"

Never.

Unless you talk to us first. In most cases, we'll be able to talk you out of it.

[ofureo]

Please what do you mean by 'Never'. Will responding to the feedback affect my work negatively on Upwork in anyway? Please can you explain it better to me. Thank you!

[alexis-arinze]

---

Ofure O wrote:
Please what do you mean by 'Never'. Will responding to the feedback affect my work negatively on Upwork in anyway? Please can you explain it better to me. Thank you!

---

Depending on what you say and how you say it, the response could make you look worse. I think he was just trying to help you avoid that.

[prestonhunter]

If you are thinking about leaving a response to feedback, you need to understand that doing so can be a big mistake.

I recommend freelancers coming to the Forum, explaining the situation, and discussing with Forum participants whether or not they should leave feedback, and what kind of feedback they should leave - if any.

This is not an "Upwork rule."
This is helpful advice.