| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Have you ever stopped working with a client because you just couldn't accept their rates anymore? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever stopped working with a client because you just couldn't accept their rates anymore?".
This poll was originally submitted by Elías Sauza. View the poll results »
| | | | Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 06:49
English to French
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I just never started working with them
I decide on rates - customers accept them or don't work with me!
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But rather, because THEY didn't accept my rate increases. I don't accept agency rates, agencies accept MY rates. Or not.
Usually, providers set their rates, and customers accept it or not. Not the other way around.
Philippe
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Well, once a client (a private company), who had paid my rates for quite a long time, told me that they had received CVs from other translators who wanted less. (please remember Italy is a strange country)
My reply: "as long as you guarantee I am your only translator, we can talk about it". I mean the rates applied were pretty high, so I had a bit of freedom...
I asked them how much they wanted to pay, and they asked me a 40% reduction.
....
we had a coffee... See more Well, once a client (a private company), who had paid my rates for quite a long time, told me that they had received CVs from other translators who wanted less. (please remember Italy is a strange country)
My reply: "as long as you guarantee I am your only translator, we can talk about it". I mean the rates applied were pretty high, so I had a bit of freedom...
I asked them how much they wanted to pay, and they asked me a 40% reduction.
....
we had a coffee then, and that is the last time I have seen or talked to them.
[Edited at 2010-03-11 08:43 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:49
German to English
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I wouldn't say I have made a conscious effort to stop working with low-paying clients, but they do become lower priority when other clients come on the scene who are prepared to pay more. When I am able to accept less and less work from them, I slip off the list of favourites and we go our separate ways.
| | | | | Right to the point Philipe :) | Mar 11, 2010 |
Hi all,
Philippe Etienne wrote:
But rather, because THEY didn't accept my rate increases. I don't accept agency rates, agencies accept MY rates. Or not.
This has been the case with me, and if I can say in other words they dropped me, so to say.
Usually, providers set their rates, and customers accept it or not. Not the other way around.
Philippe
Well, yes, they do, and that is why a guy with 0.015 can clear the market for a long while, causing so much damage in quality, poor documents (I am talking of manuals that read any thing but Albanian), to the market and our industry in general. Not to speak about online instant translation tools!!!
But it is not all: apparently they have received comments back or God knows what because they want us to edit (read "reanimate") the horrors created by the "0.015 guy"!!!.
| | | | Jocelyne S
France
Local time: 06:49
French to English
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Mary Worby wrote:
I wouldn't say I have made a conscious effort to stop working with low-paying clients, but they do become lower priority when other clients come on the scene who are prepared to pay more. When I am able to accept less and less work from them, I slip off the list of favourites and we go our separate ways.
Like Mary, when I gain new clients at higher rates, I find that I have less and less time for those who pay less.
Like Interlangue, I would not call any of the rates for which I work "bad" (or else I would never have accepted them in the first place!).
Like Philippe, I'm the one who sets my rates.
Best,
Jocelyne
| | | | Joanna Hald (X)
Poland
Local time: 06:49
Danish to Polish
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| Not rates, but delays | Mar 11, 2010 |
I just stopped to cooperate with audiovisual studio. Not beacuse their rates, but I got tired of the constant delays of payments.
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Joanna Hald wrote:
I just stopped to cooperate with audiovisual studio. Not beacuse their rates, but I got tired of the constant delays of payments.
I've stopped working for one long-term client because I ultimately got fed up with their increasingly late payments and the hassles that involved.
I haven't stopped working for anyone because of low rates because, as others have said, I wouldn't have accepted low rates in the first place.
Best wishes,
Jenny
| | | | | Because they wouldn't accept my increase | Mar 11, 2010 |
Jenny Forbes wrote:
I haven't stopped working for anyone because of low rates because, as others have said, I wouldn't have accepted low rates in the first place.
Rates which were acceptable in the first place may become unacceptable as time passes, if they do not rise to reflect enhancements in my service and, at least, inflation. I have parted company with several clients who have not accepted my increases for these reasons.
[Edited at 2010-03-11 10:28 GMT]
| | | | Ivana Kahle
Germany
Local time: 06:49
Member (2007)
German to Croatian
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| Negotiations | Mar 11, 2010 |
You can always try to negotiate.
I negotiated better rates for myself
By that I mean that I simply sent my clients a polite e-mail about my new (higher) rates.
No client ever said "No" because I never exaggerated.
Good luck with negotiations,
Ivana.
| | | | Nikki Graham
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:49
Spanish to English
| Yes, several times | Mar 11, 2010 |
because, as others have said, they wouldn't accept my increases. I have also got fed up with agencies who muck about with payments and need constant reminders and dropped them too. I have better things to do with my time.
However, recently I have come to the conclusion that it's not the rate per word that really matters, but how much you earn per hour. A lot of my higher paid per word jobs are *** difficult and a real headache, and I end up earning less than if I had accepted a lowe... See more because, as others have said, they wouldn't accept my increases. I have also got fed up with agencies who muck about with payments and need constant reminders and dropped them too. I have better things to do with my time.
However, recently I have come to the conclusion that it's not the rate per word that really matters, but how much you earn per hour. A lot of my higher paid per word jobs are *** difficult and a real headache, and I end up earning less than if I had accepted a lower paid job which the TM will help me do in half the time, but not half the rate ▲ Collapse
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| Just like Nikki | Mar 11, 2010 |
Nikki Graham wrote: because, as others have said, they wouldn't accept my increases. I have also got fed up with agencies who muck about with payments and need constant reminders and dropped them too. I have better things to do with my time. However, recently I have come to the conclusion that it's not the rate per word that really matters, but how much you earn per hour. A lot of my higher paid per word jobs are *** difficult and a real headache, and I end up earning less than if I had accepted a lower paid job which the TM will help me do in half the time, but not half the rate
Have dropped clients who either do not accept an increase on my rate or are constantly late in their payments.
And I am learning to reevaluate the way I price my work due to the complexity of some jobs that have been quoted per word, and have turned out to be extremely time consuming. There is the never ending debate of whether to charge by the hour or by the word, but I believe we need a combination of both, and more and more, I refuse to set my rate before I have seen the original and the work that needs to be done.
[Edited at 2010-03-11 12:47 GMT]
| | | | Amy Duncan (X)
Brazil
Local time: 01:49
Portuguese to English
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| No, not because of rates | Mar 11, 2010 |
I've never had somebody suddenly drop rates on me. I've only quit working for one company and it was because their clients were not English speaking natives and they messed up my translations and complained to me that I was wrong. I got tired of it.
| | | | | 0,04€ are not ok | Mar 11, 2010 |
Today I received the following message from my client:
Dear Translator,
Due to the incoming crisis and cost reduction we need to be able to offer to beat the prices our clients are currently offered by the other translation provider and therefore we ask you to decrease your current rate per word to 0,04 Euro (with Trados discounts).
This is not just a short term measure, we will have to hold those rates for the next 12 months - if we want to keep our client... See more Today I received the following message from my client:
Dear Translator,
Due to the incoming crisis and cost reduction we need to be able to offer to beat the prices our clients are currently offered by the other translation provider and therefore we ask you to decrease your current rate per word to 0,04 Euro (with Trados discounts).
This is not just a short term measure, we will have to hold those rates for the next 12 months - if we want to keep our clients and go on with our business.
I look forward to receiving you positive response.
I think that this is abolutely not acceptable.
Who are these people, which are making theese dumping prizes?????? ▲ Collapse
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