| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | When should agencies issue POs? Thread poster: Susmi Rosenthal
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Lingua 5B 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 14:01
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| Are you sure | Dec 15, 2023 |
Are you sure you haven’t hidden your BB entry list field in your profile? It needs to be toggled “public”.
| | | | Michele Fauble
United States
Local time: 05:01
Member (2006)
Norwegian to English
+ ...
| Nothing received | Dec 16, 2023 |
Susmi Rosenthal wrote: Michele Fauble wrote:
I don’t see that on your profile on my iPad. I don’t know why. Nor do I see it on my MacBook Air. Another ProZ bug?
[Edited at 2023-12-15 21:01 GMT] I sent you a private message.
Neither private message nor email received. ProZ is just not working like it is supposed to.
| | | | Michele Fauble
United States
Local time: 05:01
Member (2006)
Norwegian to English
+ ...
| Blue Board search | Dec 16, 2023 |
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:
I can't see your BB entries either.
And when doing a Blue Board search for her name, the result is “No results found”.
| | | | Susmi Rosenthal
Canada
Local time: 06:01
Member (2007)
English to Danish
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TOPIC STARTER | Nnot sure what else to tell you | Dec 16, 2023 |
Hi all who have replied to me,
I don't have a toggle button for my BB entries list, I've looked for how to make it public but it's not there. I suppose ProZ.com is not working well.
You will not be able to find me when searching on BB for my name as I don't have a business affiliated with BB.
You can go to BB - front page - and look on the right side for companies that have received many entries recently, and also if you go down to the Watch list for compan... See more Hi all who have replied to me,
I don't have a toggle button for my BB entries list, I've looked for how to make it public but it's not there. I suppose ProZ.com is not working well.
You will not be able to find me when searching on BB for my name as I don't have a business affiliated with BB.
You can go to BB - front page - and look on the right side for companies that have received many entries recently, and also if you go down to the Watch list for companies that have received low ratings recently. This company appears in both places. It's listed as a UK company but it's headquarted in India. You can sort BB entries according to how many stars received. I gave them 1.
What is most important is probably: If you want to work for a company, ask them when they issue POs, how often, and from what time they count the payment term days. I didn't ask them for specifics other than the 30-45 day payment terms, because I never thought it would be possible for a company to act this way. To me it's unfair and unprofessional.
Best,
Susmi ▲ Collapse
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Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 14:01
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| Toggle button (field in grey = private, field in white = public) | Dec 16, 2023 |
| | | | Zea_Mays
Italy
Local time: 14:01
Member (2009)
English to German
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| Found it on Blue Board yesterday | Dec 16, 2023 |
looking at the most recent entries (there are dozens of entries for one specific angency). https://www.proz.com/blueboard/?sp_mode=recent_entries
As for when POs should be issued - the written assignment is already a legally binding PO (at least in the EU) if it includes all relevant data such as rate, payment terms and deadline.
I think POs are just a more formal assign... See more looking at the most recent entries (there are dozens of entries for one specific angency). https://www.proz.com/blueboard/?sp_mode=recent_entries
As for when POs should be issued - the written assignment is already a legally binding PO (at least in the EU) if it includes all relevant data such as rate, payment terms and deadline.
I think POs are just a more formal assignment, and they are important for bookkeeping, especially in big agencies with hundreds of assignments each month. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:01
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| Not bound by EU rules | Dec 16, 2023 |
Its address is given as Solihull in the UK, and the headquarters are in Karnataka in India, so EU laws would not apply. But then again the OP is in Canada, so it was never going to be easy for her in the event of problems.
I see excuses being made for them on this thread, and I guess caveat emptor (as a service supplier, caveat vendor maybe) does apply. Nevertheless, to my mind the lack of transparency on the part of the agency in relation to POs and invoicing constitu... See more Its address is given as Solihull in the UK, and the headquarters are in Karnataka in India, so EU laws would not apply. But then again the OP is in Canada, so it was never going to be easy for her in the event of problems.
I see excuses being made for them on this thread, and I guess caveat emptor (as a service supplier, caveat vendor maybe) does apply. Nevertheless, to my mind the lack of transparency on the part of the agency in relation to POs and invoicing constitutes sharp practice.
The same goes for flooding the Blue Board with positive reviews. When I see, say, a 4.6 on the Blue Board I go looking for the poor reviews precisely for this reason.
I imagine that agencies who indulge in either behaviour are the type that are prone to squeezing freelancers for everything they can get.
Dan
[Edited at 2023-12-16 13:55 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:01
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Let me return to the topic | Dec 16, 2023 |
When should agencies issue POs?
Usually never. For the agencies I work with, a simple exchange of emails is usually enough.
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Susmi Rosenthal
Canada
Local time: 06:01
Member (2007)
English to Danish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Toggle button found :D | Dec 16, 2023 |
Lingua 5B wrote:
Oh!! I've been a member forever and never knew this was a toggle button!!! Thanks!! I actually don't use ProZ so much, only for BB and for new clients.
| | | | Susmi Rosenthal
Canada
Local time: 06:01
Member (2007)
English to Danish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Yes exactly that! | Dec 16, 2023 |
Zea_Mays wrote: "looking at the most recent entries (there are dozens of entries for one specific angency). https://www.proz.com/blueboard/?sp_mode=recent_entries" Yes, exactly! And so many made on the same day... to drown out my 1 rating as well as another 1 rating from another linguist who had the same experience as myself. This company wrote the same reply to both of us, and I find it very strange that the exact same situation applies to us both (about 2 projects/POs)... "As for when POs should be issued - the written assignment is already a legally binding PO (at least in the EU) if it includes all relevant data such as rate, payment terms and deadline. I think POs are just a more formal assignment, and they are important for bookkeeping, especially in big agencies with hundreds of assignments each month.
Yes, probably it is - but this company insists on POs that they only issue after their own delivery to their own client (in my case it was weeks after I was done with my task) - and then count the payment term days after that time... In my case, they will then (maybe) pay me in February for work done in November...
I'm in Canada and this company is in India (with, probably, only a virtual address in the UK), so EU rules don't apply on either side, and it would require legal action.
| | | | IrinaN
United States
Local time: 07:01
English to Russian
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| I wouldn't know what to do | Dec 16, 2023 |
Same here. In the US an email is legally binding and admissible in court.
Tom in London wrote:
When should agencies issue POs?
Usually never. For the agencies I work with, a simple exchange of emails is usually enough.
In any case, what could or should I do with an unpaid invoice generated under a PO issued 10 000 miles away from home??? I grazed exclusively on the national pastures and knew all my agencies and end clients in person, with their legal addresses, websites, PMs and heads of departments. Wouldn't do it any other way.
| | | | Susmi Rosenthal
Canada
Local time: 06:01
Member (2007)
English to Danish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thank you, Dan! My views exactly | Dec 16, 2023 |
Dan Lucas wrote:
"Its address is given as Solihull in the UK, and the headquarters are in Karnataka in India, so EU laws would not apply. But then again the OP is in Canada, so it was never going to be easy for her in the event of problems."
Yes, you are completely right. And I was naive enough to simply look at their BB rating, which was quite good before I made my entry (I pulled them down to 3.6 with my 1 rating, but that didn't last long... I also wrote a Google review, Trustpilot, commented on their LinkedIn post as well as their Facebook, Instagram...)
"I see excuses being made for them on this thread, and I guess caveat emptor (as a service supplier, caveat vendor maybe) does apply. Nevertheless, to my mind the lack of transparency on the part of the agency in relation to POs and invoicing constitutes sharp practice."
Thank you, this is my view exactly. I feel they have been in breach of contract, because their practice is very far from the 30-45 days they told me before I did any of their work.
"The same goes for flooding the Blue Board with positive reviews. When I see, say, a 4.6 on the Blue Board I go looking for the poor reviews precisely for this reason."
This is the first time I have experienced this in 25 years... I may have been lucky that way.
"I imagine that agencies who indulge in either behaviour are the type that are prone to squeezing freelancers for everything they can get."
That is exactly my experience and feeling with them and why I wanted to warn everyone, because it's very frustrating.
Dan
[Edited at 2023-12-16 13:55 GMT]
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Susmi Rosenthal
Canada
Local time: 06:01
Member (2007)
English to Danish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Tom, I agree with this too | Dec 16, 2023 |
Tom in London wrote:
When should agencies issue POs?
"Usually never. For the agencies I work with, a simple exchange of emails is usually enough. "
I agree, however for new clients and relationships it's helpful to have something formal to go from. I tried to explain to them that a PO is a purchase ORDER and if they use it, it should actually be issued before the work starts, because it is a request - an order - for work...
| | | | Susmi Rosenthal
Canada
Local time: 06:01
Member (2007)
English to Danish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | This is the explanation for how they count | Dec 16, 2023 |
"...Regarding the delay in processing your payment, our company follows a stringent policy that prohibits raising purchase orders (PO) once a specific task is completed. The intricate nature of our workflow involves multiple steps, including proofreading, quality assurance, and desktop publishing (DTP). Unfortunately, this process is designed to ensure the highest standards and accuracy in our deliverables.... In addition, there may be unforeseen changes required, and your assistance in this mat... See more "...Regarding the delay in processing your payment, our company follows a stringent policy that prohibits raising purchase orders (PO) once a specific task is completed. The intricate nature of our workflow involves multiple steps, including proofreading, quality assurance, and desktop publishing (DTP). Unfortunately, this process is designed to ensure the highest standards and accuracy in our deliverables.... In addition, there may be unforeseen changes required, and your assistance in this matter could be invaluable.... Now, regarding the comment stating that our company pays after three months, I kindly request that you remove it, as this information is inaccurate. Our payment cycle is subject to the complexity of each project pertaining to raising POs by 25th-30th of every month keeping in mind the project is successfully delivered, and in the case of the current lengthy project involving 20 languages, several intricate processes are involved..."
As if quality is in any way related to when they issue POs... They kept repeating the same thing, never addressing my concerns, completely avoiding it.
I told them I would write a bad review on ProZ.com, but if they paid me immediately I would refrain from it. They ignored that. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:01
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| Attempts to gaslight the translator just make them look worse | Dec 16, 2023 |
Susmi Rosenthal wrote:
"...The intricate nature of our workflow involves multiple steps, including proofreading, quality assurance, and desktop publishing (DTP)."
This is such mendacious rubbish on the part of the agency representative.
The above is a typical workflow for any agency, the difference being that decent agencies manage to pay 30 days from invoice. This one doesn't, and clumsy attempts to persuade the translator - in tediously overwritten English - that this kind of late payment is normal and reasonable won't change that.
I would have more respect for them (it's a low bar, mind) if they didn't bother trying to make such childish excuses.
Dan
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