Do you ever turn down freelance work?

Beverly Level X³

July 24, 2014, 11:34 am

19

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Turning down freelance work means lost income potential, so I rarely turn down writing or freelance jobs. However, there are a few instances where it might be necessary to refuse a job. And, for this situation, I'm not talking about canceling a sale, but only a situation where someone might private message on SEOClerks site to ask about the possibility of having a job done.

If I'm already fully committed to other jobs and am pressed for time, then I might either turn down the job offer or ask the person to wait until I have free time. If the buyer does not mind the job being done slowly, over time, then I'll add it to my list and work on it little bits at a time.

Also, if I know for sure that I can't do the work, then I will turn it down. There are very few things I can't write about, so that's not usually a problem.

But, there was once a situation where a buyer tried to force me to advertise his illegal link in my signature line on another forum where I was selling my signature line. I turned it down as I was not interested in getting banned from that particular forum.

What are some reasons you might turn down work?

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NaturalWriter

NaturalWriter

I have had to turn down a couple of jobs at different times for different reasons.

I have declined several times with Buyer's trying to undercut, looking for "Discounts" or "Specials" because they want it on the cheap. "Yeah, you can write 1200 words for $1.50?" Ummmm... Let me think about that... NO...lol

Once I had to turn down a sale because he wanted his article done and finished right away and I was really busy writing at the time. He didn't put his order through, he was just PM'ing me for further information. I told him I would have it done for him by the deadline, but that wasn't good enough, which is just as well, as I'm sure that would have ended up being a not so good situation.

Then the last time I had to refuse an order was when Hurricane Arthur made his presence known in my region, and knocked our power out for a week. I checked my cell phone and advised the client about my current situation and I didn't know when I was getting power again. THAT was frustrating. I also had an order in the queue at that time from a repeat client, which by the way, I was extremely late delivering that order, by DAYS late, but he was understanding throughout the process, as I kept messaging him on my phone while I was checking on my account.

I don't like to decline work, as I like being busy... But sometimes you just have to because you either can't keep up, or you need a break, or the buyer has unrealistic expectations, OR your power goes out...lol

12 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I do sometimes, when the pay is just too low that I can't accept it. It's really not advisable to turn down jobs but being paid a very measly sum for a hard job isn't fair.

8 years ago

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Dayton

Dayton

Real life situations impose sometimes keeping you from doing the work you want. And, this is true whether you're working independently as a freelancer or on a regular job. What you need to do is manage your time in such a way that you always devote most of your work day to your jobs, rather than getting tied down with distractions. This way you won't have to turn down jobs.

12 years ago

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angie828

angie828

I usually only do if I am extremely busy. I like knowing that others need me to do work for them and am always worried that the work will dry up.

12 years ago

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Beverly

Beverly

I usually only do if I am extremely busy. I like knowing that others need me to do work for them and am always worried that the work will dry up.

Give yourself a generous deadline, not just a few days or a week. This is especially true with forum posting services, as the forum owner will usually want the posts spread out over awhile anyway. So, having that longer deadline gives you enough time to do the work you take on and assures the forum owner that you will take your time.

12 years ago

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barry

barry

I do not like to but I have before if I just do not have the time to do it I will not short change myself or others.

12 years ago

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blueeyes

blueeyes

I try not to but if I get super busy then I just have to

12 years ago

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elladavidson

elladavidson

I have before but I really try not to do so. I would rather have extra work to make extra money!

12 years ago

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Jamilla

Jamilla

It seems counter productive to turn down work as that means you will be losing money.

And, you might not get another contract or job to replace it.

However, if you cannot do the job, there is no reason to drag it out any longer.

Tell the client that your time is limited and you cannot perform the job as requested. Then terminate the job quickly so you can move on and start marketing for new clients.

12 years ago

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Oralie

Oralie

I haven't been in the position of turning down work yet. Maybe there will be a day when I am so busy with freelance work that I can have that luxury. Hopefully that would mean that I was also rich enough not to need the money from the job that I turned away.

12 years ago

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chetaseo

chetaseo

yes, if i notice that the buyer did not give me the complete requirements and hs isnt responding to his messages for any further calrification about his order or if i notice he is trying to under-charge me for a job worth a good cash.

12 years ago

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network123bit

network123bit

I am new around SeoClerks so I cannot speak about experience here. I used to create simple flash games and add marketing content in them in return for cash, but in the later years I began refusing work because requirements were vague or incomplete or totally out of context (i.e. advertise content on iPad when flash games do not work there, etc).

12 years ago

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Beverly

Beverly

I am new around SeoClerks so I cannot speak about experience here. I used to create simple flash games and add marketing content in them in return for cash, but in the later years I began refusing work because requirements were vague or incomplete or totally out of context (i.e. advertise content on iPad when flash games do not work there, etc).

The more well established you are in your niche and more well known you become, you will be able to charge a more fair (as in higher) price for your work time and also be more choosy about what work projects you take.

12 years ago

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bizarrionetwork

bizarrionetwork

I've turned down work countless of times, but I regret it now.

12 years ago

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Pixie06

Pixie06

I hate to turn down work but unfortunately I have to do it at times. I work as an online tutor and there was a particular month when I was working till late at night. Someone proposed me to do some data entry works for him and to complete it within one week. The pay was good too but unfortunately I had to refuse. Those students I was working with had their exams coming soon and I couldn't let them down.

9 years ago

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vinaya

vinaya

If I already have many jobs at hand I will definitely turn down the freelancing offer. I will never accept a job if I cannot deliver on time. However, if the job is a higly paid job, I might put my existing jobs on hold and accept the offer. Usually, I never turn down a job offer from my regular clients.

9 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

I had been offered to be a provider of content for a forum. The payment will be remitted directly to my Paypal account. I turned down the first offer because I had not spare time and I couldn’t promise to make 200 posts in a month. But on the second offer I got from another forum, I tried it. I got paid and the client was happy with my work that he offered me again which I refused.

8 years ago

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