Possible client without Blue Board rating Nadvädzujúci príspevok na vyvesovateľa: Paul Dixon
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Paul Dixon 
Brazília
Local time: 13:00
portugalčina -> angličtina
+ ...
Na pamiatku
There is an interesting job assignment available on the job board but the problem is that the client does not have a BB rating and does not come from a country that can be considered 'blue chip'. If I get the assignment, how can I be sure they do not default on payment? Would it be reasonable to ask for part of the payment up front? From my experience, agencies never pay up front.
| | | | Michael Newton
Spojené štáty
Local time: 11:00
japončina -> angličtina
+ ...
| possible client | Apr 3, 2020 |
This depends on how much money is involved. Would loss of the fee put you very much out of pocket?
From time to time I am contacted through my proz page by persons who are not listed on the Blue Board at all. I decline in all cases.
A company listed on the Blue Board but without a "credit history" is just as risky.
The fact that the poster is not in a "blue chip" country increases the risk. You could hardly expect them to pay in advance.
My advice is to... See more This depends on how much money is involved. Would loss of the fee put you very much out of pocket?
From time to time I am contacted through my proz page by persons who are not listed on the Blue Board at all. I decline in all cases.
A company listed on the Blue Board but without a "credit history" is just as risky.
The fact that the poster is not in a "blue chip" country increases the risk. You could hardly expect them to pay in advance.
My advice is to give it a pass. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dan Lucas
Spojené krá¾ovstvo
Local time: 16:00
Člen (2014)
japončina -> angličtina
| Risk multiplier | Apr 3, 2020 |
Michael Newton wrote:
The fact that the poster is not in a "blue chip" country increases the risk. You could hardly expect them to pay in advance. My advice is to give it a pass.
Paul, no doubt there are some decent clients in the countries to which you refer but, like Michael, I would pass unless they had rock-solid reports on paymentpractices.net and Blue Board. Even then I would be deeply skeptical, given that Blue Board in particular is clearly vulnerable to being gamed by translation companies.
And all that is before you even open the subject of rates.
Basically, if this company decided not to pay you, or not pay you for six months, what could you do about it? If it were in the UK, you might have a chance of navigating the local legal systems and getting a result, but would that be practical in the case of the country in which this company is domiciled?
Dan
| | | | Samuel Murray
Holandsko
Local time: 17:00
Člen (2006)
angličtina -> afrikánčina
+ ...
Paul Dixon wrote:
The client does not have a BB rating.
Well, in that case, you should add them. Start by making an entry:
https://www.proz.com/blueboard/?&sp_mode=entry
Confusingly, ProZ.com uses the word "entry" for a record here, and on individual Blue Board records it uses the word "entry" for a review. There is a feature called "call for entries", but you wouldn't need to use it, since a call for entries (i.e. reviews) is automatically sent out whenever a new record is created. This "call" is sent to all ProZ.com members who are subscribed to the calls, so if anyone has worked for them in the past, they may respond with a review.
You can also check the scammers directory:
http://www.translator-scammers.com/translator-scammers-directory.htm
And you can ask others if they have worked for this agency:
https://groups.io/g/WPPF/ (free)
http://paymentpractices.net (7-day trial)
If I get the assignment, how can I be sure they do not default on payment?
It's a risk you have to take, after considering all the clues.
[Edited at 2020-04-03 07:19 GMT]
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| On the other hand... | Apr 3, 2020 |
... if you really do have as little work as you keep telling us, what have you got to lose?
| | | | Paul Dixon
Brazília
Local time: 13:00
portugalčina -> angličtina
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER Na pamiatku
Regarding the company, the entry has disappeared from the jobs board, which is strange as it is a multi-language job. I found nothing anywhere about the company, but found the name of the contact in a French site which appears to suggest the company has gone bankrupt. Maybe someone who speaks French could shed light on this? (All information that could identify the company has been removed)
XXX est Liquidateur de la societé XXX situé a XXX. XXX volue dans le secteur : Autres activ... See more Regarding the company, the entry has disappeared from the jobs board, which is strange as it is a multi-language job. I found nothing anywhere about the company, but found the name of the contact in a French site which appears to suggest the company has gone bankrupt. Maybe someone who speaks French could shed light on this? (All information that could identify the company has been removed)
XXX est Liquidateur de la societé XXX situé a XXX. XXX volue dans le secteur : Autres activités de soutien aux entreprises n.c.a. (Code XXX).
If this is indeed the case maybe I shall open a BB record - but can I do this without ever having worked for them?
The address given is in France, which is not the country of the agency. ▲ Collapse
| | | | nordiste
Francúzsko
Local time: 17:00
angličtina -> francúzština
+ ...
| better run a mile | Apr 3, 2020 |
Paul Dixon wrote:
XXX est Liquidateur de la societé XXX situé a XXX. XXX volue dans le secteur : Autres activités de soutien aux entreprises n.c.a. (Code XXX).
"Liquidation" means the bankrupt procedure, and "the liquidateur" is the person in charge to sell all the assets of the bankrupted company to pay the debts: taxes and social contribution, salaries, and contractors (= translators) at the very end, if there is some money left.
Normally a company "en liquidation" cannot sign any new contract.
| | | | Paul Dixon
Brazília
Local time: 13:00
portugalčina -> angličtina
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER Na pamiatku | Merci beaucoup | Apr 3, 2020 |
Thank you for your help. (J'ai apprendit le français at school but now je 'forgettait' tout)
OK, I'll send a support ticket to ProZ. I want to put it on the BB but as I haven't done any work for them this may not be possible.
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Just a quick word to say that the right place to check if a French company is insolvent is www.bodacc.fr.
| | | | Paul Dixon
Brazília
Local time: 13:00
portugalčina -> angličtina
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER Na pamiatku
Can't find the link or button to contact ProZ Support.
Could someone tell me if I am allowed to post a BB rating for an agency if I have never worked for them? I feel I should give them a low rating as a comment (in another site) suggests that they may be insolvent.
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Paul Dixon wrote:
Can't find the link or button to contact ProZ Support.
Could someone tell me if I am allowed to post a BB rating for an agency if I have never worked for them? I feel I should give them a low rating as a comment (in another site) suggests that they may be insolvent.
The link to create a ticket is hidden in plain sight. You're not the first who can't find it.
No, you cannot rate an agency you haven't worked for in the Blue Board. It's against the rules. You can leave a comment at paymentpractices.net without having worked for an agency, though.
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Španielsko
Local time: 16:00
Člen (2007)
angličtina
+ ...
| Speaking generally | Apr 3, 2020 |
Paul Dixon wrote:
There is an interesting job assignment available on the job board but the problem is that the client does not have a BB rating and does not come from a country that can be considered 'blue chip'. If I get the assignment, how can I be sure they do not default on payment? Would it be reasonable to ask for part of the payment up front? From my experience, agencies never pay up front.
I see that this had an abrupt end, but just to answer the original post, I don't see the lack of a BB record as a real hurdle.
A low BB rating makes me run a mile -- there's no smoke without fire, as they say. OTOH, straight 5s don't make me full of glee either. Often these are agencies that trade good BB entries for WWA ones or even payment (which is against the rules here). I regard the BB as one single resource in my due diligence. There are loads of other ways to check companies out. And start-ups can make superb partners. I also don't restrict my clients geographically. I've just this month invoiced a client in what was for me a new country -- the 35th since 2012. As I've never been scammed, I can't see that I've been running too great a risk. Countries invoiced include China, India, Russia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, UAE... and a number of EU countries. Mind you, I do refuse jobs quite often. I won't, for a start, take on an urgent job until we have a stable relationship. It's just asking for trouble, IMO, to skip all the due diligence and rush into doing the work.
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Samuel Murray
Holandsko
Local time: 17:00
Člen (2006)
angličtina -> afrikánčina
+ ...
Paul Dixon wrote:
Maybe I shall open a BB record - but can I do this without ever having worked for them?
Yes, anyone may create a BB record for any company even if they haven't actually worked for that company. You are simply not allowed to add a **rating** for any company that you did not work for.
Paul Dixon wrote:
Can't find the link or button to contact ProZ Support.
At the bottom right of the page, look for a link named "Support". Or, just go to this URL: https://go.proz.com/help
Then, as Thomas already indicated, you have to find a button called "SUBMIT A SUPPORT REQUEST".
The button can be hard to find, but it's roughly in the middle of the page and you have to scroll slowly otherwise it flies right past you. Another thing that contributes to it being hard to see is the fact that the background image remains in one place while the button (and the letter box that it is in) flies across it. One may be tempted to suspect that ProZ.com does this deliberately to get fewer support requests, but it is probably just had web design (following a trend seen on other web sites without considering whether such a gimmick would contribute to accessibility).
| | | | Tom in London
Spojené krá¾ovstvo
Local time: 16:00
Člen (2008)
taliančina -> angličtina
Paul Dixon wrote:
There is an interesting job assignment available on the job board but the problem is that the client does not have a BB rating and does not come from a country that can be considered 'blue chip'. If I get the assignment, how can I be sure they do not default on payment? Would it be reasonable to ask for part of the payment up front? From my experience, agencies never pay up front.
Since BB ratings are often unreliable anyway, I would suggest a different approach: do your own research before signing on the dotted line. Before beginning any job for this client, make sure you have agreed everything in writing (emails will be sufficient) and make sure you have the client's business address (which you should verify) and VAT number/tax code or equivalent. Do not ask for payment up front or they're think you're untrustworthy. Above all, make sure you know what you're going to do if, in the end, this client tries not to pay you.
[Edited at 2020-04-04 17:19 GMT]
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