| Páginas sobre el tema: < [1 2] | Asked to fly abroad to sign contract: normal? Autor de la hebra: Paul Cooper, MITI (X)
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| Not worth it | Apr 12, 2008 |
Michael GREEN wrote:
I don't understand.
You have a potential client who wants to work with you.
He's offering you fees and conditions which, apparently, are acceptable.
But he wants to meet you to sign the contract : why shouldn't he, if it's a big job ?
And why should he, as the customer, pay for the supplier's travelling costs ?
Do you suppose that when (eg) Boeing executives travel to sign a contract with a foreign customer, they expect the customer to pick up the bill for air travel ?
When I was travelling the world as an export manager, I wouldn't have done much business if I had asked my clients to pay for my air tickets.
Sorry, you just can't compare the resources of a freelance translator with those of a deep-pocketed multinational company. I don't know how big this job is, but I assume it's just not worth it to fly to China and probably lose a few thousand euros (flight + hotel + extras + lost jobs for a few days) to sign a contract which is probably worth a few thousand euros, too (definitely not millions). I have signed many contracts for publishers, but they never expected me to meet them in real life to sign them, not even when they were just 50 km from my home. Is there something wrong with receiving the contract by snail mail, signing it and sending one copy back to China?
I must be in a pessimist mood but all this seems fishy to me.
| | | | Lia Fail (X) 
España
Local time: 20:52
español al inglés
+ ...
| He hasn't got the job ... only a promise | Apr 12, 2008 |
Michael GREEN wrote:
What percentage of your fees will it cost you to go to China and sign the contract ?
If your nett revenues for this job, after deduction of this cost, are still acceptable, you would be ill-advised to walk away from it.
If you think the cost is excessive compared with the fee for the job, tell your customer and explain the problem : in other words, re-negotiate.
If you can't re-negotiate, you still have the option of walking away from it.
Yes but .... what guarantees does he have that once he arrives there, there will be a contract? There is no contract until he has signed it. Hence there is no income, hence the unfairness of asking him to put money for the flight up front.
| | | | Tatty
Local time: 20:52
español al inglés
+ ...
| Don't even think about it... | Apr 12, 2008 |
I'm with Henry, don't even think about it. I think this is about the most crazy thing that I have ever heard...China...the other side of the world...
| | | | | One solution | Apr 12, 2008 |
Tell them you'll meet them at the geographical half way point
To answer your question simply, no it's not normal (or reasonable) to expect this of a freelance translator.
The fact is you're not a Boeing executive or an export manager, so those analogies are dead in the water.
Go with your gut feeling, if you can't find a feasible workaround that you're comfortable with, move on to other projec... See more Tell them you'll meet them at the geographical half way point
To answer your question simply, no it's not normal (or reasonable) to expect this of a freelance translator.
The fact is you're not a Boeing executive or an export manager, so those analogies are dead in the water.
Go with your gut feeling, if you can't find a feasible workaround that you're comfortable with, move on to other projects. ▲ Collapse
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| Sounds fishy | Apr 12, 2008 |
They are the investors, not you! I would bet they are trying to bring you into a position where you would have to chose whether to give them money or lose all you invested so far.
| | | | Paul Cooper, MITI (X)
Taiwán
Local time: 02:52
chino al inglés
PERSONA QUE INICIÓ LA HEBRA | Now convinced it is a scam... | Apr 13, 2008 |
Thank you to everyone who replied. I also got a message from someone off forum (pointing me to a warning from the CBBC about this very practice) and with everything I have read I am pretty sure it is a scam.
[Edited at 2008-04-13 10:43]
| | | | gianfranco
Brasil
Local time: 15:52
Miembro 2001
inglés al italiano
+ ...
| A CBBC warning, description similar to your case | Apr 13, 2008 |
Paul Cooper, MITI wrote:
Thank you to everyone who replied. I also got a message from someone off forum (pointing me to a warning from the CBBC about this very practice) and with everything I have read I am pretty sure it is a scam.
Hi Paul,
it would be interesting to have that link and read the warning, if you can provide it to us.
CBBC is the China-Britain Business Council.
In the meantime, I have found a document that could be what you have received or something very similar. It is about a Bogus Contract scheme, and the main elements are very similar to your case.
See http://www.cbbc.org/front/Scams%20_Jan%2008.pdf
Have a nice weekend
Gianfranco
[Edited at 2008-04-13 13:41]
| | | | Paul Cooper, MITI (X)
Taiwán
Local time: 02:52
chino al inglés
PERSONA QUE INICIÓ LA HEBRA
Gianfranco,
The pdf link you provided is the one I was referring to!
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Thorson
Local time: 20:52
danés al inglés
| Can't get bribes except in person? | Apr 13, 2008 |
Someone above mentioned that--sounds likely to me.
Even corporate directors in China sometimes want money sent to their personal account when paying for goods.
I nearly got burned on some defective electronics goods (they tried to say they were damaged in shipment, which was impossible) until I said I lived near the Chinese embassy and would take them there so they could confirm they were defective. They quickly replaced the shipment at hearing that and sent me worki... See more Someone above mentioned that--sounds likely to me.
Even corporate directors in China sometimes want money sent to their personal account when paying for goods.
I nearly got burned on some defective electronics goods (they tried to say they were damaged in shipment, which was impossible) until I said I lived near the Chinese embassy and would take them there so they could confirm they were defective. They quickly replaced the shipment at hearing that and sent me working units.
You can google "cheated by Chinese company" and read countless stories.
I would get my money up front--also for the translation work.
(saw that CBBC post just now--omg, they're taking over from the Nigerians)
[Edited at 2008-04-13 22:26] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Vito Smolej
Alemania
Local time: 20:52
Miembro 2004
inglés al esloveno
+ ...
LOCALIZADOR DEL SITIO | "Be careful, looks like phishing" - meaning a variant of 419 trap. | Apr 15, 2008 |
++
Ask them for a picture for your trophy room - like "I want to recognize you at the airport"
http://www.419eater.com/html/trophy_room.htm
[Edited at 2008-04-15 04:39]
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