Damnit don't you just hate it when people rip you off on a article deal

Peace will come, just kill em all

 

ROTFLMAO

Where's Rambo when you need him?

 

I hope the situation gets sorted out. I think some people just don't care about their reputation because it's easy to just make a new identity online - especially when you're dealing in the lower end of articles (e.g. 1cent per word or less). Hopefully that's not the case now, though, and the outsourcer will show up with a good explanation and make amends.

 

At least after all the hell I raised today he now sent me an email claiming he was sick, which I know to be bogus, but it is a sign he wants to get things sorted. We' ll see...

 

I am a translator/copywriter and my policy for new clients, without exceptions, is to require full payment upfront. It has worked for me most of the times!

Saludos.

 

By the way, you should raise your rates and target high-end clients. Remember that cheap does not necessarily means bad... but many clients perceive it that way.

 

Well, I can see both sides of it, and it is kind of a catch 22 situation with new clients. I don't know them, but they also don't know me. Therefore I can certainly see their hesitation on paying upfront. In order to cut through this impasse, one of the parties will have to take the risk. And to be honest, I am more suited for that, since if I don't get paid, I can take action(Like this Honore guy is finding out) and generally am able to sell, or use the articles, that were not paid for. In other words I can get my money from it through other means, but a content buyer that pays in advance would have a much harder time with that(Ever try to reverse a Paypal payment?).

So generally I take the risk, and am happy to say that in 99% of all cases there will be no problem, and for the 1% that will be problematic, I go after those with a passion, set an example for others, and basically tear the scammer apart. For this I have many means at my disposal, and I am not afraid to use them.

 

You can still requiere full payment upfront for new clients and eliminate their risk by providing them a complete list of business references, which they can check before contracting you. It´s all a matter of generating trust.

 

With new clients, I like the 50% up front model. I see it as shared risk. During the first half of the project the risk burden is on the customer, on the second half the risk is mine.

 

Both the above posts are right on target.

However it always requires: mutual trust, proof of your ability, and at least 50% Up Front of client commitment to you.

Without that you really never have a true business contract.

Even a collection agency is only successful 10% to 25%, depending on the clients worth and personal gain by their 25% fee.

----------------------------have a good one--------------

 

Well, bitching about it at DP works well also, I just got paid by the dude, in full along with an apology!

 

Haha, you got to beat him up a bit and also got paid, now that's a happy ending!

 

I mostly collect upfront.

 

well i am sorry but hard lesson learned from your own mistake as already said above ask for a deposit always or another way that i use is let them read the articles from a website where they cant copy or save it then if they like it they pay and you send them the content

 

Good to know you finally got paid but, as I said, mimize your risk and the potential client concerns by generating trust. Samples of your work and complete business references are the key for getting paid in advance.

 

It haven't happened to me, I hope it will not!

 

*puts on "We are the champions performed by Queen*

 

Happens to me very often... I never work without 100% upfront. The time that I did (because it was for $250), the buyer said "I don't think I need them anymore" and the hard work of an entire week is now resting on my Desktop

 

In short, the maxim is "never trust new clients" unless they have been recommended by someone you know well.

 

I feel you I just got scammed out of $50 last week it sucks :| It's probably all one guy