| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Do you request that your private clients pay immediately? Thread poster: Zolboo Batbold
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matt robinson 
Spain
Local time: 00:22
Member (2010)
Spanish to English
| I don't mind | Feb 28, 2022 |
I will usually accept the payment terms suggested by the client, which in effect means that I use a wide range of terms. I issue all my invoices at the end of the month, so for work done near the end of the month this can mean almost immediate payment from clients that pay "immediately", and for work done at the beginning of the month it can mean almost 90 days before payment. That said, I am more interested in reliability; knowing when I will be paid and trusting that I will be paid on the desi... See more I will usually accept the payment terms suggested by the client, which in effect means that I use a wide range of terms. I issue all my invoices at the end of the month, so for work done near the end of the month this can mean almost immediate payment from clients that pay "immediately", and for work done at the beginning of the month it can mean almost 90 days before payment. That said, I am more interested in reliability; knowing when I will be paid and trusting that I will be paid on the designated date. The speed of payment, within reason, is not an issue for me. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | No. What’s the point? | Feb 28, 2022 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
What I do is to estimate how much of a risk it is to trust that the client will pay, and then base my terms on that risk assessment.
How does reducing the credit period mitigate risk?
Shouldn’t our risk assessment be binary?
Trust them: Do it and wait
Don’t trust them: Turn it down
| | | | Peter Motte
Belgium
Local time: 00:22
English to Dutch
+ ...
| Private clienst are different | Feb 28, 2022 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
I don't distinguish specifically between agencies and direct clients (and private non-business clients) w.r.t. payment terms. What I do is to estimate how much of a risk it is to trust that the client will pay, and then base my terms on that risk assessment.
But private clients don't have a VAT number, which puts them in a completely different legislative/judicial context.
Also they don't sign PO's.
You have to make them pay on delivery because there are less judicial means to get your money if they don't pay.
As I was doing sworn translations for them, it also meant they never came back. They usually only needed 1 translation. Which means it's even more easy for them not to pay you if they don't want, because they don't need your services anymore.
By the way: I don't ask upfront payment, but some people do with ALL of their clients.
| | | | | Usually, yes. | Mar 1, 2022 |
I work on a fairly similar basis to Mario and Thayenga.
Corporate clients are generally slow.
State organisations are the worst, although there have been significant improvements over the years.
Private clients (individuals) are generally the best payers in terms of time.
I used to give businesses the traditional 30 days, but many would reply that they operate on a 60-day payment schedule. It took a while before I realised that a good payer is a good payer and a ... See more I work on a fairly similar basis to Mario and Thayenga.
Corporate clients are generally slow.
State organisations are the worst, although there have been significant improvements over the years.
Private clients (individuals) are generally the best payers in terms of time.
I used to give businesses the traditional 30 days, but many would reply that they operate on a 60-day payment schedule. It took a while before I realised that a good payer is a good payer and a bad payer is a bad payer, whatever the deadline. I now ask for payment upon receipt and, depending on a number of factors, will start keeping an eye out for payment from 10-15 days after sending the work with the invoice. French businesses are a law unto themselves and even the "good" ones tend to pay a few days after the deadline.
The larger the company, the more complex their internal approval systems are, which is understandable. However, this does make them slower to pay.
Small and medium businesses are generally good clients, although there are exceptions.
Over a certain amount, I request part payment and do not start the work (officially) until that payment has cleared. (If I have time, I do get ahead with the work).
From any size of company, one "excuse" which I used to come across was "our client hasn't paid us yet so we can't pay you". I hate that. I particularly heard this from agencies and it put me off working with agencies almost entirely. The doctrine of privity of contract exists in France. It means that if the agency is my client, they are the ones who are responsible for meeting the payment deadline, not their end client. The end client is the agency's problem. They do this either as a cashflow management principle, or because they are actually in difficulty. In either case, I cannot be the end client's banker, so I avoid this type of client like the plague. It is difficult to avoid but as I have become more careful and much more strict with following up payment, I seldom have this type of problem anymore.
State organisations are the worst payers in France. It's a well-known fact. As a result, I never accept work from them unless I am certain the project is funded and that payment terms are clear. I would never accept a job over a certain amount either, as it is impossible to obtain a downpayment from them. Again, things have improved greatly over the years, but the worst time to accept work is just before the summer holidays. Nothing will move along the approval pathways and you may find you get nothing until the autumn. And at that time, your first reply will be along the lines of "Due to the backlog during the holidays,...".
Private clients are the best when it comes to reliability. Many, if not most, will pay within days of receiving the invoice. Indeed, as people are now so used to having to pay when they order something online, private individuals tend to pay when they order. The only caveat is with those who are having one of their own works published privately. They are often surprised by the cost of translation and may genuinely have difficulty paying. I do not accept these jobs. ▲ Collapse
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:22
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Worse in Italy | Mar 1, 2022 |
Nikki Scott-Despaigne wrote:
State organisations are the worst payers in France. It's a well-known fact.
I bet Italy is worse. I have one particular agency that gives me a lot of work for departments of the Italian state but pays extremely late (months and months)- presumably because the agency itself is not getting paid. Were it not for the fact that I have been working for many years with this agency, and there is a certain amount of trust between us, I'd have given up long ago.
[Edited at 2022-03-01 14:02 GMT]
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