Offer the option to "book" an hourlie rather than "buy" it.
I see a lot of people here, both from the freelancers team and the clients team, complaining about the short deadlines available for hourlies and how it's often impossible (for reasons out of both the client's and the freelancer's control) to meet these fixed deadlines, resulting in everyone getting upset and PPH intervening with such and such automated penalties that don't consider the circumstances of the parties involved.
So, would it not be a better idea to be able to book an hourlie rather than make the definite decision to instantly buy it and at the same time, instantly subject the freelancer to a very tight deadline and giving the client the unrealistic expectations that, regardless of what the client does, the final product will materialise when the clock hits midnight. That way, there can be some proper communication between the client and freelancer before the deal is made, the freelancer can explain when they'll be available to start working and decide when and how all materials will be sent, and offer a realistic deadline based on the current schedule of both the freelancer and the client and even give them both the chance to know whether they'll be compatible business partners before they begin working together and before any money is involved.
Thankfully, I've personally had most people inquire about my hourlie before making any deposits, as my hourlie requires more information on the client's behalf, but not all clients look at hourlies that way and the impression given by PPH is that the principle of an hourlie is to insert a coin and wait for the product to fall in your lap, as if there isn't a real person working behind the hourlie, but a robot.
I know there is the option to pause an hourlie is you're not available, but the whole idea of being a (good) freelancer and running a business in general is that you always have work in progress and anyone who requires your services needs to get your attention when your attention isn't given to another client. If I walked into a hairdresser's shop today, the hairdresser wouldn't drop the scissors and leave the shampoo on the previous customer's head to make himself available to me there and then - he'll tell me to come back later when he'll be free to attend to my needs.
If I were to pause my hourlies whenever I didn't have work on and was available for an instant request from a client, they would constantly be paused. And how could a potential future client reach to me for a potential future client if I shut my doors to people?
The option to buy and instantly tie a freelancer down with no warning and pre-discussion should be eliminated and the option to book introduced instead - if you wish, give clients the restriction to only be able to have 3 or so hourlies booked at the same time to avoid spammers booking multiple hourlies just to get the freelancer's attention and get a free opinion and quote - and why not, even give them a limited number of booking they can make monthly, the same way freelancers have a limited number of bids, for the same reason.
I know the PPH staff are more willing to help clients rather than freelancers, but the truth is that there are a lot of bad clients around here too who don't make it easier for freelancers to do their job professionally, and one such example are the clients to post jobs just to get a handful of free quotes and opinions - and even worse, samples! - and clients who contact freelancers with the only purpose to get a prompt, no-obligation response and piece of advice, and then run away without any notice, leaving the freelancer wondering whether they should make room for that possible project on their schedule or get on with their current work and risk being penalised.
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This week I have had problems along these lines and it would have been better fpr both myself and the client to have booked a time period. The work I carry out requires a little bit of to-ing and fro-ing and my client has only been replying to messages at gone 11pm at night.
This has meant I have had insufficient information to complete the job and have tried to cram it into the timeframe with only half the information I needed, it hasn't been a good experience for either of us.
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I have been having issues with this as well. Clients buying hourlies as they want the work doing but they themselves aren't ready for me to start. My clients need to post me things so often I am waiting for them to be posted.
It would be good if when they bought the hourlie they could book it in or if once everything was agreed by both parties you could activate the hourlie. The freelancer could say work started and the client could agree. Then both parties would have reasonable agreed deadlines.
I increased my hourlies to longest period allowed by pph but in the description I do explain that once I start the work will be completed sooner.
I am still waiting for a client to respond to me from an hourlie they bought last week. But I am getting notifications off pph saying the client may be due a refund, I think this effects my cert rating as pph think I am late on deadlines, but as I have said I can't do anything until they reply.
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I have a problem that some customers would like to book me in advance.
I am an interpreter and therefore it's very important for me to know as early as possible when someone wants to book me. Some customers come to me saying I have a very interesting hourly or they have a job coming up, but already know they will need me in, say, 6 months. The job itself will only be a few days.
It would be nice to have the possibility to offer customers a sort of "definitely book" option, even with Escrow, so I can block the time in my schedule for them as I do with "regular" customers.
The job is booked then for both of us and I cannot take on another client for the same time. This would also help the customer from "forgetting" that he had me block certain dates and simply books another freelancer.
I hope it's clear what I mean
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+1 from me too.
50% of my clients have the actual name of what they want wrong. As I offer Legal work, there is an awful lot of research. You would not believe how many times clients get what they want wrong, or have incorrect expectations.
To be able for a booking system first where I can get their requirement before saying I will accept the commission. However, should what a client want be illegal, I would tell them that I cannot do it. Yet with the current system they purchase, I cancel and completely stuff up the CERT.
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Seems like a great idea and adding a calendar to each individuals profile or allowing linkage to other calendar resources should be doable. I +1 the idea of scheduling because spur of the moment can be risky for all concerned and I would like to have some sort of management tool for my time with PPH buyers and sellers in addition to WorkStreams, besides PPH is making profits from the fruits of our labours and it would seem to be an appreciation from PPH to add this as a service.
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My main concern is that the buyer can vet us (the designer) but not the other way around. Yesterday i sold an hourlie (just shy of midnight) putting my deadline today. No brief or contact all day so the work is going to be late. Effecting my rating. I've looked at the clients back jobs and of the 10 finished he's only received feedback on 2. If i had the chance to see that before he bought my produce i could have had the chance to avoid this.
Not the first time this has happened. Ratings take a long time to go up but can come down pretty rapid.
Rant over haha
Steve
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Booking rather than buying an hourlie is a fantastic idea. I clearly stated on my hourlie that buyers should contact me before buying but one guy obviously didn't bother doing this bought the hourlie and I was already snowed under with work. As he was under a time restriction that I couldn't meet I had to cancel - lowering my rating drastically through no fault of mine.
As a result have removed all my hourlies ;(
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I'll second this as well - people are always buying hourlies that have clearly not read the description and are expecting a service that has not been offered. Then you have to refund, and make sure that it doesn't reflect on you etc.
This has been suggest many, many times since hourlies were brought in - the idea that the client offer to buy, and the freelancer has an opportunity to accept or reject the work.
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Funny this discussion should start up again. I had to give my first refund in 4 years because someone purchased an hourlie without contacting me first. They didn't even supply any information or brief for 3 days despite asking therefore my rating was in decline through no fault of my own.
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I raised a similar request a week ago with the title "Require both parties to 'accept' an hourlie before it begins", citing the same reasons as you Tincuta. It has since disappeared from the support panel, so I'd like to reiterate the request. It's bizarre that two years since this thread was created, such an important issue has not been addressed. The hairdresser analogy says it all. We are not automated robots, but professionals, each with carefully balanced schedules and specific requirements for beginning work.
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I agree with the comment were not all robots and we have other clients to keep happy at the same time, as well as taking on and building new ones.
The great thing about PPH is buyers can get professional work done at a fraction of the cost a design studio would charge and yet they expect faster work and feel because of the keyboard warrior effect that they can treat sellers the way they want. Try getting a job done in an afternoon at most agencies - it takes longer than that for them to find your email hahaha. Putting a client on hold and scanning there history or a quick message or 2 a seller would be able to swerve idiots, or those wanting to take advantage of PPH sellers. - RANT2 OVER sorry folks :)
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I came in to make a similar proposal but I see now that this has been discussed for two years without any action from PPH. Freelancers are continually penalized for things that are outside of their control, and the review system only works for the client, since I cannot check the client reviews before he buys an hourlie. Sometimes I feel like I live in a dictatorship under the 5 stars feedback rule.
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