Agency backs out without informing you De persoon die dit onderwerp heeft geplaatst: Kristina Cosumano (X)
|
|---|
Kristina Cosumano (X) 
Duitsland
Local time: 13:55
Duits naar Engels
Hello all,
I am new to ProZ and this is my first question in a forum here. This may be more suitable in the Agencies category, but ProZ will not permit me to post a question there.
I answered a recent advert for translation work in the jobs listings. The (highly-rated) agency rep wrote that she'd be happy to have me, that she was still in negotiations for the delivery times, and after a back and forth of e-mails (my signing an agreement with their Terms/Conditions, and... See more Hello all,
I am new to ProZ and this is my first question in a forum here. This may be more suitable in the Agencies category, but ProZ will not permit me to post a question there.
I answered a recent advert for translation work in the jobs listings. The (highly-rated) agency rep wrote that she'd be happy to have me, that she was still in negotiations for the delivery times, and after a back and forth of e-mails (my signing an agreement with their Terms/Conditions, and confirming my rates), but no contract signed for this specific project, I waited.
The evening deadline came and went, and the next morning I wrote to ask if there had been a misunderstanding. Oh, the client apparently got a better offer somewhere else, she replied. Apologies for the confusion.
My question is: is this unusual? Is it my job to push for a concrete agreement in writing right away, or is this just something that happens and is part of the business? Was her response the non-confrontational form of "thanks but no thanks"? (I have been living in German-speaking countries for so long, that I suspect I no longer recognise the "codes" of English-language business correspondence.) I would have just chalked this up to lack of organisation on the agency's part but they come very highly rated here. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Sounds reasonably normal for nowadays, I'm afraid | Aug 27, 2015 |
KristinaC wrote:
This may be more suitable in the Agencies category, but ProZ will not permit me to post a question there.
That particular forum is a private one FOR them, not about them .
a back and forth of e-mails (my signing an agreement with their Terms/Conditions, and confirming my rates), but no contract signed for this specific project
Is it my job to push for a concrete agreement in writing right away
It sounds as though they've registered you as a potential supplier. They also had you down for this particular job, should they be awarded it. Of course, in an ideal world, they should keep you informed and contact you the moment the job falls through. But a busy PM will be busier on the principal tasks of landing jobs and finding suppliers. Lost jobs don't get any priority.
The bottom line is that until a job is confirmed you should only be allocating it the bare minimum of time. And never assume there will be a job at the end of the form-filling tunnel. If this agency pays on time then it will have a good reputation. If it pays sensible rates and provides large volumes of work as well, it will have a great one. Being inconsiderate won't be a big enough sin to warrant negative entries.
| | | | | Never commit until confirmed | Aug 27, 2015 |
In the future, make sure you let the agency know that you cannot commit either until they've confirmed the project/issued a PO. This way you'll be free to accept other work that comes in. There's nothing more frustrating than turning down other jobs only to wind up with nothing because of this sort of thing.
| | | | Phil Hand
China
Local time: 19:55
Chinees naar Engels
| Agency certainly *should* tell you whether the job is confirmed or not | Aug 28, 2015 |
I have a couple of agency clients who seem not to do much business in my pair, so when they get a potential job, they ask me for a quote, then submit their quote to the end client, then we have to wait to see if we are awarded the job. They're very transparent with me, and I appreciate their business. Of course, we don't always get the contracts, and it's annoying to waste time on a job that doesn't come, but overall it's a healthy and good relationship.
Sometimes the communication ... See more I have a couple of agency clients who seem not to do much business in my pair, so when they get a potential job, they ask me for a quote, then submit their quote to the end client, then we have to wait to see if we are awarded the job. They're very transparent with me, and I appreciate their business. Of course, we don't always get the contracts, and it's annoying to waste time on a job that doesn't come, but overall it's a healthy and good relationship.
Sometimes the communication just isn't as clear. Perhaps this agency thought they had the job, then the client switched on them at the last moment. Perhaps they know from experience that you get a better response from linguists if you don't tell them that the job isn't confirmed yet. That's not great business practice, but you can understand why it happens. I would say this is a "known risk". ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Kristina Cosumano (X)
Duitsland
Local time: 13:55
Duits naar Engels
ONDERWERPSTARTER
Ah, yes, a forum for the agencies themselves... thanks!
It sounds as if what I was told was what actually happened then. I had suspected that the agency had not lost the job at all, but that I may have been underbid by another translator, and that this was the rep's polite, taking-no-responsibilty way of turning me down.
In fact, that may still be what happened, but I'll never know, and the end result is the same.
Thanks for these bits of advice. Th... See more Ah, yes, a forum for the agencies themselves... thanks!
It sounds as if what I was told was what actually happened then. I had suspected that the agency had not lost the job at all, but that I may have been underbid by another translator, and that this was the rep's polite, taking-no-responsibilty way of turning me down.
In fact, that may still be what happened, but I'll never know, and the end result is the same.
Thanks for these bits of advice. The request to sign their terms and conditions had made me assume for some reason that I was committing myself to this particular project. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | It wasn't an actual project... | Aug 28, 2015 |
...it was a potential one, and if the posting didn't say that, then the PM should have informed you from the start.
Agencies will have you fill out all their paperwork whether they actually plan to give you the project in question or not. The good thing is that, should you hear from this agency again, that part is already taken care of.
I wouldn't let this incident get in the way of establishing a relationship with the agency if they have a good rep.
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Agency backs out without informing you | 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 » |
| | Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
