Blacklist V



Late payer

Email 6/11/13:
"First of all, thank you for this great site! At last something is actively done against tricks like this. I confirm the low prices complaint against Protranslating and would like to add "Valuepoint Knowledgeworks Pvt. Ltd" to the list (even though they eventually pay, I has to ask for each payment specifically and several times even after their own 45-days-payment-deadline had passed. The communication was slow and at least one invoice contained a false rate. I warmly suggest everyone to avoid dealings with this company).

*How long in total did you wait for payment? (Dates)
I sent them the invoice on September 3rd. Their payment time was 45 days. They should have paid by Oct 15th but didn't. They THEN promised to pay by Oct 26th but I received the payment by Oct 30. Their overall business practice sees to be "we pay when you ask for it, not when it's due and we should actually make the payment on our own initiative as contractually obliged".

*Did you incur late fees? No

*What made them pay?
My numerous e-mails, one of which was as follows: 
"Please answer my last two letters (titled XXX and YYY) by the EOB of Tuesday, 03.09.2013 or I'm forced to file an official complaint to your superiors, detailing your actions (delaying, not sending PO in time, then sending PO with false info and THEN not responding to my queries in a reasonable time frame). However busy you may be, I find it hard to believe that you cannot find 3 minutes to change 2 numbers on a PO and then send it back to me.
Should my potential complaint to your superiors also yield no results, my displeasure will result in the termination of our agreement and a Proz.com BlueBoard entry warning other translators not to cooperate with your company. Your superiors will also be notified.
I have been nothing but professional in my dealings with your company and I expect the same professional attitude from you.
Kindly live up to the professional standards of the industry, please.
I truly hope we can still salvage this situation."

*Did they apologise?
Well yes but when someone says they're sorry but doesn't actually make any changes to go along with that, what's the use? 
*How many times did you have to ask for your money and for how many tasks? 
> 2 tasks, about 6-7 times


VeraLanguage International 
Non payer

Email 28/01/2015:
"This "agency" owes me $2000 for work done almost a year ago.
They promised to pay but never did. Didn't even pay the collection agency I hired to recuperate my hard earned money.
Avoid at all costs."


Veritas now Planet Veritas, check under P
Nasty business practices, won't pay

"Anyone else have experience with this company? I did some jobs for them last year that took months (and numerous emails) to be paid. Now they are back with machine translations that they want me to proofread. "
4/11/14: Just an update on this company. I have done a company check, and they are now trading as PLANET VERITAS, and have moved offices, a different unit in the same block, Unit 15, J-sheds, The Waterfront, Swansea SA1 They owe a lot of translators a lot of money. There are many legal actions pending against them, and their policy seems to be only pay translators when they really have to. I have received many complaints about them. CCJ's outstanding against the company.

07/04/15:
"Hello, I will be taking legal action against Planet Veritas. They used to trade as Veritas Language Solutions, but they are the same scammers. 
They owe me over £1,500. I asked them to pay (first time after 2 months from invoice) and then I gave them another 2 months to pay, after a bunch of lies from their account department... When I asked them again, they got "offended", I should have not asked them for my payment.... They were doing "everything" to pay me (they never paid me a single penny... great help!) And therefore they were not going to pay me... tough luck!
I didn't sue them because I was very busy, to be honest. I don't even care if I win or not, but I will try to give them a lot of grief.... everytime they will go to their solicitor, s/he will make them pay a lot of money, then they will have to go to court, which is far from them....that's pure grief. After that I will write a really lovely article about them. I know of another lucky interpreter, who is owed thousands of pounds. 
This must end. Our legal system allows these disgusting companies to take the money from translators and interpreters who have worked hard for it. The interpreters do an amazing job, the end clients are very happy and they pay for the service provided, but in the middle we have these fraudsters who never wanted to pay us. They take our credit and our money, when they don't want to pay, they simply go in administration and create a new company. Is this our "justice" system, this is our criminalised system. Don't work for them."



Insulting rates

Found on LinkedIn. Now I've seen offers like this before, but this PM is very optimistic to hope that a native norwegian is ever going to take on that job. Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world and the rates of native translators are amongt the highest in the industry. Is this company extremely ignorant about their own business or just pretending to be and chancing it? This is a truly insane offer.
"Hi there,
Hope you are doing well. We have engaged into ongoing project, for which we need more assistance with. We are translating a large document, subject is travel.
Fairly easy text that has to be translated into Norwegian. Since this is really large project the rate is not the greatest, but with high expectations to continue for over next 6 months.
Let me know if you could agree with the rate of 0.045 USD per word for this project and whether you are able to perform a test (which will be paid for if it passes).
Looking forward to your prompt reply. Best Regards,
PP
Project Manager
22 Sv. Stepono street, Vilnius, Lithuania
Tel +370.656.42541
www.viewglobally.com"


Vistatec
Late or non payers, low rates

"For those of you who are approached by VistaTec in Ireland to carry out review work, I would strongly advise CAUTION.
This company employs hundreds of reviewers to do work on various accounts (for numerous mainstream software companies and providers).
Reminders to pay invoices are ignored by their accounts payable department for weeks on end (sometimes for several months) and payment is ONLY received after you threaten to stop work or call in the services of a collection agency. Account managers can do very little to help you, as they claim. The same account managers will send you new work even though payments of invoices are still outstanding. "
Other email received (october 2012):
"I just saw your post on Linked In and wanted to add one of our problem payers. Vistatec. They request a 45 day payment term, and I agreed.  My payment terms 7 days.  However I was not expecting that I would need to hound them to pay. They have paid some of my invoices 90+ days for most. I am still waiting on payment and many others.
Here is a spreadsheet that is about 2 weeks old listing # of outstanding days. Their rates are shocking. I will never accept a job from them again." I confirm that most of the contractors on the list have oustanding invoices dating from more than 3 months, list available upon request:
translationethics@gmail.com


Vocabridge formerly The Language Team Ltd 
Suspicious lack of reputation, no info available


Voxorbis
Ridiculous rates

"Just got this e-mail from Voxorbis. The rate is offensive but obviously they don't even know what they're dealing with as they are expecting an output of 100 minutes a day!! Yikes!"
"Dear Translator,
We have a subtitling project of about 4,000 minutes from English
into Norwegian to be split between several translators. The videos
are already transcribed into English. The topic is entertainment
from regular TV shows.

1. It is extremely important that the translators are native in
Norwegian
.
2. We offer USD 2.00 per VIDEO MINUTE for translation and
proofreading.

3. The videos are already transcribed into English. You will be
working on a platform “Amara”. It is very user-friendly and we
will give you some instructions on how to use it.
4. You will do BOTH the translation and proofreading.
5. The deadline of this project is 12:00pm (PDT) March 29, 2013.
We are expecting the translators to translate 100 video minutes
every day.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Your prompt reply is much appreciated.
Thank you!"
WHAT the Hell? 
1/Norwegians have a high standard of living, this rate is ludicrous for anyone in Europe, especially them.
2/One person cannot be both the translator and the proofreader of their own work!!!
3/Expecting 100 min per day is asking for the moon, even if this video is baby talk (from what I know, the average is 40 min per day).
4/This shows total incompetence and ignorance about subtitling. Obviously, this person needs to be educated about their own business.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I took up a translation task with Value Point Knowledge Works India. Upon the completion of the project, agent refuse to make payment by giving excuses that client did not pay them. Their work ethnic is DON"T do according to contract.It is stated in the contract payment will be made in 30 days. The agent stop calling me after the project complete regarding payment or invoice.

After three exchange emails, the agent told me if i agree to half of the payment of we agreed to, they would pay me immediately. The agency is unethical and unprofessional. Avoid VALUE POINT KNOWLEDGE WORKS PTV.