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Poll: Have you ever told a client you are not interested in continuing working with them?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
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Aug 23, 2017

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever told a client you are not interested in continuing working with them?".

This poll was originally submitted by Nadine Epstein. View the poll results »



 
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 19:00
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
No Aug 23, 2017

Not in so many words, but after stating a few times that I was not available I suppose they understood...

 
Elizabeth Tamblin
Elizabeth Tamblin  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:00
French to English
An agency, yes Aug 23, 2017

An agency kept sending me job offers, but even though I replied within minutes, they always came back with "the job has already been assigned". It was so annoying that I eventually told them to take me off their list, but they still send me these offers from time to time. If I were a paranoid person, I might imagine they were deliberately trying to wind me up.

Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Mr.Q
Magnus Rubensson
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 20:00
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Yes Aug 23, 2017

Several times. One or two of them simply because I am trying to cut back on work as I am now a pensioner, not because I was actually dissatisfied with working for them.

I dropped at least one other agency that started out well. A few years later they grew too big, pressed rates, asked for discounts for new clients and never sent any full-price work for the same clients afterwards... They took Trados discounts on a text of under 200 words... and otherwise only sent so-called QA work
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Several times. One or two of them simply because I am trying to cut back on work as I am now a pensioner, not because I was actually dissatisfied with working for them.

I dropped at least one other agency that started out well. A few years later they grew too big, pressed rates, asked for discounts for new clients and never sent any full-price work for the same clients afterwards... They took Trados discounts on a text of under 200 words... and otherwise only sent so-called QA work, while barely paying for the time it took to open the files.
Their name begins with T and ends with a mathematical sign, often spelt with a P.

A colleague has reported trouble with them in the CIoL newsletter recently...

I have told at least two to remove me from their database because their online platforms were simply TOO MUCH HASSLE. The rates they paid did not justify hours of sweat and tears, first to get hold of the text, then to deliver the translation, and finally to invoice them, before I had to make out another invoice to satisfy the tax authorities.

I am very loyal and go the extra mile for clients I like - It pays! Then they help me when I need a break... But I can be a stroppy bitch when being nice doesn't work!
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EvaVer (X)
EvaVer (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 20:00
Czech to French
+ ...
Yes Aug 23, 2017

Getting rid of bottom feeders - there was a time I had not enough work and accepted even such jobs, but no longer.
In one case, an agency required the use of a specific CAT tool, but they represented a very small portion of my revenue - I told them I preferred to discontinue the collaboration.


 
JaneTranslates
JaneTranslates  Identity Verified
Puerto Rico
Local time: 15:00
Spanish to English
+ ...
Yes. And it turned out fine. Aug 23, 2017

I had met in person with the client and liked him very much, but when I began to read his book, I realized that his religious views were sharply in contrast with mine. That would not necessarily be a problem, but I felt that a colleague of mine was much more in tune with the philosophy and vocabulary of the book and would be better able than I to do justice to his work. I introduced them, they hit it off immediately, and she took over with my blessings.

I think the client felt a li
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I had met in person with the client and liked him very much, but when I began to read his book, I realized that his religious views were sharply in contrast with mine. That would not necessarily be a problem, but I felt that a colleague of mine was much more in tune with the philosophy and vocabulary of the book and would be better able than I to do justice to his work. I introduced them, they hit it off immediately, and she took over with my blessings.

I think the client felt a little hurt, but in the end he was very happy with my colleague's work. Win/win/win.

--Jane
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Taha Shoeb
Taha Shoeb
India
Local time: 00:30
Arabic to English
+ ...
Due to non payment Aug 23, 2017

This agency was offering me the highest rate for my language pair but due to too much hassle to get them to pay up, I politely asked them that I would henceforth only work for them if some kind of an advance was paid. Surprisingly, I received one project after that where they did pay me an advance and paid the rest within 5 minutes of the delivery. Haven't received any more assignments from them after that.

 
José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 16:00
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In memoriam
Yes, whenever there is a timeliness mismatch Aug 23, 2017

If they can't match my timeliness in delivering jobs before the deadline, by paying for them by the agreed date, I'll tell them that I'm not interested in playing a one-sided game. Of course, while I don't tolerate any slips on my side, I understand that now and then things can go wrong in a larger organization, though only occasionally.

Some (former) clients are fond of using "bilingual desperados" - who will bow to any high-handed payment delinquency - in lieu of translators, so t
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If they can't match my timeliness in delivering jobs before the deadline, by paying for them by the agreed date, I'll tell them that I'm not interested in playing a one-sided game. Of course, while I don't tolerate any slips on my side, I understand that now and then things can go wrong in a larger organization, though only occasionally.

Some (former) clients are fond of using "bilingual desperados" - who will bow to any high-handed payment delinquency - in lieu of translators, so they'll keep offering me jobs for years. I prefer to keep balanced business partnerships, sustainable over the long haul.
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neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 20:00
Spanish to English
+ ...
Yes Aug 23, 2017

A few years ago, one long-standing client try to blame me for problems caused by their own inefficiencies. I was having none of it and told them, in no uncertain terms, to take their business elsewhere. I never heard anything from them until 2 years later, when they approached me again, this time with heartfelt apologies, asking me to work for them again. I agreed to do so after raising my rate by 25%. They accepted it and I've been doing a bit of work recently for them for an event they are org... See more
A few years ago, one long-standing client try to blame me for problems caused by their own inefficiencies. I was having none of it and told them, in no uncertain terms, to take their business elsewhere. I never heard anything from them until 2 years later, when they approached me again, this time with heartfelt apologies, asking me to work for them again. I agreed to do so after raising my rate by 25%. They accepted it and I've been doing a bit of work recently for them for an event they are organising in October.Collapse


 
Susanna Martoni
Susanna Martoni  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 20:00
Member (2009)
Spanish to Italian
+ ...
Yes Aug 23, 2017

It has been in the Nineties, when I was working in my translation agency. The client was so arrogant that there were no other ways to solve the issue (meaning his behaviour).
I told her wife that we would not talk to him any longer.
Then the business relationship continued with her, who became our reference. That was a sound decision.

[Modificato alle 2017-08-23 11:16 GMT]


 
Philippe Etienne
Philippe Etienne  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 20:00
Member
English to French
Yes Aug 23, 2017

- The first 3 consecutive payments were late month after month. I hate chasing my hard-earned money, and I let them know in unambiguous terms. This large UK agency went bust a few years later, but I don't have anything to do with it.
- An large MT project from a propective agency customer, which I wanted to taste first with a small (and paid) wordcount. I threw the towel after delivering that piece. The rate agreed for the whole project was EUR0.07/word.
- Agencies "refusing" my rate
... See more
- The first 3 consecutive payments were late month after month. I hate chasing my hard-earned money, and I let them know in unambiguous terms. This large UK agency went bust a few years later, but I don't have anything to do with it.
- An large MT project from a propective agency customer, which I wanted to taste first with a small (and paid) wordcount. I threw the towel after delivering that piece. The rate agreed for the whole project was EUR0.07/word.
- Agencies "refusing" my rate increase.

Even with a very low agency turnover, some do come and go in my customer base.
I continuously try to keep only the very bestest of the finestest agencies out there.

Philippe
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Martha Schwan
Martha Schwan  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 16:00
Member
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Yes, but not to a client. Aug 23, 2017

Yes, I did tell a client that I would not continue working in one single file he had sent me.

 
Natalie Soper
Natalie Soper  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:00
French to English
+ ...
Yes Aug 23, 2017

An agency owner would always return my work with questions about why I didn't translate xyz in a certain way. The answer was almost always "because if I had translated it literally, it wouldn't make any sense in English."
I'm happy for clients to ask me questions, but this happened so many times with just this particular agency - and it was very time-consuming to go through the work again and explain my translation choices. After I'd explained them, the owner would never reply with thanks
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An agency owner would always return my work with questions about why I didn't translate xyz in a certain way. The answer was almost always "because if I had translated it literally, it wouldn't make any sense in English."
I'm happy for clients to ask me questions, but this happened so many times with just this particular agency - and it was very time-consuming to go through the work again and explain my translation choices. After I'd explained them, the owner would never reply with thanks or acknowledgement or anything - until the next job came along.

On top of that, they paid late (and their payment terms were 45 days as it was). After chasing them for a month after the due date on one occasion, the owner surfaced and apologised, but I said that we shouldn't work together any more. Too much hassle! I think we just weren't on the same wavelength...
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Elías Sauza
Elías Sauza  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 13:00
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
+ ...
I remember two Aug 23, 2017

This agency owner used to "yell at me" in her messages. She demanded TEP work and only wanted to pay for translation. When I told her I would not work for her anymore, she refused to pay me the last invoices that amounted over $USD 2,500.

The other client was an agency whose method was quite time-consuming. E.g. making editor's changes in PDF, instead of using the original translation files. Sometimes edits were quite extensive and often from different editors that "wanted" differen
... See more
This agency owner used to "yell at me" in her messages. She demanded TEP work and only wanted to pay for translation. When I told her I would not work for her anymore, she refused to pay me the last invoices that amounted over $USD 2,500.

The other client was an agency whose method was quite time-consuming. E.g. making editor's changes in PDF, instead of using the original translation files. Sometimes edits were quite extensive and often from different editors that "wanted" different terminology.
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Poll: Have you ever told a client you are not interested in continuing working with them?






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