Freelancing and arbitration. Something has to change, otherwise it's a dead end!

 

I'm a developer, I only make freelance money on this site, I'm not looking for other work and don't want to, as I'm happy here and have enough to live on.

I have run into the following problem.

One of my regular customers has ordered a job from me and disappeared, disappeared for a month, but I completed the work. A month later, turning a blind eye to the almost fraternal relationship after many joint projects, I went to arbitration. And here I was in for a nasty surprise, if before you could read the answers from a live representative of the arbitration, now everything became fully automatic, without any live control from the arbitration. That is, the inscription "Wait until the Employer confirms the completion of the work" well, I was not satisfied, as the customer simply did not enter the work for more than a month. Well, that's alright, if we are patient and wait for another month... And now the customer shows up. HOORAY! It would seem..., but no, the client simply presses the "I do not confirm" button, without any explanation and disappears again. Buttons appear in my office:

- close the job again;

- cancel arbitrage;

- cancel the job and return the money to the client.

Of course, I also write to the client in the job and in person, but there is no response. Ok, I think the price of the job is not critical to me, I decide to cancel the job and return the money to the customer. But again, the same "rake" in the end: "Wait until the customer confirms ....". I am a patient person, not a meanie, I thought that it's ok, let the customer take the money back when he wants.

In the meantime, work is boiling over, new clients... new jobs. Another client, satisfied with the work done, writes that all is well, that we are closing the job and confirm the penultimate stage and that's it... I write that there is still a final stage to be confirmed by the customer, but alas... ...the trail goes cold... Well I'm still patient, 3 days later in arbitration, again "Expect...".

Meanwhile, the work continues. And once again, another customer, who does not know about the last stage, disappears with the finished work. So arbitration again.... and again "Stand by".


We could let it slide, but judging by the looks of things, the limit of 7 jobs will be exhausted sooner or later. And even a signature in each message (to remind the last stage for completion), and trial versions of products, and issuing source code only after completion - all this does not give a 100 percent guarantee that the customer will not disappear.


So what was the point of all that I wrote?

My suggestion is the following: we should write conditions of this automation of arbitration in arbitration rules, because automaton somehow doesn't work clearly. The rules are not specified in terms, there is no specifics that I would like to read and calm down and not write memoirs on the forum.


Thank you for your attention.

 
I haven't used arbitrage for a long time, but if everything is as you described, then the situation is very bad... because more than 80% of the problems are due to the disappearance of customers. Without a human arbitrator, nothing will work.
 
That's why I don't take up freelancing... If I'm lucky enough to get a client now and have no problems, it's not certain that it will be the same in six months' time.
 
I think if the rules set deadlines and clearly describe the algorithm of actions, it is possible to work on automatic. For example, if the customer does not respond within 30 days of applying to arbitration, the last warning email is sent to him and he is given another 10 days, after which the work is automatically completed. And let the money be frozen for another 30 days, so that the customer can resume arbitration. But if the customer is still not there, it is his problem. It is even possible to apply more rigid terms to the executor, for example 15-5-15. And after resumption of arbitration, it is clear that the dispute will not be solved automatically, that is when live arbitrator is needed. And then we can raise the commission to 30-50 percent for live arbitration. In principle, I am ready for any stringent requirements, but only if it was spelled out in the rules, which unfortunately at the moment does not.
 
Georgiy Merts:
That's why I don't take up freelancing... Even more so, not living from it, freelancing is a highly unreliable source of income. If you're lucky now, a client comes along and there are no problems, then there's no guarantee that in six months' time it will be the same.
For the second year I have been freelancing on this site. There was a period when I was banned for over 2 months and looking for work on other freelance services, found nothing good, went back. I am not speaking about my 8 years experience as a trader that did not bring me anything except nerves. I guess it's just my thing and everything else is not my thing.
 
In the beginning, I was looking for clients. Then I stopped looking, as I somehow managed to find work on demand all the time. Then there was a period when I had several orders to fill at once. Now there is a period when some clients somehow find me on their own (some on Skype, some on LinkedIn), and I even have to turn some of them down, because there is a lot of work to do. So I do not see a problem with the number of clients and orders, if only I had the desire. I do not see any problem with the number of clients and orders, as long as you have the will to do it.
 
Maksym Mudrakov:

There is no time limit in the rules, no specifics that one would want to read and settle down and not write a memoir on the forum.

And if you have these terms of confirmation separately negotiate with the customer and possible actions, without relying on arbitration?

By the way, the service is also interested in completing the work more quickly, isn't it?
 
Andrei:

How about if you talk to the client about these confirmation deadlines and possible actions, without relying on arbitration?

By the way the service is also interested in completing the work faster?

The most important thing for the customer is to receive the product, and in most cases the customer does not care what happens to his money after he has entered it, he thinks that he has already given it away, and he is not particularly interested in where it is (whether it is frozen or not). He is anxious to hurry to play his genius invention in the tester, and to start withdrawing money from Forex.

And everything should be very simple - there are rules, there are regulations. The developer must do what the customer wants, and the customer must accept the work. Well, this is ideal, of course.

And in general, my post has already solved the problem.

Thanks to arbitrage, for the prompt decision !!!

 
Maksym Mudrakov:

The most important thing for the customer is to receive the product, and in most cases the customer does not care what happens to his money after he has entered it, he thinks that he has already given it away, and he is not particularly interested in where it is (whether it is frozen or not). He is anxious to hurry to play his genius invention in the tester, and to start withdrawing money from Forex.

And everything should be very simple - there are rules, there are regulations. The developer must do what the customer wants, and the customer must accept the work. Well, this is ideal, of course.

But in general, my post has already solved the problem.

Thanks to arbitrage, for the quick solution !!!

A piece of advice for the future: as long as the work is not completed, give a closed code with restriction on work for N days. The one who is missing will come to you. And the one who is not missing will not even notice the restriction.

After last confirmation and payment to your account (seven days do not count) - give the finished work.

 
Artyom Trishkin:

Advice for the future: Until the job is finished, give a closed code with a limit of N days of work. The missing person will come running to you. The non-missing one won't even notice the restriction.

After the last confirmation and payment to your account (seven days do not count) - give the finished work.

Hmmm...interesting, how to do this? The developer must hand over the finished work and source code and only then the customer accepts. And in general, I wrote a long time ago, that the responsibility for the time limit should apply to both sides. Try to delay the wages in the real world...The prosecutor's office is right there...And here the contractor, a working man and practically without rights.

 
Stanislav Dray:

Hm...interesting, how do you do that? The developer must hand over the finished work and the source code and only then does the customer accept. And in general it has long been written that the responsibility for the timing should apply to both sides. Try to delay the wages in the real world...the prosecutor's office is right there...and here the contractor, a working man and practically without rights.

I just made an agreement with the customer - I give him at once - without any picture-mockups - working code that can be tested, but it will work with restrictions. The functionality will be added in parts. Each part he can test, give his assessment / comments, and I will correct if necessary - it is a mutual work. At the last step I would give everything ready and without limitation. But the customers have never been away for so long either. They were always there at the time of handover. I was not even chasing delays - if one of us was late, so be it. A person sees that the work is going on, I see that the person is interested in quality, and I communicate every day. There are difficulties that need to be discussed and overcome. It takes time that is not foreseen. It has always been with understanding.

Therefore, giving the code with restrictions - its confirmation - payment - giving the code without restrictions has always been quick and without the hassles described here. But everything is consensual.