| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Which of the following issues do you dislike discussing with clients the most? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| Meaning of issue / matter | Oct 13, 2015 |
I've been living in France since 1991. "Issue" used to mean "matter" in the UK, with perhaps the expression "Do you have an issue with that"?
Apart from continuing to translate and interpret, I'm also studying/training to qualify as a clinical neuropsychologist. Not just with friends and family in the UK, but also since returning to study (in 2009 with neurobiology, a post-grad certificat in autism and a research masters in biology and neuroscience), I have watched the term "issue" ... See more I've been living in France since 1991. "Issue" used to mean "matter" in the UK, with perhaps the expression "Do you have an issue with that"?
Apart from continuing to translate and interpret, I'm also studying/training to qualify as a clinical neuropsychologist. Not just with friends and family in the UK, but also since returning to study (in 2009 with neurobiology, a post-grad certificat in autism and a research masters in biology and neuroscience), I have watched the term "issue" evolve in the UK. It is now used commonly and in academic contexts also, as in the US to mean "problem". People have health issues, or even "issues". Discusssing rates, deadlines and payment are not problematic in themselves. They are just part of daily life in business. That is why I have assumed the question with issue=problem. I may be wrong, but perhaps the Poll poster could qualify the meaning for us. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | payment, as in not having been paid | Oct 13, 2015 |
That would be an issue, and a very unpleasant one to have to discuss. The other things: rate, and deadline - these are simply things that come up as a client asks how much you will charge and by when it can be done. The "ethical" part I didn't get at all. When would we discuss ethics with a client?
| | | | | | Sheila Wilson 
Spain
Local time: 11:48
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| I suppose I have issues with chasing payments | Oct 14, 2015 |
I certainly dislike the fact that some clients force me to do it. But that's only because I don't think I should be put in that position. I deliver on time; clients should pay on time!. Those who always need a reminder soon become ex-clients.
Actually, there is one form of payment chasing that I do find awkward and I put it off and put it off. That's when fantastic clients who pay within days or a couple of weeks, regular as clockwork, suddenly fail to pay. I don't like sending them... See more I certainly dislike the fact that some clients force me to do it. But that's only because I don't think I should be put in that position. I deliver on time; clients should pay on time!. Those who always need a reminder soon become ex-clients.
Actually, there is one form of payment chasing that I do find awkward and I put it off and put it off. That's when fantastic clients who pay within days or a couple of weeks, regular as clockwork, suddenly fail to pay. I don't like sending them reminders as it seems churlish. I had it happen in February: I'd sent my invoices on New Year's Eve and by 31 January three good clients had failed to pay. I left them an extra fortnight then I had to send remnders. Of course, they'd all simply overlooked them and paid up immediately. We had a laugh about it but it was a bit awkward for me. ▲ Collapse
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| Taking it for granted on reminders | Oct 14, 2015 |
Sheila Wilson wrote:
I certainly dislike the fact that some clients force me to do it. But that's only because I don't think I should be put in that position. I deliver on time; clients should pay on time!. Those who always need a reminder soon become ex-clients.
Actually, there is one form of payment chasing that I do find awkward and I put it off and put it off. That's when fantastic clients who pay within days or a couple of weeks, regular as clockwork, suddenly fail to pay. I don't like sending them reminders as it seems churlish. I had it happen in February: I'd sent my invoices on New Year's Eve and by 31 January three good clients had failed to pay. I left them an extra fortnight then I had to send reminders. Of course, they'd all simply overlooked them and paid up immediately. We had a laugh about it but it was a bit awkward for me.
Clients who obdurately give reasons why they didn't pay on the date agreed, as soon as they pay, are moved to a special "cash in advance category".
However on my reminders I tell them, "If you already made that payment, please check with (your bank or whatever method used) because it should have reached me by now, and it hasn't. Sometimes these things go awry." And they actually do!
On account of sky-high inflation rates a few decades ago, Brazil has the fastest banking system worldwide. Small amounts are transferred overnight; larger amounts can be transferred between different banks during banking hours in 20 minutes. Transfers within the same bank are done online in real time 24/7, regardless of branches location. I have received wire transfers from both the USA and Eastern Europe within one hour, though it may take a couple of days.
One individual client had her brother send me a large payment from a different bank, and it didn't come up on my account as expected. Neither her bank account manager nor mine could track it. The funds vanished for three days, and then reappeared in her account as if nothing had ever happened. We later ascertained that her brother had mistyped a 5 instead of a 6 in my account number check digit. All other identification was correct, so a human operator would be empowered to fix that on his/her own. However for a computer it was an unprecedented mismatch, which put the transaction into a loop, from which it only exited after some weekly routine cleanup was performed, voiding it definitely.
Another client paid me within the same bank, sent me the scanned slip, but the money didn't show up. Before bothering the client, I called my bank to trace it. The CSR located it immediately, "Sir, you are looking at your checking account. Because of the transaction code entered on the transfer you are referring to, these funds were used to open a new savings account in your name. All you have to do is transfer these funds from that savings to your checking account. You can do it online right now."
It may also happen across borders. A client from NYC tried to pay me via Xoom, when they began enforcing strictly the "P2P, no-business" rule. They require some family relationship between sender and receiver, otherwise, they'll automatically cancel the transaction within three seconds. I had a chance to talk with this client over Skype regarding her special requirements, and we eventually discovered that my son and her cousin had been classmates in the distant past. However that's not enough of a relationship for Xoom. She works in a bank there, so such transactions are not completely outlandish to her. She tried to pay me via Xoom THREE times, and all attempts were cancelled pronto. So she had her sister in Brazil pay me directly.
Evidence shows that payments can go wrong, in spite of the client's efforts. No harm in asking them to check their side, if the funds don't show up on mine. I take for granted that they did pay as agreed.
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 07:48
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
All other issues are agreed in advance. If you have to discuss payment issues, that means something was not done as agreed in advance.
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