Poll: Do agencies and end clients comply with your payment terms?
论题张贴者: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
网站工作人员
Nov 24, 2023

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do agencies and end clients comply with your payment terms?".

This poll was originally submitted by Ines R.. View the poll results »



 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
葡萄牙
Local time: 10:12
正式会员 (自2007)
English英语译成Portuguese葡萄牙语
+ ...
Yes Nov 24, 2023

All my clients pay as agreed (I wouldn’t work for them otherwise). Some very dear long-standing customers (4) pay the day after receiving my invoice, most pay at 30 days, one USA agency pays at 60 days and one Italian agency at 90 days. I can’t remember when I had to send the last reminder (10 years back?).

Philip Lees
 
neilmac
neilmac
西班牙
Local time: 11:12
Spanish西班牙语译成English英语
+ ...
Most of them Nov 24, 2023

Nowadays most of my clients are direct and I don't recall the last time I worked for an agency. Depending on their internal accounting systems, some may take longer to pay than others, but I'm not bothered as they always cough up in the end.

 
Lieven Malaise
Lieven Malaise
比利时
Local time: 11:12
正式会员 (自2020)
French法语译成Dutch荷兰语
+ ...
Other Nov 24, 2023

I comply with my clients payment terms. As long as they don't exceed 60 days end of month I don't really care if they pay after 30, 45 or 60 days. The only thing I care about is that they actually pay the day they promise to pay (or more or less).

Marjolein Snippe
Josephine Cassar
 
Josephine Cassar
Josephine Cassar  Identity Verified
马耳他
Local time: 11:12
正式会员 (自2012)
English英语译成Maltese马耳他语
+ ...
Yes Nov 24, 2023

Yes, most of them do, some pay even before date agreed, I have an agency that has to be reminded but it gives me work that I like and enjoy doing and I know that I'll be paid, only a couple didn't pay till I had to threaten somehow but they paid.

Philippe Etienne
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
荷兰
Local time: 11:12
正式会员 (自2006)
English英语译成Afrikaans南非语
+ ...
What do you mean "my" payment terms? Nov 24, 2023

By law, I'm required to add a note to my invoice saying that they payment term is "14 days", but that's just there because the law requires it to be there. I'm not required to enforce it. And I don't.

I haven't encountered one situation in which an agency asked ME what My payment terms are. The agency usually proposes a term (well, in theory they do... in practise I just discover what it is after I worked for them for a while), and then it is up to me to accept or reject it.


Christopher Schröder
ipv
Philippe Etienne
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
英国
正式会员 (自2011)
Swedish瑞典语译成English英语
+ ...
Not as such Nov 24, 2023

They mostly pay at the end of the following month, but that’s basically the same as my terms of 30 days so no problem.

Some pay straight away though, which is nice.


 
Yes, no, in some cases Nov 24, 2023

Possibly "most of them" would do, but what I find interesting is that the ones that pay the latest tend also to be the ones to whom I apply the lowest rates. The worst by far is a direct client that has paid me over 120,000 euros since 1999, always at my minimum rate. They generally pay in less than 18 months, sometimes less than 6 months, but I never bet on it. I only do important jobs for them now, so I'm down to less than 2000 euros a year, but not because of their payment practices. I have t... See more
Possibly "most of them" would do, but what I find interesting is that the ones that pay the latest tend also to be the ones to whom I apply the lowest rates. The worst by far is a direct client that has paid me over 120,000 euros since 1999, always at my minimum rate. They generally pay in less than 18 months, sometimes less than 6 months, but I never bet on it. I only do important jobs for them now, so I'm down to less than 2000 euros a year, but not because of their payment practices. I have too much work from elsewhere, but I like to keep them on my books.

The one that pays me the most per page is also the one that pays me the most per year. They always pay within a week or so (my standard deadline is 30 days). The rest are in between, with the ones with the lower rates tending to pay later.

All my clients are in Italy. Unfortunately, I don't have precise historical data as I don't do my own accounts, but it would be interesting to see what correlation there is between rates and payment times.
Collapse


 
Philippe Etienne
Philippe Etienne  Identity Verified
西班牙
Local time: 11:12
会员
English英语译成French法语
Most of them Nov 24, 2023

I dislike this behaviour of not paying when you're supposed to. My credit terms are 30 days end-of month, which should be enough.
Oddly, there is that one agency that consistently needs a reminder. Amounts are mostly in the 3-digit category, and I've become lenient enough to forget about it until it's very late or the build-up reaches the 4-digit category. As soon as I send a reminder, it's duly acknowledged and the full amount lands into my bank account within a few days.
I put up w
... See more
I dislike this behaviour of not paying when you're supposed to. My credit terms are 30 days end-of month, which should be enough.
Oddly, there is that one agency that consistently needs a reminder. Amounts are mostly in the 3-digit category, and I've become lenient enough to forget about it until it's very late or the build-up reaches the 4-digit category. As soon as I send a reminder, it's duly acknowledged and the full amount lands into my bank account within a few days.
I put up with it likely because I can't be bothered to fall out with them every month.

Philippe
Collapse


Philip Lees
 
Iman Tahanan
Iman Tahanan
Local time: 13:12
English英语译成波斯语(法尔西语)
+ ...
No Nov 25, 2023

I only have terms for my direct clients. Agencies have their own terms to which I comply. Generally, agencies have the upper hand in any dealings and cooperation.

 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

本论坛的版主
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Poll: Do agencies and end clients comply with your payment terms?






Wordfast Pro
Translation Memory Software for Any Platform

Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users! Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value

Buy now! »
TM-Town
Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business

Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.

More info »