How to deal with outsorcers that always pay late Автор темы: Schwanenfeld
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Hi guys,
I wanted to ask, how are dealing with outsorcers, that always pay late, but where everything else is fine. I work for this one outsorcer for moren than 1 year now, where the rate is fair, the work is real fun and where I even get many projects over the year. Problem is, that payments are always made 1 week late at least, usually more than that. At first they simply made their payments later than they were due. Now (probably after many complaints) their newest "trick" is, to... See more Hi guys,
I wanted to ask, how are dealing with outsorcers, that always pay late, but where everything else is fine. I work for this one outsorcer for moren than 1 year now, where the rate is fair, the work is real fun and where I even get many projects over the year. Problem is, that payments are always made 1 week late at least, usually more than that. At first they simply made their payments later than they were due. Now (probably after many complaints) their newest "trick" is, to simply hold back the PO, sometimes for 2 weeks, knowing that you need it to be able to invoice in the translation centre. Also one time, when they invoice could finally me created and uploaded, they simply claimed, there was a word count error. So they canceled the invoice more than 1 week after the upload, which makes you create a new invoice and that one of course then also has a later pay date.
So if you have any ideas, I'd be glad to hear about it. We all know, how some outsorcers play with us, knowing that if we'd complain too much, there are always other translators happy to do our job, and it sometimes might also be the clients fault, making the outsorcers wait for their money as well. There's always the option, of course, simply to find other employers, but since I really enjoy this kind of projects, I'd be interested more in things like, if you e.g. charge reminder fees or if you know about a certain law, that would require an outsorcer to always provide the PO instantly.
Thanks for your input and have a great week all of you!!! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Outsourcers that always pay late | Mar 22, 2019 |
"An outsourcer that always pays late, but everything else is fine". When an outsourcer always pays late, nothing is fine. Payment will be dragged out later and later. Drop them.
| | | | Philip Lees 
Греция
Local time: 22:42
греческий (новогреческий) => английский
Michael Newton wrote:
"An outsourcer that always pays late, but everything else is fine". When an outsourcer always pays late, nothing is fine. Payment will be dragged out later and later. Drop them.
Drop them and explain clearly to them why you are dropping them. Tell them it's a pity their accounts department is letting them down in this way.
| | | | Matthias Brombach
Германия
Local time: 21:42
Член ProZ.com c 2007
голландский => немецкий
+ ...
| Hostage payment? | Mar 22, 2019 |
I assume they use their due payments to lure you NOT to drop them for the next job, because there is still money in the pipeline for payment? Let cross-fade the situation by pretending that you are busy, on holiday etc. and then, when all invoices are paid, go over to demand payment in advance. They may then drop YOU instead, but at least there is no more due payment in their pipeline and a small, but still existing chance, that they do pay you in advance (this probably last time).
[Bearb... See more I assume they use their due payments to lure you NOT to drop them for the next job, because there is still money in the pipeline for payment? Let cross-fade the situation by pretending that you are busy, on holiday etc. and then, when all invoices are paid, go over to demand payment in advance. They may then drop YOU instead, but at least there is no more due payment in their pipeline and a small, but still existing chance, that they do pay you in advance (this probably last time).
[Bearbeitet am 2019-03-22 07:40 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Vadim Kadyrov
Украина
Local time: 22:42
Член ProZ.com c 2011
английский => русский
+ ...
| Drop them. Period. | Mar 22, 2019 |
I used the same tactics when I was a high-school student. You attend several lessons of, say, physics in a row, and then you miss two of them, and then you again attend 3-4 classes in a row, as if you were OK now. Just to make the teacher think that the last time was really the last one.
The teacher told me finally that "you have to choose your side now. You are either an absentee, or you are not" ))).
[Edited at 2019-03-22 07:49 GMT]
| | | | Samuel Murray
Нидерланды
Local time: 21:42
Член ProZ.com c 2006
английский => африкаанс
+ ...
| Just accept it | Mar 22, 2019 |
Frederik Klingenschmid wrote:
I work for this one outsourcer for more than 1 year now, where the rate is fair, the work is real fun and where I even get many projects over the year. Problem is, that payments are always late...
There is nothing you can do. If the client is simply disorganised, no amount of late fees is going to make him organised. If the client uses a cumbersome accounting system which leads to these delays, no effort on your part will make them change their system (which would probably be very expensive for them to do). If the client is deliberately taking steps to delay payment for as long as possible, then he has a dishonest streak in him, and you won't beat that out of him with any sanctions. If you enjoy this client's work, and you have sufficient other work to maintain a semblance of a cash flow, then: just accept it.
As a freelance translator, you are in control of deciding whether or not you are going to work only with clients who always pay on time. You are not required by any law or moral principle, as a free freelance translator, to dump clients because they pay late. You can choose your own reasons for dumping clients, e.g. you dislike the work or you dislike the project manager or you dislike the invoice system, etc. You don't have to dump them for late payment, if you choose not to.
| | | | nordiste
Франция
Local time: 21:42
английский => французский
+ ...
| Time to increase your rate | Mar 22, 2019 |
It is time to increase your rate with them and explain that this is to cover the administrative cost of late payment.
And then you suggest (partial) advance payment, at the normal rate.
| | | | Lincoln Hui
Гонконг
Local time: 03:42
Член ProZ.com
китайский => английский
+ ...
Samuel Murray wrote:
There is nothing you can do. If the client is simply disorganised, no amount of late fees is going to make him organised. If the client uses a cumbersome accounting system which leads to these delays, no effort on your part will make them change their system (which would probably be very expensive for them to do). If the client is deliberately taking steps to delay payment for as long as possible, then he has a dishonest streak in him, and you won't beat that out of him with any sanctions. If you enjoy this client's work, and you have sufficient other work to maintain a semblance of a cash flow, then: just accept it.
I agree. I should say that the first two I can live with, but the alarm bells start going off if I sense any bad faith. I'm not the most organized person myself, and I recently paid someone two weeks late because of a problem with my bank, so I have some sympathy for such matters.
One of my biggest clients pays regularly on a monthly basis, but their project management is something of a mess so orders fall through the cracks from time to time. I make an effort to keep track of the major orders and follow up on them if I don't see a PO after a certain time. You know what, when you do four-figure business with me every month and sometimes five-figures, you get some leeway in terms of what I'm willing to put up with.
The bottom line is that they must respond promptly when I follow up. "Not taking new projects until outstanding bills paid" usually gets people's attention. And do keep close track of your stuff; people tend to be lax when they deal with people they perceive to be lax.
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| thanks a lot | Mar 22, 2019 |
for all the input, guys. I really appreciate it. So there are also other outsourcers, that send their POs late as well? All other companies I work for, provide the PO at the beginning so I can invoice right after completing a task. there was one who also used POs for delay, they’d always wait for the beginning of next month to send it, because the terms of payment were “End of month 1 month after invoice” and these ones I really dropped after being fed up. At first I had also thought, my c... See more for all the input, guys. I really appreciate it. So there are also other outsourcers, that send their POs late as well? All other companies I work for, provide the PO at the beginning so I can invoice right after completing a task. there was one who also used POs for delay, they’d always wait for the beginning of next month to send it, because the terms of payment were “End of month 1 month after invoice” and these ones I really dropped after being fed up. At first I had also thought, my current outsourcer just has organisation problems, but since they pay via eWallet, there’s no excuse really, and forgetting to pay in time on a regular basis of course usually means they do that on purpose. what’s the difference really? if you’re too disorganized to pay on time or if you juggle your employees’ money, or if it’s a mixture of both, it’s all really annoying and very unprofessional as well, especially in our line of work, where - from the employers perspective - deadlines mean everything. thanks to all of you again ▲ Collapse
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I had a similar experience with a British agency for a while. POs were supposed to be provided at the end of the month and were always late and quite often incorrect, so the whole process (invoicing and payment) was also late. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, assuming that they had bit off a little more than they could chew, because I had been working with them occasionally for some time with no problems, their projects were interesting (transcreation), very regular (each week) and well pai... See more I had a similar experience with a British agency for a while. POs were supposed to be provided at the end of the month and were always late and quite often incorrect, so the whole process (invoicing and payment) was also late. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, assuming that they had bit off a little more than they could chew, because I had been working with them occasionally for some time with no problems, their projects were interesting (transcreation), very regular (each week) and well paid. After one year with almost no change, just when I decided that enough was enough, the account was sold to another agency and… everything has been fine since. My patience paid off. ▲ Collapse
| | | | jyuan_us
США
Local time: 15:42
Член ProZ.com c 2005
английский => китайский
+ ...
| Totally agree with you | Mar 24, 2019 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
Frederik Klingenschmid wrote:
I work for this one outsourcer for more than 1 year now, where the rate is fair, the work is real fun and where I even get many projects over the year. Problem is, that payments are always late...
There is nothing you can do. If the client is simply disorganised, no amount of late fees is going to make him organised. If the client uses a cumbersome accounting system which leads to these delays, no effort on your part will make them change their system (which would probably be very expensive for them to do). If the client is deliberately taking steps to delay payment for as long as possible, then he has a dishonest streak in him, and you won't beat that out of him with any sanctions. If you enjoy this client's work, and you have sufficient other work to maintain a semblance of a cash flow, then: just accept it.
As a freelance translator, you are in control of deciding whether or not you are going to work only with clients who always pay on time. You are not required by any law or moral principle, as a free freelance translator, to dump clients because they pay late. You can choose your own reasons for dumping clients, e.g. you dislike the work or you dislike the project manager or you dislike the invoice system, etc. You don't have to dump them for late payment, if you choose not to.
It is not necessarily a good idea to drop them all without distinguishing them. Some of them actually pay higher rates. With the higher rates, your time spent in sending them payment reminders may mean nothing.
| | | | Heinrich Pesch
Финляндия
Local time: 22:42
Член ProZ.com c 2003
финский => немецкий
+ ...
| Don't worry too much | Mar 24, 2019 |
If its a matter of weeks I would not even complain about it, as long as the payment arrives finally. On my invoice there is a late interest of 12 percent per year, but I never get around to apply it. Of course if you work hard for a long time for this customer and have no other income, it is not fair on their behalf.
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DZiW (X)
Украина
английский => русский
+ ...
| Amateurishly | Mar 24, 2019 |
What if...
- a doctor always comes late;
- a driver always stops late; or
- a translator always delivers the job late?
The morning always came too late...
If you can do nothing about your biz, then it's not your business--or you do it badly; no trust.
It definitely has little to do with organizing or workflow, but rather lack of both--respect and professionalism.
If the parties have agreed the pay... See more What if...
- a doctor always comes late;
- a driver always stops late; or
- a translator always delivers the job late?
The morning always came too late...
If you can do nothing about your biz, then it's not your business--or you do it badly; no trust.
It definitely has little to do with organizing or workflow, but rather lack of both--respect and professionalism.
If the parties have agreed the payment is due a week after the delivery, yet the translator is "happy" to wait two-four weeks more, then soon he will surely be glad to wait much longer.
Shortly, why not specify a month after the delivery--or treat them the same (e.g. pay by installments)? As for me, after the first unreasonably overdue payment, such a client would be a poor late client for me. That's it--my zero tolerance lifestyle and I take it seriously.
[Edited at 2019-03-24 11:27 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Are you serious? | Mar 24, 2019 |
Heinrich Pesch wrote:
If its a matter of weeks I would not even complain about it, as long as the payment arrives finally.
Maybe only if I were a millionaire (but I am not) I would not care. What if your customers (or some of them) read this and take you at your word? I guess you would soon change idea - unless of course you happen to work as a pastime
| | | | Matthias Brombach
Германия
Local time: 21:42
Член ProZ.com c 2007
голландский => немецкий
+ ...
| Could be an unique characteristique ... | Mar 24, 2019 |
... in one´s freelance profile, to attract (agency) customers (at all):
- late payers preferred!
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