Help, a client with good record in BB is refusing to pay for my hard work
PRAKAASH India Local time: 01:49 Member (2007) English to Hindi + ...
Jan 29
Hi friends,
I have a scenario where I worked for a client today.
She sent me file and PO at 4.15 PM local time with a word from my end that I will submit the job by midnight.
I started doing hard work on file as deadline was really tight, I went offline.
Meanwhile, around 1 or 2 hr ago, client responded
"Hi Prakash!
Please check the attached file now. The project is almost done by our disappeared translator. You need to translate only 300 words to finish the project.
Payment: ....
If you have already translated some parts, please email your file to me now."
Client is ready to pay only for 300 words whereas I have already finished translation of 1200 words. I have raised the issue, did expensive ISD calls to Russia, yet client is not positively responding.
I have sent my translated file disturbed by self, so that it should be of no good use. I don't want to give her appropriate file till she agrees to pay me properly.
Please advise on how I can make her pay me for my hard work.
Thanks in advance to all friends!
PRAKASH SHARMA
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PRAKAASH India Local time: 01:49 Member (2007) English to Hindi + ...
TOPIC STARTER
details of time
Jan 29
Job and project sent:
at 4.15 PM.
Total 2100 words
I started work.
I went offline as facebook, gtalk etc. disturb a lot.
AT 7.11 P.M., I receive email from client mentioning that it's already completed by someone else and only 300 words translation is needed.
I read the email at 9 PM after giving me a short break and till then finishing almost half of the task.
As soon as I receive the email, I responded to client to be professional as PO was already issued.
I haulted the work as I wasn't sure if client wish to receive it anymore.
What shall I do now?
It's 10.46 pm here and client seems to be going away from payment deliberately even after expensive calls to Russia (from Nepal).
Is it professional to snatch back an URGENT job when it is halfway finished, even if PO is issued to translator?
Please suggest.
Thanks!
Prakash Sharma
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Ty Kendall United Kingdom Local time: 21:19 Member (2011) Hebrew to English
Did they tell you....
Jan 29
....that this translation was being re-assigned (that a translator had "disappeared")???
As far as I'm concerned you have a contract for x amount of words, a PO and they are now breaking that. Seems that they are in the wrong, that they have proverbially "moved the goalposts".
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Noni Gilbert Spain Local time: 22:19 Member (2007) Spanish to English + ...
Misinterpretation?
Jan 29
I understand that the client is telling you to PAUSE, and read her new instructions, which are that you need only translate 300 words of the file. However, she wants to know at that very moment how much you have already translated outside those 300 words. I see that as an indication that she plans to pay for those words too.
The worst case scenario would be you only get to translate and be paid for 300 words (which feels a little unfair - and in fact if you have a full PO, then you could bill for the whole amount if you insist); the best case (for you) is that you get paid for the full translation since you had already finished it at the time your client recontacted you, (and your client has to pay two translators for the same piece of translation).
What do others think?
[Edited at 2012-01-29 18:07 GMT]
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Sheila Wilson Spain Local time: 21:19 Member (2007) English + ...
The client needs to pay for work done
Jan 29
PRAKAASH wrote:
I read the email at 9 PM after giving me a short break and till then finishing almost half of the task.
In other words, you stopped as soon as you opened and read the email. You did as she had asked.
Is it professional to snatch back an URGENT job when it is halfway finished, even if PO is issued to translator?
I don't think it's very professional to change things at all after the job has been confirmed. However, it does happen and sometimes we have to accept it. So, I would say that you should probably accept the loss of the other half of the job (and its payment). Of course, you wouldn't expect this to happen often: more than once from the same client and it's "Goodbye!".
However, you absolutely must be paid for the work you have done so far. You did as you had agreed. It's unfortunate for the client that you didn't read the email immediately, but that's all it is: unfortunate. You have nothing to blame yourself for. You did not agree to stay available the entire time, only to deliver the translation at a certain time.
So, I personally believe that they must pay for the 1200 translated words. Plus the 300 they still want, if you have not already translated them (although they could cancel those, I suppose). I wish you luck in standing up for your rights. Try to stay polite and business-like, though.
Sheila
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Russell Jones United Kingdom Local time: 21:19 Member (2004) Italian to English
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Time of the essence
Jan 29
PRAKAASH wrote:
I have sent my translated file disturbed by self, so that it should be of no good use.
Not quite sure what you meant by this. If you follow Sheila's advice (as I would), it is obviously essential that the work you have done is sent to the client immediately, otherwise there is no proof that you had completed that many words when the job was cancelled or reduced.
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PRAKAASH India Local time: 01:49 Member (2007) English to Hindi + ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you all
Jan 29
Thank you all! May be I panicked due to short deadline, continous hard work and client's sudden email. Meanwhile, client picked the call, asked me to complete job and agreed for payment, verbally. It does mean that original PO is valid and she will pay.
Now, I have almost finished the job and am ready to deliver it.
Thank you again!
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Emma Goldsmith Spain Local time: 22:19 Member (2010) Spanish to English
Great news!
Jan 29
PRAKAASH wrote:
Meanwhile, client picked the call, asked me to complete job and agreed for payment, verbally. It does mean that original PO is valid and she will pay.
Now, I have almost finished the job and am ready to deliver it.
Delighted to hear that it's working out.
My advice for the future would be:
- Don't go offline if you are working, especially on an urgent job / on a Sunday.
- If you're asked to stop, stop immediately and send in what you have completed (it's fine to say that you haven't read through your work, etc.)
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