| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: What is the most common excuse from clients for not having paid your invoice? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What is the most common excuse from clients for not having paid your invoice?".
This poll was originally submitted by Christina Pauly. View the poll results »
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 18:05
Spanish to English
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I only have one client who pays late regularly. I've been working with them for over 20 years now, and I'm accustomed to it. It's a small business with only about half a dozen people as far as I know, and they always end up paying in the end. I think they still have to pay me for invoices issued in January, February, March, April and last week. They recently paid me a bill I issued at the end of last year. But I know where they live, so I'm not worried, as in a worst-case scenario I can always s... See more I only have one client who pays late regularly. I've been working with them for over 20 years now, and I'm accustomed to it. It's a small business with only about half a dozen people as far as I know, and they always end up paying in the end. I think they still have to pay me for invoices issued in January, February, March, April and last week. They recently paid me a bill I issued at the end of last year. But I know where they live, so I'm not worried, as in a worst-case scenario I can always send the boys with baseball bats and cans of petrol round.
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All my current clients pay on time (over time I got rid of all the others) but one, who from time to time tends to overlook invoices with small amounts.
| | | | Thomas Pfann 
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:05
Member (2006)
English to German
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I don't think I ever heard an excuse from a client.
Of course, I have to chase payments occasionally but I never get excuses. When I send a payment reminder they either
apologize and pay, or
they say they will "look into it" or "check with finance" and then pay (which is probably closest to an excuse as it suggests someone else is at fault), or
they never reply but pay eventually.
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Ventnai
Spain
Local time: 18:05
German to English
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| No chasing up for a few years | May 13, 2021 |
It has been a long time since I have needed to chase up payments. I don't know whether laws have become more clearly defined or clients are more organised but very few clients "forget" to pay these days.
[Bearbeitet am 2021-05-13 12:29 GMT]
| | | | Paul Dixon
Brazil
Local time: 13:05
Portuguese to English
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'We have had to cut costs due to the pandemic'. 'We have cash flow problems'.
| | | | Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 12:05
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Very rarely get excuses | May 13, 2021 |
I have seldom received excuses, and even more rarely been notified in advance that there will be a delay in payment (I can remember this happening only once in 18 years.)
I have noticed that I have encountered fewer delays in payment during the past 5-7 years than previously. I attribute this mainly to stating and restating payment terms and expectations very clearly during my initial correspondence (including underlining and placing in bold deadline dates and key phra... See more I have seldom received excuses, and even more rarely been notified in advance that there will be a delay in payment (I can remember this happening only once in 18 years.)
I have noticed that I have encountered fewer delays in payment during the past 5-7 years than previously. I attribute this mainly to stating and restating payment terms and expectations very clearly during my initial correspondence (including underlining and placing in bold deadline dates and key phrases (e.g., this is a firm deadline).
And when I have to send reminders, I typically adopt a curt tone.
As I've repeatedly written in these forums, unexplained payment delays by agencies are as unacceptable as unexplained failures to meet deadlines on the part of translators. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | None, they just cock up sometimes | May 13, 2021 |
Human error means that occasionally my invoices don't reach the payment people.
I then send them a reminder, and they apologise and pay.
It helps to have reputable clients that are unlikely to cause you problems (e.g. banks, governments and blue chips) in countries that are unlikely to cause you problems (e.g. Northern Europe).
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Sanjin Grandić
Croatia
Local time: 18:05
Member (2020)
French to Croatian
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" Dear Sanjin, due to the Covid 19 situation, bla bla yak yak...."
I just send them one first and second FINAL reminder before they are on the blue board, on linkedin on another linguistic forums, I with embarassing messages on their websites and FB sites etc. They always pay ....
I work in collections for a credit card company so I know how to go to court quite rapidly if need arises.
If there is one thing I hate it is non payment, I ALWAYS do my best and then they wa... See more " Dear Sanjin, due to the Covid 19 situation, bla bla yak yak...."
I just send them one first and second FINAL reminder before they are on the blue board, on linkedin on another linguistic forums, I with embarassing messages on their websites and FB sites etc. They always pay ....
I work in collections for a credit card company so I know how to go to court quite rapidly if need arises.
If there is one thing I hate it is non payment, I ALWAYS do my best and then they want me to wait like 3 months and there is 30 days clearly statedbon the PO..... ..NO WAY JOSE
On the other hand I only had rwo real non payers in ny career so far
Thx God for serious clients and direct clients
[Edited at 2021-05-13 15:55 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Peter Simon
Netherlands
Local time: 18:05
English to Hungarian
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| It's not due yet | May 13, 2021 |
I'm usually paid on time, except once or twice being cheated by notorious cheaters (which I don't work for any longer). But some have longer payment deadlines than 2 months, and when I call their attention to their deadline, they point to the small letters in their info: it's not due yet, look, we've said our payment term is 'at the end of the third month' (!!) from your submission of your invoice. Then they said, after the end of the month in question passed, that 'sorry, our finance dep. could... See more I'm usually paid on time, except once or twice being cheated by notorious cheaters (which I don't work for any longer). But some have longer payment deadlines than 2 months, and when I call their attention to their deadline, they point to the small letters in their info: it's not due yet, look, we've said our payment term is 'at the end of the third month' (!!) from your submission of your invoice. Then they said, after the end of the month in question passed, that 'sorry, our finance dep. could only start compiling the list of payments due at the end...'. So I eventually got paid on the fourth month 'anniversary' of my invoice. But at least I was paid... ▲ Collapse
| | | | R. Alex Jenkins
Brazil
Local time: 13:05
Member (2006)
Portuguese to English
+ ...
| I was just about to pay it... | May 13, 2021 |
It's baffling, isn't it? They know they've got to pay you, but some customers put it off until the last minute for whatever reason, maybe in the hope that you'll magically disappear and won't need the cash at all. I can see the mild humor in this poll today, which is nice.
| | | | Mervyn Henderson (X)
Spain
Local time: 18:05
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Invoice? What invoice? Can you send it in again? | May 13, 2021 |
I had that a few times, but no excuses at all for years now.
A big favourite used to be the accountant-on-holiday excuse, though:
Which may be followed by the accountant-in-horrific-holiday-accident excuse.
And then the accountant-critical-in-intensive-care-in-the-Bahamas excuse.
Subsequently the accountant-at-death's-door-family-weeping-at-bedside excuse.
Sadly, the accountant-didn't-make-it excuse.
And finall... See more I had that a few times, but no excuses at all for years now.
A big favourite used to be the accountant-on-holiday excuse, though:
Which may be followed by the accountant-in-horrific-holiday-accident excuse.
And then the accountant-critical-in-intensive-care-in-the-Bahamas excuse.
Subsequently the accountant-at-death's-door-family-weeping-at-bedside excuse.
Sadly, the accountant-didn't-make-it excuse.
And finally, the now-advertising-for-an-accountant-stand-by-meanwhile excuse.
Companies just fall apart without their accountant, you know. How they manage to pay everyone at the company without them is beyond me.
[Edited at 2021-05-13 17:08 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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MollyRose
United States
Local time: 11:05
English to Spanish
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| no need for excuse | May 13, 2021 |
All my freelance translation has been paid upon delivery or within a couple days. Interpreting has always been paid promptly, too.
| | | | | None of the above | May 13, 2021 |
My clients pay.
If I were forced to vote, I would say 'I overlooked it', which has occasionally happened, even for really good clients. They apologise and pay at once, and the problem is solved.
| | | | | "It's the system." | May 13, 2021 |
Most of my clients are small cogs in a big corporate wheel, so I sometimes hear "It has already been approved, but it's going to take a while because (for instance) the policy is to pay at the end of the month, and even though you sent your invoice on the 28th, it takes a few days for it to get logged into the system, and by then it's the start of the next month."
And that could well be the exact truth. But I very rarely have to wait more than a month.
--Jane
| | | | | Pages in topic: [1 2] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: What is the most common excuse from clients for not having paid your invoice? | Trados Business Manager Lite | Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio
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