How to denounce bad companies?

Pedro Godfroid wrote:
They make me sign NDA and all sort of stuff, they make me send them special CV and all kinds of details, they make me do all kinds of tests and finally they announce that I've been chosen for the job and that they'll send me the source right away. And nothing comes. No material, no explanation, no nothing. Due to the lack of response, I eventually ask is there is something wrong, if the project has been delayed or what. Then, in some cases, I receive an answer in the lines of, sorry, but we gave the job to somebody else with no explanation why or nothing.

Is it possible to denounce this behaviour without being a full-member and have access to the blue board?

Certain conditions must be met before Blue Board entries can be made. Entries concerning the Likelihood of Working Again (LWA) with given outsourcers are allowed only when (1) commissioned work has been completed in full and delivered on time, and (2) there have not been complaints related to quality shortly after delivery. Entries may not be made on the basis of negotiations, test translations, or other preliminary or non-commissioned interactions.

Natalie wrote:



This happens every now and then. And this does not mean anything. The more so this does not mean that the company is "bad" and should be "denounced" in any way.

Please refer to the Blue Board rule http://www.proz.com/siterules/blue_board_bb_blueboard/2#2 :




[Edited at 2012-09-12 14:45 GMT]

Pedro Godfroid wrote:
So the companies have the right to blatantly *lie* and give false illusions to workers and it's all right, they should not be held responsible for anything.

Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:

There is nothing you can do unless they sent you the materials and a purchase order stating the delivery date. The promise to send work your way means nothing these days: you only get a job when they actually send you the files and the purchase order.

Pedro Godfroid wrote:
They make me sign NDA and all sort of stuff, they make me send them special CV and all kinds of details, they make me do all kinds of tests and finally they announce that I've been chosen for the job and that they'll send me the source right away. And nothing comes.

Is it possible to denounce this behaviour without being a full-member and have access to the blue board? This kind of proceeding are blatant *lies* and I think they should be known so everybody knows what to expect form this type of agency.

Natalie wrote:



First of all, I don't think you (or me, or anybody else) have the right to call anyone a "blatant liar" in such cases. Do you know all the circumstances of the project? No. Do you have any idea why the end customer might suspend or cancel the project? No. So why calling names?



[Edited at 2012-09-12 15:12 GMT]

Tina Vonhof wrote:

In the world at large, applying for a job, sending in your resumé, and having an interview and/or completing a test, still does not guarantee that you will be hired. Conclusion: there must have been an applicant who was better or cheaper. You swallow your disappointment and you move on. Don't look at this as being a 'victim' - you know what you are worth and you will get a job from someone who appreciates what you have to offer.

If it's any consolation, I never got a job that was posted on proz.com, not even ones that I thought I was a perfect candidate for. I don't apply any more. More often these days I am approached by agencies who find me. I go through the procedure, application form, contract, NDA, etc. Sometimes they have a job right away, sometimes a year from now, when they get a job in my language combination and specialty, they have me in their database and I suddenly get a request from them. Spruce up your profile and your resumé, become a PRO, and see what happens.


[Edited at 2012-09-12 15:36 GMT]

Pedro Godfroid wrote:
So the companies have the right to blatantly *lie* and give false illusions to workers and it's all right, they should not be held responsible for anything.

Sheila Wilson wrote:


Unfortunately all we can do is avoid companies who give the impression of being like that. You get a nose for them after a while. I start by asking (and then demanding, if necessary) their explicit acceptance of my rates and payment terms. If they won't/can't give me that, then the whole circus stops there. A special CV would be out, too. NDAs can wait until there's the first job (nothing to disclose until then, after all) and I'm very selective about doing free tests. Coming all together, these requests would make me back off fast.


Paying members can't do anything about it either, Pedro. We haven't worked for them (duh...!) so we can't criticise them. I can understand that it would be too open to abuse, but it's a shame there's nothing we can do to warn others about the (potential) waste of time. Maybe these people are fine to work with in the end, when you've jumped through enough hoops to prove that you'll always behave yourself and play the underdog. But I don't know - that sort of relationship just isn't for me.

Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:


The same as any experienced sales person, any independent professional must be aware that customers, especially potential customers, do not always do what we expect and not even what they say they shall do.

You should not pay attention to what potential customers promise, but to what they do, the same as with any other person in your personal life.

Melanie Meyer wrote:

Sorry to hear that, Pedro. That does indeed sound like a frustrating situation.

From my own experience, I have found that the agencies that make you fill out the most paperwork and make you jump through the most hoops ahead of time, ironically end up sending you the least work, if any at all. I have heard other translators mention the same phenomenon.

In any case, I hope that you will have much more luck with your next potential client!