| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: How many of your current clients have asked you to lower your rates? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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David Earl 
United States
Local time: 14:48
German to English
| No requests, but reduction contained in offer | Mar 21, 2016 |
I would suspect that everyone has seen this. Agency wants to fill out their database. Translator sends specs, including rates. Agency starts sending offers, but the rate contained in the offer is constantly below the indicated rate (by a couple of cents per word and/or using different currencies such as USD vs. EUR). Translator tries to negotiate, but making contact is difficult at best. So, all that can be done is ignore the offer (or have the email client auto-delete it).
Such sit... See more I would suspect that everyone has seen this. Agency wants to fill out their database. Translator sends specs, including rates. Agency starts sending offers, but the rate contained in the offer is constantly below the indicated rate (by a couple of cents per word and/or using different currencies such as USD vs. EUR). Translator tries to negotiate, but making contact is difficult at best. So, all that can be done is ignore the offer (or have the email client auto-delete it).
Such situations seemed like a variation on this theme to me. There isn't a request for a reduction (or any form of negotiation), just attempts on the agency's (or customer's) part to enforce a reduction by not offering the indicated rate. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 22:48
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| None of my current clients | Mar 21, 2016 |
Rita Utt wrote:
because if they ask me to lower my rates,
they will have to look for somebody else ...
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Julian Holmes wrote: Six months ago one client actually voluntarily gave me a 30% increase and the jobs I'm getting are getting bigger by the month. 
I have a client who systematically expects to pay a higher rate if the work is to be done beyond 18h, over the weekend and particularly on a Sunday. It just strikes them as normal to do so. 30% is a BIG increase though. That's good news!
Whilst I don't think it's unusual to round up or round down for a quote on a big job, taking a decrease in rates is generally a bad sign and not the type of client you generally want to hang on to.
| | | | | I have set my rates up... | Mar 21, 2016 |
Ricki Farn wrote:
The ones who tried are no longer my clients.
Same here.
One good client did ask me to agree to a slightly lower rate for a pro-bono client they are sponsoring, and for that client only. I was happy to accept - but that is another matter.
I have not raised my rates the last couple of years, but I have certainly not lowered them.
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Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 16:48
English to Spanish
+ ...
Noni Gilbert wrote:
Have been working at this rate for about three years and now they suggest bringing it down. We'r e a bit deadlocked but they continue to use the translations I provide so I'll be interested to see how they deal with my next bill, because I haven't brought the price down.
Maybe you could see what else they could offer you that has value to you. Something nonmonetary but equally valuable?
Just an idea.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 16:48
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Better to offer a direct decline | Mar 21, 2016 |
David Earl wrote:
I would suspect that everyone has seen this. Agency wants to fill out their database. Translator sends specs, including rates. Agency starts sending offers, but the rate contained in the offer is constantly below the indicated rate (by a couple of cents per word and/or using different currencies such as USD vs. EUR). Translator tries to negotiate, but making contact is difficult at best. So, all that can be done is ignore the offer (or have the email client auto-delete it).
Such situations seemed like a variation on this theme to me. There isn't a request for a reduction (or any form of negotiation), just attempts on the agency's (or customer's) part to enforce a reduction by not offering the indicated rate.
Seems to me that you're facing a passive-aggressive approach from that agency. As with most passive-aggressive approaches in communications, it's an unhealthy and unproductive one (for them, especially).
I prefer to be told that my rates are too high or to have my offer declined than to face what you described.
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 17:48
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Only potential, so no "clients" | Mar 22, 2016 |
A potential client is only considered a client once they actually send you a PO/job and pay for it.
The last three clients that asked me to do a job for a lower price than agreed for the second time received a "no" as answer and two of them are no longer my clients.
The last potential clients that asked me to reduce my rates before becoming actual clients never became my clients.
All potential clients that asked me to reduce my rates were from the southern ... See more A potential client is only considered a client once they actually send you a PO/job and pay for it.
The last three clients that asked me to do a job for a lower price than agreed for the second time received a "no" as answer and two of them are no longer my clients.
The last potential clients that asked me to reduce my rates before becoming actual clients never became my clients.
All potential clients that asked me to reduce my rates were from the southern hemisphere or Asian countries. All clients that asked me the same thing were Brazilian, except one, from Spain (no longer my client).
None of my clients from Canada, UK, USA and Europe (except Spain) ever asked me to lower rates or even questioned my rates to begin with.
I really hope the northern-hemisphere countries are not trying to level their rates with those of the south! That would be a world tragedy for us translators. ▲ Collapse
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I wish I had seen this question earlier. Several of my clients have asked me to lower my rates and told me that they are giving work to translators who charge less than I do. It's true that my rates are higher than average.
Also, more of them are now asking for reductions for repetitions and fuzzy matches.
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