Poll: Have you ever used the services of a debt collection agency? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever used the services of a debt collection agency?".
View the poll results »
| | |
I have never used a debt collection agency but some years ago I asked my lawyer to take legal action against 2 clients who owed me money. | | | Billh Local time: 13:06 Spanish to English + ... no but jolly nearly | Jul 13, 2015 |
sent in el hombre del frac or the heavy legal mob to collect 12000 euros from a LARGE SPANISH BANK (albeit it newly formed from debt restructuring) which took 18 months to pay | | |
I once had to call in some heavy artillery to collect $9,000 owed to me by a well-known organization. | |
|
|
Mentioning that I might go to the small claims court was enough. I understand that I was lucky - the client had enough money to pay me that day. He was charming, showed the then IoL logo on his website (fraudulently, as it turned out), and helped extremely professionally with terminology... But he seemed unable to keep his business afloat, and I heard later that he simply could not pay others, so some lost a lot of money. Sad - he sounded like a really good client... See more Mentioning that I might go to the small claims court was enough. I understand that I was lucky - the client had enough money to pay me that day. He was charming, showed the then IoL logo on his website (fraudulently, as it turned out), and helped extremely professionally with terminology... But he seemed unable to keep his business afloat, and I heard later that he simply could not pay others, so some lost a lot of money. Sad - he sounded like a really good client and promised very reasonable rates ▲ Collapse | | |
I got a lawyer to write to 3 clients who owed in total about 4000 euros, not a single one of them paid. The one who owed me most (2500) had conveniently gone bankrupt. I gave up chasing the others. | | | Al Zaid United States English to Spanish + ...
It hasn't come to that, but sometimes I'd like having a butt-kicking gang to claim money from lazy clients was legal | | | Get a happy lawyer client and borrow some stationery ;) | Jul 13, 2015 |
Just kidding, but only up to a point. While you can't just get blank signed A4 sheets from a lawyer, on occasional favour in the form of signing a default notice drafted by a secretary and printed on the firm's finest look-at-us paper shouldn't be a problem. | |
|
|
Julian Holmes Japan Local time: 21:06 Member (2011) Japanese to English
Hire a good lawyer, hit 'em hard and get the unpleasant out of the way and behind you as quickly as possible.... ...and then move on to better pastures! | | | Vera Schoen Sweden Local time: 14:06 Member (2008) German to Swedish + ...
I did contact a debt collector once (after two months of nagging and still no payment), and that same day the agency decided to pay their outstanding debt. Just a coincidence, the debt collector hadn’t actually started working on my case. | | | Sheila Wilson Spain Local time: 13:06 Member (2007) English + ... The courts have done the job so far | Jul 13, 2015 |
If you sue someone in the small claims court then the client both pays in full and covers your legal costs, which are not massive anyway. That has to be better than paying a percentage of the debt to a recovery company. But the SCC isn't always on offer, so I mght use them in the future. Even a small percentage is better than giving the client the idea that they can get away with non-payment. | | | Mario Freitas Brazil Local time: 09:06 Member (2014) English to Portuguese + ... No, but I might one day | Jul 13, 2015 |
I filed a complaint against an agency once, and I won it. But I had to give 20% of the award to the lawyer. I had other issues with agencies/clients that I was able to resolve on my own. And, of course, two or three SOBs who never paid me, in amounts that were not worth an action in justice or ina collection agency. But I have nothing against it. If I ever need it, it will probably be cheaper to me than paying a lawyer. I may have issues though with the cl... See more I filed a complaint against an agency once, and I won it. But I had to give 20% of the award to the lawyer. I had other issues with agencies/clients that I was able to resolve on my own. And, of course, two or three SOBs who never paid me, in amounts that were not worth an action in justice or ina collection agency. But I have nothing against it. If I ever need it, it will probably be cheaper to me than paying a lawyer. I may have issues though with the clients abroad, which are many. What kind of assistance could I use for a bad payer in another country? I really don't know. ▲ Collapse | |
|
|
My own reminders didn't work. Small claims court and debt collection agency didn't obtain any results. Finally, the debt collection agency started a liquidation procedure (on the basis: a client who cannot pay its debts is in fact bankrupt). At the last minute, the agency paid the full amount of the translation. It was a huuuuuge amount. But still without debt collection costs. The agency closed one year later, and then changed its name, but seems still to be in bu... See more My own reminders didn't work. Small claims court and debt collection agency didn't obtain any results. Finally, the debt collection agency started a liquidation procedure (on the basis: a client who cannot pay its debts is in fact bankrupt). At the last minute, the agency paid the full amount of the translation. It was a huuuuuge amount. But still without debt collection costs. The agency closed one year later, and then changed its name, but seems still to be in business. A particular problem was that, in the US, a claim has to be submitted in the State where the problem started. Here: theft of services. ▲ Collapse | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Have you ever used the services of a debt collection agency? Trados Business Manager Lite | Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio
Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.
More info » |
| Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |