| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Ever lost a project due to your principles? Thread poster: Lingua 5B
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Sheila Wilson 
Spain
Local time: 07:11
Member (2007)
English
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| Threaten them with action | Sep 19, 2016 |
Lingua 5B wrote:
I think at one point I did tell them to remove me if they don't have medium or big projects. Of course, they just ignored it, like my 10 other emails asking the same thing. The only thing I can do in that respect is to block their email domain, but surely they will not remove me from their database just because I ask them to, not them.
Oh wait, silly me. I block their email domain, and then they phone me
There's an easy solution to that. You tell them that you'll take action against them if they don't remove your details. If they continue after you've made it very plain, they're breaking two laws. I can't quote chapter and verse of UK law but there's one about unsolicited mail (or 'spamming') and another about use of your personal information. Allow them a week or two to get the changes done, that's all. I've had to do that to a few. I've never had to actually take action though, and I don't expect to have to.
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 08:11
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
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TOPIC STARTER | I had to do that before. | Sep 19, 2016 |
Sheila Wilson wrote: Lingua 5B wrote:
I think at one point I did tell them to remove me if they don't have medium or big projects. Of course, they just ignored it, like my 10 other emails asking the same thing. The only thing I can do in that respect is to block their email domain, but surely they will not remove me from their database just because I ask them to, not them.
Oh wait, silly me. I block their email domain, and then they phone me There's an easy solution to that. You tell them that you'll take action against them if they don't remove your details. If they continue after you've made it very plain, they're breaking two laws. I can't quote chapter and verse of UK law but there's one about unsolicited mail (or 'spamming') and another about use of your personal information. Allow them a week or two to get the changes done, that's all. I've had to do that to a few. I've never had to actually take action though, and I don't expect to have to.
But they kept coming back spamming, then I just blocked email domain and it was fine. It would not work with these people as they like to phone me. Thanks for mentioning the laws.
| | | | | Can't you block their phone number? | Sep 19, 2016 |
That's what came up to my mind when I read your post about blocking their email domain.
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 08:11
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Hidden number. | Sep 19, 2016 |
Yasutomo Kanazawa wrote:
That's what came up to my mind when I read your post about blocking their email domain.
They always phone from a different number, while today their number was hidden. Just got a 00 on my display.
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| I have declined earlier after I doubted of forge or artificial documents | Sep 20, 2016 |
Hi,
10 years ago, I received some letters for translation, mentioning blah blah tortures from maoists in Nepal. The stories were all forged. I suspected them as I felt that the clients are writing the same only to seek refuge in a foreign country. They were maligning the image of the then, struggling good political party. So, I declined the job. Today, maoists are an essential part of Nepal government and left all ways of protests, whatever they might have adopted those days. So, I ... See more Hi,
10 years ago, I received some letters for translation, mentioning blah blah tortures from maoists in Nepal. The stories were all forged. I suspected them as I felt that the clients are writing the same only to seek refuge in a foreign country. They were maligning the image of the then, struggling good political party. So, I declined the job. Today, maoists are an essential part of Nepal government and left all ways of protests, whatever they might have adopted those days. So, I was right in my regard.
Once a while, I was being offered a job with obscene content, and I cannot hide my laptop from my family, so I declined the job.
Many a times, low rate is an issue.
I hate untimely payments, which is normal in India. Many of the agencies need reminders, sometimes as a human being, I also forget to send them. Ultimately, my money is lost. So, I hate dishonest clients, who do not pay themselves on time honestly. For this, I was compelled to start asking for 50% advance payments, which many of the clients happily pay. After receiving at least the cost of my investment, I complete the job.
The reputation of a company is very important. Around 8-10 years ago, I got a phone call from the lady in an Indian fellow company, who offered me only Re. 0.60 per word for Nepali translations. I straight forwardly declined the job as the rates were below the minimum rates I charge. I went to the office to seek a full time job, if they pay the handsome salary, but sorry, they do not.
So, now, I simply ignore their emails.
Best Regards,
Prakash Sharma
[Edited at 2016-09-20 00:34 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Lingua 5B wrote: Yasutomo Kanazawa wrote:
That's what came up to my mind when I read your post about blocking their email domain. They always phone from a different number, while today their number was hidden. Just got a 00 on my display.
So, it's like a spam over the phone.
They come back everytime with a different number instead of a different email address...
| | | | | Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member for the following reason: Requested by user. | Angela Malik
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:11
German to English
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| The right decision vs the right business decision | Sep 20, 2016 |
A couple of things stand out for me here:
1) I had a similar issue with an agency that was great at the beginning, but then started getting really large and the project management was just increasingly chaotic, with PMs not sending correct files, not communicating amongst themselves properly, not sending files promptly after confirming orders, etc. The final straw for me was a big project for an end client that always sends like 150,000 words in one go, but of these only about 50,00... See more A couple of things stand out for me here:
1) I had a similar issue with an agency that was great at the beginning, but then started getting really large and the project management was just increasingly chaotic, with PMs not sending correct files, not communicating amongst themselves properly, not sending files promptly after confirming orders, etc. The final straw for me was a big project for an end client that always sends like 150,000 words in one go, but of these only about 50,000 will need translation and the rest will either be 100% repetitions or already in the target language. But the PM panicked when she saw "150,000 words" and split the job amongst too many translators and then had me waiting and waiting for files only to then tell me that the actual word counts, after analysis and prepping, were much lower (no surprise there for me, I know this end client well) and she sent the work to other translators and has nothing left for me. I was so angry, I was ready to quit working with this agency altogether, and I think on principle alone, that would have been the right decision -- but not the right BUSINESS decision. Because if we have the chance to smooth out the project management issues, the relationship is still lucrative; working with them is still good for business.
My solution was to contact the vendor manager and the managing director and lay out exactly what all the issues were. I told them that if the issues could not be sorted then I would have to significantly scale back my work with them. They responded almost instantly, asked for specific instances where things had gone wrong, and since then they have been a lot easier to work with.
This is the more important consideration, and it seems like you are already thinking about it. What is the right decision, and is it the right BUSINESS decision? Sounds to me like you think continuing working with this agency is the right business decision, so I would focus on trying to smooth out the issues to continue the relationship unless it gets to the point when it is no longer the right business decision.
2) I have another client that always used to press "send" on an email and "call" on their phone instantaneously, so we'd end up having conversations like "I just sent you an email. Do you have time for this translation?" and then I say, "Give me time to look at the files and I will let you know" It was frustrating because I usually answer emails within 10-15 minutes of receiving them, so it's not like they have some reason to think I won't look at their message and reply promptly. After I politely told them that phoning me is only a waste of time if I haven't had time to look at the text first, they changed nothing and kept calling. So I finally just stopped answering the calls altogether. They also use a hidden private number but since my other clients don't hide their numbers, I can more or less tell when it's this client calling. After about 3 months of not answering their phone calls, but still replying promptly to their emails, they got the hint and now they don't call me every time a job comes up.
If this client is always calling from a different number, it would seem that the project managers are using their own phones to make the calls. That is really unprofessional. Perhaps it is worth raising this issue with the Managing Director/vendor manager/whoever seems to be in charge? Ask them not to limit their phone calls to projects that are complicated enough to require a discussion, i.e. a short project with a short deadline is not cause for a phone call? ▲ Collapse
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| Unknowingly yes, | Sep 20, 2016 |
when I signed with up an agency with very nice PMs, I was happy with their rate. They didn't pay for 100% matches and repetition, but changed it when I explained that I couldn't accept that, and a 60 day term, which I accepted.
Only then I looked at their Blueboard record - it was well under 2!!! Had I not forgotten to check it, had I seen that earlier I would have never signed up with them. And to be true to their record they do not pay on time, even after 60 days and have hideousl... See more when I signed with up an agency with very nice PMs, I was happy with their rate. They didn't pay for 100% matches and repetition, but changed it when I explained that I couldn't accept that, and a 60 day term, which I accepted.
Only then I looked at their Blueboard record - it was well under 2!!! Had I not forgotten to check it, had I seen that earlier I would have never signed up with them. And to be true to their record they do not pay on time, even after 60 days and have hideously tight deadlines.
However, they send me many projects and I accept some each month, sometimes I manage to renegotiate the deadline or take part of a job. I know they never pay on time, so I won't take jobs if there are overdue invoices, and the friendly PMs do their part to make sure they get paid as it disrupts their work as well, so invoices usually do get paid within a few days.
That works for me, despite their silly Blueboard record.
[Edited at 2016-09-20 09:35 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 08:11
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thank you, everyone. | Sep 20, 2016 |
Received some very good insights from all of you, thank you. Angela provided some really comprehensive and constructive advice, I am going to act on some of those.
| | | | | don't give out your phone number | Sep 23, 2016 |
Lingua 5B wrote:
I just got a situation. There's this one agency that had been calling me on the phone for every little project. The agency is based in the UK. All their numerous PMs (there are hundreds) speak very poor English but enjoy always arranging projects on the phone for some reason.
And here it comes again today. PM No.1 phones me, introduces herself, and offers a tiny project. Me: I cannot take on any projects under €50. She says: fine, fine, let me check. OK, we can pay €50 (the project was probably worth something like €20). Her English was so bad that she couldn't even explain to me it was a proofreading, not translation project. I say OK, but make it quick, send materials ASAP, because I need to manage my time.
One and a half hour through, I get a message from a PM No. 2, in their automatic system "accept" or "decline" only to realize it's a proofreading project and they set it to to something like 26 GBP.
I just dropped it. I had the time to do this, but I didn't. Coordination between PM 1 and PM 2 was poor, they tried to trick me into accepting the low rate, etc. They wasted my 1,5 hr waiting for their email, etc.
I never give my phone number to clients and the sort of situation you describe is one of the reasons I'm glad I never do that.
Also, my minimum rate is 15 euro and it works fine for me. I can understand if they feel 50 euro might be negotiable.
Thomas
[Edited at 2016-09-23 21:49 GMT]
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 08:11
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Today I got a phone call again. | Sep 23, 2016 |
Of course, a new PM. Surprisingly, this one could build 3 solid sentences in English. It was a one word project and they offered 15 euros, so I accepted. One word, I just had to do a certain check on the word which took me 5 minutes. Yes, I can ignore my normal minimum rate in such instances.
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