Poll: Do agencies and end clients comply with your payment terms? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do agencies and end clients comply with your payment terms?".
This poll was originally submitted by Ines R.. View the poll results »
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All my clients pay as agreed (I wouldn’t work for them otherwise). Some very dear long-standing customers (4) pay the day after receiving my invoice, most pay at 30 days, one USA agency pays at 60 days and one Italian agency at 90 days. I can’t remember when I had to send the last reminder (10 years back?).
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 09:54
Spanish to English
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| Most of them | Nov 24, 2023 |
Nowadays most of my clients are direct and I don't recall the last time I worked for an agency. Depending on their internal accounting systems, some may take longer to pay than others, but I'm not bothered as they always cough up in the end.
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 09:54
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
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I comply with my clients payment terms. As long as they don't exceed 60 days end of month I don't really care if they pay after 30, 45 or 60 days. The only thing I care about is that they actually pay the day they promise to pay (or more or less).
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Yes, most of them do, some pay even before date agreed, I have an agency that has to be reminded but it gives me work that I like and enjoy doing and I know that I'll be paid, only a couple didn't pay till I had to threaten somehow but they paid.
| | | | Samuel Murray 
Netherlands
Local time: 09:54
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| What do you mean "my" payment terms? | Nov 24, 2023 |
By law, I'm required to add a note to my invoice saying that they payment term is "14 days", but that's just there because the law requires it to be there. I'm not required to enforce it. And I don't.
I haven't encountered one situation in which an agency asked ME what My payment terms are. The agency usually proposes a term (well, in theory they do... in practise I just discover what it is after I worked for them for a while), and then it is up to me to accept or reject it.
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They mostly pay at the end of the following month, but that’s basically the same as my terms of 30 days so no problem.
Some pay straight away though, which is nice.
| | | | | Yes, no, in some cases | Nov 24, 2023 |
Possibly "most of them" would do, but what I find interesting is that the ones that pay the latest tend also to be the ones to whom I apply the lowest rates. The worst by far is a direct client that has paid me over 120,000 euros since 1999, always at my minimum rate. They generally pay in less than 18 months, sometimes less than 6 months, but I never bet on it. I only do important jobs for them now, so I'm down to less than 2000 euros a year, but not because of their payment practices. I have t... See more Possibly "most of them" would do, but what I find interesting is that the ones that pay the latest tend also to be the ones to whom I apply the lowest rates. The worst by far is a direct client that has paid me over 120,000 euros since 1999, always at my minimum rate. They generally pay in less than 18 months, sometimes less than 6 months, but I never bet on it. I only do important jobs for them now, so I'm down to less than 2000 euros a year, but not because of their payment practices. I have too much work from elsewhere, but I like to keep them on my books.
The one that pays me the most per page is also the one that pays me the most per year. They always pay within a week or so (my standard deadline is 30 days). The rest are in between, with the ones with the lower rates tending to pay later.
All my clients are in Italy. Unfortunately, I don't have precise historical data as I don't do my own accounts, but it would be interesting to see what correlation there is between rates and payment times. ▲ Collapse
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| Most of them | Nov 24, 2023 |
I dislike this behaviour of not paying when you're supposed to. My credit terms are 30 days end-of month, which should be enough.
Oddly, there is that one agency that consistently needs a reminder. Amounts are mostly in the 3-digit category, and I've become lenient enough to forget about it until it's very late or the build-up reaches the 4-digit category. As soon as I send a reminder, it's duly acknowledged and the full amount lands into my bank account within a few days.
I put up w... See more I dislike this behaviour of not paying when you're supposed to. My credit terms are 30 days end-of month, which should be enough.
Oddly, there is that one agency that consistently needs a reminder. Amounts are mostly in the 3-digit category, and I've become lenient enough to forget about it until it's very late or the build-up reaches the 4-digit category. As soon as I send a reminder, it's duly acknowledged and the full amount lands into my bank account within a few days.
I put up with it likely because I can't be bothered to fall out with them every month.
Philippe ▲ Collapse
| | | | Iman Tahanan
Local time: 11:54
English to Persian (Farsi)
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I only have terms for my direct clients. Agencies have their own terms to which I comply. Generally, agencies have the upper hand in any dealings and cooperation.
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