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Poll: Have you ever delivered a project to the wrong client?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Mar 11, 2009

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever delivered a project to the wrong client?".

This poll was originally submitted by Monika Coulson

View the poll here

A forum topic will appear each time
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever delivered a project to the wrong client?".

This poll was originally submitted by Monika Coulson

View the poll here

A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more information, see: http://proz.com/topic/33629
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Noni Gilbert Riley
Noni Gilbert Riley
Spain
Local time: 07:28
Spanish to English
+ ...
More by luck than by design Mar 11, 2009

In my early days I think I was lucky that this didn't happen to me, because I was sloppy about file labelling and so on. These days I'm marginally better, but have to admit to recently sending off the wrong version of a file, full of comments like "what on earth do they mean by this" and "bleah". At least the latter was self-criticism, and the client was amused anyway, but it could have been offensive. Now I triple check to see that I haven't misnamed files...

 
Interlangue (X)
Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 07:28
English to French
+ ...
Was not me! Mar 11, 2009

Some years ago, before the Internet, when we still had to rely on post office and express deliveries, a 120-page translation + diskette was delivered to a company 60 km away from my customer (both abroad), even though the name, address, post code and everything were correct.
Thank goodness, the recipient called me as soon as he realised the mistake and I could have my customer contact them to make arrangements…


 
Caroline Lakey
Caroline Lakey  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 07:28
French to English
Not yet thankfully! Mar 11, 2009

Although in a former life as a buyer I did once send an order to the wrong supplier (the one that didn't get the contract!). Not a very good move... !

 
Alexandra Speirs
Alexandra Speirs  Identity Verified
Local time: 07:28
Italian to English
+ ...
Yesterday I did Mar 11, 2009

Clicked the wrong e-mail, hit reply, enclosed the file.... sent it to the wrong agency, but they phoned me back within 10 minutes.

Oops!


 
lisevs
lisevs
Local time: 07:28
same thing happened to me Mar 11, 2009

Alexandra Speirs wrote:

Clicked the wrong e-mail, hit reply, enclosed the file.... sent it to the wrong agency, but they phoned me back within 10 minutes.

Oops!


I remember that exactly the same thing once happened to me. I had e-mails from two agencies with similar names in my inbox, hit the reply button on the wrong one and off went the file with the translation that was for someone else. Luckily I disccovered my mistake in more or less the same minute and quickly sent the agency my apologies and asked them to immediately delete the file.


 
Celine Gras
Celine Gras  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 07:28
Member (2008)
English to French
+ ...
No Mar 11, 2009

When creating my project's folder, I always copy/paste in my Incoming sub-folder the email which contains the client's request. When I return the final file, I reply to this email. This way I'm sure I'm replying to the proper email, and the client has his initial request enclosed, which is sometimes also useful for them.

 
Marjolein Verhulsdonck-Roest
Marjolein Verhulsdonck-Roest
Netherlands
Local time: 07:28
English to Dutch
+ ...
Not yet, luckily Mar 11, 2009

.. because I always check three/four/five times before hitting 'send'.

It doesn't make it easier, though, to have about six email addresses starting with 'info@...'!

I did manage once to forget to enclose the actual translation......


 
DianeGM
DianeGM  Identity Verified
Local time: 08:28
Member (2006)
Dutch to English
+ ...
Yes ... Mar 11, 2009

I was translating two files both named with project number (similar numbers). I sent the wrong one to an agency - luckily the one I sent was an article for publication - so no real harm done.

But that's nothing .. when I worked in telecoms I faxed a bunch of invoices with queries to that suppliers main competitor ......


 
Angela Dickson (X)
Angela Dickson (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:28
French to English
+ ...
Not yet... Mar 11, 2009

but at the moment I'm working for two PMs, who work for completely different agencies in different countries, who have the same first name and very similar surnames, so I'm trying to be extra careful...

 
Viktoria Gimbe
Viktoria Gimbe  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 02:28
English to French
+ ...
Not I Mar 11, 2009

I am amazed - more than 7% have answered yes so far! I know this has happened to some of us, but I never would have thought it happened to so many.

I wonder if anybody got into trouble because of this. For example, if you signed an NDA and then sent the text protected by it to the wrong person, did the client consider you violated the NDA?


 
Giuliana Mafrica
Giuliana Mafrica  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 07:28
Member (2009)
English to Italian
+ ...
No... Mar 11, 2009

...but it happened with a quote for a job.
The translation was very short and I sent to this new client the quote for a huge project which had to be delivered to another one!
Unfortunately, the client did not forgive the mistake and just vanished.


 
Noni Gilbert Riley
Noni Gilbert Riley
Spain
Local time: 07:28
Spanish to English
+ ...
Why do you ask Monika? Mar 11, 2009

Do you have a tale to tell?


 
Maria Diaconu
Maria Diaconu  Identity Verified
Romania
Local time: 08:28
English to Romanian
Never, because... Mar 11, 2009

... I name the files with the name of the client.

 
Alexandra Speirs
Alexandra Speirs  Identity Verified
Local time: 07:28
Italian to English
+ ...
same name Mar 11, 2009

I don't know about other countries, but I find that nearly every translation agency in Italy has a Laura!!!

Angela Dickson wrote:


but at the moment I'm working for two PMs, who work for completely different agencies in different countries, who have the same first name and very similar surnames, so I'm trying to be extra careful...


 
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Poll: Have you ever delivered a project to the wrong client?






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