Translation - art & business » Business issues »
Please Be Careful Out There
Thread poster: James Hodges
James Hodges
James Hodges  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 03:30
Japanese to English
Mar 22, 2019

Just a quick note to everybody. It appears that some agencies that have been banned from posting jobs on Proz are nevertheless using the Proz mail system to send jobs to members (while not being logged in to the system). As such, if you receive any direct job offers through Proz.mail, just make sure to check the Blue Board before consenting to anything.

YUANCAN HU
Josephine Cassar
Samuel Murray
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Philippe Etienne
Angus Stewart
Morano El-Kholy
 
Michael Newton
Michael Newton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 14:30
Japanese to English
+ ...
Be careful out there Mar 22, 2019

This happens all the time.

Vadim Kadyrov
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Philippe Etienne
Marsha Conroy
 
mariealpilles
mariealpilles  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 20:30
English to French
+ ...
be careful Mar 22, 2019

It happens all the time. I set my conditions and insist on getting paid when I tell them the job has been done, and then they just disappear from the radar and never come back, especially as I stress why I do that. I may lose a job, but at least I am not wasting my time doing the job and then having to beg for the money which is due and they never pays the penalties either, and sometimes you get paid only when you threaten to go to debt collector. I do not want that hassle. They can find other ... See more
It happens all the time. I set my conditions and insist on getting paid when I tell them the job has been done, and then they just disappear from the radar and never come back, especially as I stress why I do that. I may lose a job, but at least I am not wasting my time doing the job and then having to beg for the money which is due and they never pays the penalties either, and sometimes you get paid only when you threaten to go to debt collector. I do not want that hassle. They can find other pidgeons, which they will no doubt. ▲ Collapse


Josephine Cassar
Philippe Etienne
Morano El-Kholy
Marsha Conroy
 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 14:30
Spanish to English
+ ...
Make sure you don’t leave yourself open to be shafted Mar 22, 2019

mariealpilles wrote:

It happens all the time. I set my conditions and insist on getting paid when I tell them the job has been done....


Such a policy of “payment upon completion and prior to delivery” might seem safe, but it really isn’t. What if, for example, someone asks you to do a job that will take 3 or 4 days of your time, you agree to do it, you inform them it is done, and then you never hear from them again?

Such a “client” may have simply found someone cheaper to do the translation, or decided after giving you the green light that they did not want the translation after all (for whatever reason). And if someone is working an outright scam, they will certainly not care about wasting your time.

The best way to protect yourself when dealing with direct clients, or with agencies who do not have a solid credit record (per Blue Board or similar) is to demand advance payment in full (for small jobs) or a down payment of one-third to one-half (for larger jobs). In the latter instance, the balance would be due “upon completion and prior to delivery.”

[Edited at 2019-03-22 12:45 GMT]

Elif Baykara Narbay
Slobodan Kozarčić
Khalid Sabili
Marsha Conroy
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
Paweł Hamerski (X)
Paweł Hamerski (X)
Local time: 20:30
English to Polish
+ ...
That is why I always ask for at least 10% advance with the new customers Mar 22, 2019

unless I am reasonably certain I will get my money. I am otherwise retired so I do not have to kill to get the job.

[Zmieniono 2019-03-22 20:38 GMT]
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Margarita[Call to this topic]
James Heppe-Smith[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Please Be Careful Out There







CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »
Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »